Fitzgerald's Use Of Satire In The Great Gatsby

Is Fitzgerald writing a love story that embraces American ideals, or a satire that comments on American ideals?

“The Great Gatsby” was written in 1925, during a time period that brought tremendous changes in the way the society worked in America. After World War 1, the stock market started to rise consistently, which resulted in an increased national wealth. The sudden boost in the economy created many new wealthy citizens and popularized materialism, a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values, as people wanted to show off their wealth (Oxford). Fitzgerald uses satire to criticize the American dream, that hard work will bring success and wealth no matter your social status and to

Subsequently people wanted to show off their wealth, which promoted materialism. Gatsby for instance, has reached the American dream on the surface: He owns a gigantic mansion, a car of his own and he throws major parties on the weekends (Great). Nonetheless, the way that he became rich isn’t very ideal. His birth name was James Gatz, but he changed it to Jay Gatsby at 17, when he “witnessed the beginning of his career-when he saw Dan Cody’s yacht drop anchor over the most insidious flat on Lake Superior.” (105) It’s evident that Gatsby yearned to be wealthy from his very early days and he jumped at the first opportunity that stumbled upon his path. Moreover, “an instinct toward his future glory had led him, some months before, to the small Lutheran college of St. Olaf in southern Minnesota”(106) where he meets Dan Cody, his future mentor. Although Gatsby anticipated an inheritance of twenty-five thousands dollars from Dan Cody after his death, he loses it to Ella Kaye and was left with nothing but a “singularly appropriate education.”(108) Later on, he illegally distributes

When her daughter, Pammy was born, she says, “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”(20) Though it sounds ridiculous, it’s really in line with what that time period was like for women; in this era, men had more control over women, so the best a women could do was to marry a wealthy man and enjoy a luxurious lifestyle offered to them. That’s why women put so much emphasis on marrying rich men: it was the best option they had. In addition, it was normal for men to have affairs with other women while married or in a relationship, which is completely immoral.Speaking from her own experience, Daisy’s implying that being a fool will make a woman's life easier. In the novel, she is well aware of Tom’s affair with Myrtle, a married woman and if she was a fool, she wouldn’t care, making her life easier. It’s disappointing to know that being a careless fool was the smartest choice for women in this era. Above all, women put so much emphasis on materialism that it was important for men to show off their wealth to win someone’s heart, increasing the materialistic views that damaged the morality of the majority in the 20’s. To continue, Daisy marries Tom though