Chapter 3, The Great Gatsby (1925), Francis Scott Fitzgerald

Gautier Chardin

Double-Licence Droit/Anglais  TD5

Chapter 3, The Great Gatsby (1925), Francis Scott Fitzgerald  

from ‘There was music’ (L-1) to ‘ticket of admission’ (L-43)[pic 1]

        'You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.' This quotation from Francis Scott Fitzgerald can be seen as the philosophy of the American author. Born in 1896, in Saint Paul (Minnesota), F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most influential authors of American literature, especially thanks to his masterpiece The Great Gatsby, written in 1925. The novelist had long been interested in the process of modernisation of the American society whether it is economically or culturally.  The new shape of that world in which he lived. Thus, through his works like The Side of paradise, he depicts the portrait of ‘the Roaring Twenties', which he qualified as 'an age of art, an age of excess, an age of satire'. These adjectives embody the nature of The Great Gatsby. This novel narrated by Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbour, deals with the excess of a new society, appearing as limitless, and treating above all with the Gatsby’s quest of Love. In this specific extract from chapter 3. Francis Scott Fitzgerald seems to be more critical with that age of glory. He wants us to see his world from the eyes of his homodiegetic narrator, a world understandable and out of control. That peculiar world in which Gatsby is plunged, and to which he must comply. The issue at stake here is to figure out how Francis Scott Fitzgerald describes the 'Roaring Twenties', a world of excessiveness.

        The scope of the problem leads the reflection to see that the extract portrays of world of immoderation, which is familiar to certain people. However, the greatness of human beings is questioned.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald describes, in the beginning of the chapter three, a star-spangled society, in which moderation is not accepted. A world which can be seen as the epitome of the 'El Dorado'.

        First and foremost, the author foregrounds the material excess of that American society. In fact, it turns out that rich people’s hobbies are limitless. Gatsby embodies this era of glory with his material possessions 'his raft', his beach', ‘his two motor-boats' or even his ‘Rolls-Royce’ which is at that time, and still is, the embodiment of wealth. But, people do not seem to recognise the value of such things. The car becoming ‘an omnibus’ which utterly derives from his primary function. Moreover, it is how Gatsby spends his money in order to organise parties which draws attention : hiring 'eight servants, including an extra gardener' (l-7), 'several hundreds feet of canvas' (l-13), having a  special 'butler' who just has to push a button. The excessiveness of that way of life is well expressed by the several asyndetons presented in the extract like in line 8, 17 and 25; The most relevant is undoubtedly written in line 19 'a whole pitiful of oboes and trombones, and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos, and ow and high drums'. This sentence beyond the aspect of infinity which can be deducted, gives to the reader the feeling of boredness. A feeling shared by Gatsby. But that excess is not contained is Gatsby’s house. It tends to universality.

        Then, the momentum of immoderation is not chained to a specific location. It tends to become universal. Indeed it appears that it starts in Gatsby’s house or more specifically in the ‘Gatsby’s enormous garden’ (l-14). The graduation of that process can be regarded as outward-looking, interested in international way of life in 'New York' or with 'the dreams of Castile' (l-23).  Getting always bigger the Roaring twenties and its expectations seem to overwhelm any aspect of the Earth. That is hallmarked with the personification ‘the air is alive’ (l-24) which sharpens the idea of an dominative era, which is anywhere; or even with the ‘sea-change of faces and voices and color' (l-33). While, the Earth is plunged under the new shape of the society, that very society with its excesses, projects itself out of it. The universality is depicted with the relation with the stars. Stars are known to be unreachable but the party goes beyond the limits, guests becoming like 'moths among stars' ((l-2). Thus the narrator admits that 'the earth lurches away from the sun' while the party is held. That specific area which is the garden gets all the attention and it is a model of society which is promoted or even criticised. That is why that garden can be seen as a kind of El Dorado.

        The extracts deals with the notion of greatness, of infinite wealth and pleasure. Hence, it can be highlighted some elements, allowing to claim that this garden is an El dorado as in Candide from Voltaire. The location appears as a dreamt area in a time of prohibition. In fact, the alcoholic beverages had been forbidden in the US territory since 1919. Nevertheless during Gatsby’s parties ‘gins and liquors’ (l-17) flow like water, people getting drunk without fear of repression from the authorities. It looks like a lawless area, or at least law are determined by rich people. Furthermore, this El Dorado is identified as a magical place, especially thanks to music. 'An orchestra' (l-26) and 'an opera of voices' (l-27) are playing a soft music almost like a lullaby, prevailing any danger and allowing guests to feel safe. Finally, the magical aspect of the place is ensured is the fact that 'pigs and turkeys' are 'bewitched to a dark gold' (l-16). The food is thus, bounded up with something unreal : spell and emphasises the notion of infinity and greatness present from the beginning. As the lexical fields illustrates ‘triumph’, ‘pyramid’, ‘hors d’oeuvre’…  Gatsby’s house has no limit. His wealth allows him to be great, as godlike.

The excessiveness of that golden era demonstrates the power of rich people and coming from that modernised society or more specifically from what ca n be seen as a theatre.

        This period, in the world and above all in the united States is under the yoke of a flippancy. That idea is raised with various elements of the setting. Music and light play a great role in that attitude. 'the constantly changing light' (l-33) or the 'yellow cocktail music'  (l-28) give an impression of airiness to the scene, added to the 'joyous moment' (l-31). Moreover, it is the behaviour of some guests which is presented as something soft ‘the groups change swiftly' 'spilled with prodigality', they are ‘wanderers', or  'girls who weave' and even the 'laughter' and the ‘chatter'. All those people act as if nothing could happen. Therefore, they seem to be plunged in the atmosphere. An atmosphere which protect them. This ambiance brings to mind the surroundings; the scene is overwhelmed by lightness such as the 'feet of canvas' (l-13) or with the 'floating rounds of cocktail' (l-24). Thus all those elements provide the basis of the American way of life during the 'Roaring Twenties'. Through the extract Francis Scott Fitzgerald does not hesitate to make a satire of the new-modernised society.

        Thanks to his narrator, Fitzgerald ensures a critics of that peculiar era. For example Nick Carraway describes the specific schedule of the parties and the life in Gatsby’s house, just like a factory in Taylorism : ’on Mondays', ‘every Fridays', ‘once a fortnight’ ’by seven o’clock'. Those terms are usually written at the beginning of a paragraph as a real calendar. That critics is also given additional weight concerning the reference to ‘Gilda Gray’ who was a dancer. In that world of greatness, the so-called stars from the Jazz age or Broadway were predominant. People live with this idea of becoming ‘someone’. The author depicts here a materialistic world which alienates people and which makes them wonder always more. Modernisation is a necessity, and the narrator stresses the fact that Gatsby is abode by the rule of the society : he has a 'machine' to extract juice from oranges or has a 'real brass rail'. The world ‘real’ is here to express the idea of something which was set up to impress, because such a stuff is not a necessity. It works because the narrator can’t imagine having such a thing in his home. Rich people living in this golden era have behaviours in relation with this will. That is why they become carefree as in a theatre.

        People shape society and society shapes mentality. That is what can be deducted from the party. Guests are englobed in an atmosphere which alienate them. Thanks to this alienation they become jaunty : 'Laughter' (l-28), or the reference to 'Frisco', when a woman starts dancing also reveals that attitude. Franco was known for his free gesture, dancing like nobody else. That is what they are; rich people who come from in majority from Western Egg who are used to such splendours and liberty. Thus, by their clout and their behaviour they symbolise an unstoppable society. The narrator exemplifies this idea with 'a momentary hush…and a burst of chatter' (l-35). This scene is akin to that of Broadway musicals, or theatres when the play stops, introducing a bit of suspense and doubt in the audience, and then resume with a high degree of vivacity. Gatsby’s house is the theatre of that immoderate play whose name can be 'the Follies' as the author mentioned. In which guests are the various characters, Gatsby : the stage director; Nick Carraway and the reader are the public who have their 'ticket of admission' (l-43). The society of the ‘Roaring Twenties' is a real opened-air theatre where everybody is playing a role. That is one of the critics from Francis Scott Fitzgerald who denounced that materialism and the behaviour which followed.