Illusion In The Great Gatsby

A period where many had time for leisure, the Roaring 20’s treated many well, especially the members of elite. Many attempted to emulate the lifestyle of the rich, however the inability to comply with the societal norms of the elite, would render them aliens in this sought after class. Oftentimes, people would mask their true identities and put up a facade to ensure they were not alienated by the elite. Within the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the theme of illusion being mistaken for reality to portray the constant need to conform to the societal norms of the elite in order to fit in.

Coming from humble origins in North Dakota, Gatsby dreams of becoming a member of the upper class upon seeing how its members, like Dan Cody,

She attempts to act as though things of luxury are nothing new to her, as members of the elite would. An instance this ideal becomes apparent is when she speaks of her dress, which represents her trying to assimilate into the upper class. In fact, “with the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change”(34), and upon being complimented on her dress she responds “‘It’s just a crazy old thing,’ she said. ‘I just slip it on sometimes when I don’t care what I look like’”(35). As a wife of an auto-shop owner, she hasn’t seen too much luxury in her life, and a luxurious dress of chiffon is not of commonplace to her. Yet when complimented, she tries to change her behaviour to act as though she has seen such opulence all her life. If Myrtle had remained true to herself and reacted to the riches, it would become apparent that she did not belong to the upper class. With her luxurious attire, Myrtle hopes to create an illusion that she is a member of the upper class, and consequently validated in Tom’s eyes as an equal to Daisy. Thus, the importance of illusion to portray her impending position in the upper class becomes evident. However, despite the new attire and the shift in personality, it becomes obvious that neither Tom nor the upper class accepts Myrtle as

In the 1920s, great importance was placed upon maintaining the perfect family dynamic, especially in the upper class. As a result of having been in the elite and viewing its norms first hand, Daisy is well aware of the aforementioned. Consequently, despite challenging situations that may arise, she maintains her metaphorical mask she has built up. After Tom’s phone call with his supposed mistress, Daisy says, “‘There’s a bird on the lawn that I think must be a nightingale come over on the Cunard or White Star Line’”(18). Such a light hearted comment after such a serious event, implicitly shows the illusion of cheerful, ditsy women she has created of herself. In projecting herself as such a carefree character, which is a desired quality in women at the time, she is able to upkeep her image as a perfect wife, and maintain one of the perfect life she supposedly leads. Contrastingly, if she had expressed her actually emotions, and confronted Tom about his affair, she would most likely have been looked down upon by the rest of the