Effects Of Discrimination In The Great Gatsby

Miranda Heaton

Mrs. Strobl

English 2 Honors

18 May 2023

Racist and Anti-Semitic Effects Within 1920s

The Civil Rights Act was passed on July 2nd, 1964, 31 years earlier a holocaust of Semitic people had begun; both of these events share one thing in common, their origin from discriminatory hatred and prejudice. The 1920s and the emergence of the American Dream were precursors of these two events, expressing an escalating tension towards Jewish and African-American people. A simple fact that arises from this time period was that the white Christian male was viewed as superior to any other race, sex, or religion. During the 1930s, the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was released, stemming from this ideology. Furthermore, the Roaring

The critic Cahan tells the story of Levinsky, a Russian Jewish immigrant as he is “‘forever watching and striving to imitate the dress and the ways of the well-bred American merchants’” (Goldsmith). The American Dream is another tactic used to further harm immigrants, as it expresses displeasure with differing from the standards placed by non-ethnic individuals. As a result, immigrants were defaulted as different, facing society’s disapproval without motivation. Moreover, Fitzgerald uses the color “white” to prove that white means purity and innocence. This is shown when Nick states, “They were both in white” (Fitzgerald 8), along with Daisy’s statement, “Our white girlhood was passed together there. Our beautiful white—” (Fitzgerald 19). Daisy and Jordan, who both wear white dresses are seen as innocent, pure, and wealthy; these ideologies further stunt those who do not have light skin. Tying into the idea that the color of one’s skin can be used as a way to stereotype their behaviors. All in all, the clothing choice within The Great Gatsby enables the racist beliefs throughout this time

To begin, children are susceptible to the beliefs of their parents. This is shown through Fitzgerald’s childhood and his “antipathy to Jews … ‘I'm sure she [his mother] believed that Christian boys were killed at Easter and the Jews drank the blood. She was a bigot’” (Pendleton). Fitzgerald’s surroundings during his developmental ages further express how these beliefs can ripple through one’s entire life. Another example of how racist beliefs have been passed from generation to generation is the use of discriminatory slurs. This type of discrimination is shown as Myrtle uses the word “kike” to negatively describe her almost-husband: “‘I almost made a mistake too… I almost married a little kike…’” (Fitzgerald 36). The word “kike” is a derogatory term used to address those of Jewish descent, specifically, it is a term to harass Jewish people. A slur forms from hostility, and as slurs face the passage of time they become more embedded within society. In today’s society many use “substitution words” in contrast to actual slurs. An example of this is the comparison of the N-word and stereotypical words such as “thug” or “gangster” to refer to African-American persons. To finalize, the importance of moving past supremacist beliefs is vital to overcome the faults within