Is The Great Gatsby Problematic from a Historical Perspective? by Frank Marcopolos, ARM-E
By: The Bookquarium
Tags: America, Novel, Novel Writing, Gatsby, American

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay “Jimmy Gatz” Gatsby.

When examining a canonical novel, one that is generally thought to be among the pantheon of greats in American literature, it is appropriate to view the novel from today’s standards in order to determine if the story has any “problematic” elements. This is to say that we should be concerned about whether or not time has revealed any flaws with regard to the perspectives, prejudices, or opinions of the time and era and culture of when it was written.

At first glance, it seems that The Great Gatsby may have some problematic elements. Let us examine each in turn to determine their validity.

1) Anti-Semitism.

In the novel, Meyer Wolfsheim is a Jewish gambler, businessman, and shady associate of Jay Gatsby. He is definitely portrayed in a negative light. Fitzgerald uses descriptions of him that could be seen as anti-semitic. For example, he describes Wolfsheim by mentioning his nose an inordinate number of times — an unusual way of describing a character’s actions and appearance. Unusual perhaps, until you realize that a traditional slur and stereotyping against Jewish people is that they have large “hook-shaped” noses.(1)

In addition to this, Tom Buchanon also calls Wolfsheim a “kike,” which is a slur against Jewish people. However, Tom Buchanon is the villain of the novel, so this could be excused as a way for Fitzgerald to show that Buchanon is a detestable character.

2) Racism.

In addition to being anti-Semitic, Tom Buchanon also appears to be racist against Black people. In a more famous passage from the novel, he asks whether Nick Carraway has read “The Rise of the Coloured Empires” by a man named Goddard. This is generally thought to be a parallel to a real book entitled, “The Rising Tide of Colour Against White World-Supremacy” by a man named Lothrop Stoddard. Tom claims that the book proves scientifically that the “Nordic race” is superior and must prevent other races from rising up lest they “take over.”

This is obviously problematic. However, because Tom is portrayed as a villain, it is unlikely that Fitzgerald is using him as a mouthpiece for his own opinions on race relations. Instead, these reprehensible attitudes can be seen as a vehicle for Fitzgerald to get the reader to dislike Tom.

3) Classism.

The Great Gatsby portrays the upper class of the United States as partying, dancing, deal-making, and generally having a great time during the “roaring ‘20s.” Meanwhile, the lower classes are seen toiling and living in the “valley of ashes,” a place of squalor and decay. A virtual army of servants attend to every need that Jay Gatsby and the Buchanons have. Meanwhile, the Wilsons live above their place of greasy employment while surrounded by ashes and ghosts. The escape Myrtle Wilson attempts to make is thwarted by the speeding and careless Daisy Buchanon — who suffers exactly zero consequences from the tragedy.

This is generally thought of to be one of the themes of the novel, so it was certainly an intentional juxtaposition by Fitzgerald intended to make the reader think about and consider the different circumstances of these classes.

4) Feminism.

Fitzgerald portrays his leading-role women as objects for men to acquire rather than as human beings with agency of their own. While it could be argued that this may have been an accurate portrayal of the plight of women, more or less, in the 1920s, it certainly does not ring true for a modern audience. This is especially the case for Daisy (Fay) Buchanon, as she is the “green light” object of Jay Gatsby’s desire. She also feels that the best thing that a girl can be in the world is a “pretty little fool.”

Jordan Baker is a professional golfer and something of a celebrity, but even she seems to be waiting for Nick Carraway to “make his move,” to use modern-day parlance.

Myrtle Wilson appears to be the stereotypical “trapped” woman who, despite being able to attract the likes of Tom Buchanon, can nonetheless not figure out a way to escape from her miserable existence married to a flaccid gas station owner in the middle of the valley of ashes (modern-day Astoria, Queens.)

At the same time, the novel depicts the female sexual liberation happening during this period of American history as portrayed by the “risque” fashion of women, the explosion of dancing to a new kind of wild music called “jazz,” and the free-flowing alcohol.

None of this is shown in the novel to be of any tangible benefit to women, however. Myrtle ends up dead in a ditch by the side of the road, Daisy is an inconsolable mess who has to flee town with her husband, and Jordan is rebuffed by Nick and fades into oblivion.

So, it does seem that The Great Gatsby has some historical issues, particularly with the descriptions of Meyer Wolfsheim and the depictions of women in the story. However, these can easily be understood within the context of its historical era, and as Fitzgerald attempting to write in a heightened, flowery, descriptive style.

Footnotes:

1 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_nose // Accessed August 2, 2020.