How F. Scott Fitzgerald Explores The Issue of Deception in 1920s American Society

Scott F. Fitzgerald’s novella The Great Gatsby undergoes an exploration of the deceitful nature within American society during ‘the roaring 20s’, driven by moral confusion. Fitzgerald critiques the inherent dishonesty and corruption ingrained within society, narrating the equivocal moral code often promoted within positions of power and wealth. Within the United States of America, the 1920s was a period of economic and industrial growth beckoning an era of prosperity to a nation recently ravished by war. Immense technological and social advancements along with the promise of social mobility brought upon social upheaval of the affluent class, culminating an era of moral confusion and cultural conflict. This exploration is developed through Fitzgerald’s symbolic representation of eyes and illusion, analysing perspective and the subjective nature of human character, alongside the failures of the American dream and the influence of wealth as a driving source of deception. Ultimately, Fitzgerald examines the inner workings of American society within the early 20th century, detailing the corruption and deceiving nature of man.

Fitzgerald’s symbolic representation of eyes enables him to contrast differing perspective and the individual prejudice that must be overcome to achieve moral clarity. Fitzgerald writes from the perspective of Nick Caraway, using him as a moral guide to decipher the world. Caraway depicts himself as ‘one of the few honest people [he] have ever known’ and references his inclination to ‘reserve all judgements’. Illustrating how throughout the novella, the audience interprets American society through what appears to be Caraway’s fair and honest viewpoint. However, Fitzgerald contrasts his distinct characterisation of Caraway during the denouement, as Jordan Baker reveals her assumption of Caraway as an ‘honest, straightforward person’ was incorrect. This highlights the common motif of deception within the affluent society, encouraging the re-examination of bias within perspective. Similarly, with the characterisation of the ‘eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckelburg’, Eckelburg is portrayed as an external moral influence. Its ‘persistent stare’ establishes the overseeing, godlike presence of the set of eyes, referenced by Mr Wilson exclaiming, ‘you can’t fool god’. Moreover, Fitzgerald also uses the eyes of the advertisement to highlight the failure of the American dream and its deceptive nature. Eckelburg must watch over the ‘valley of ashes’, the district of ‘ash-grey men’ and hopelessness. This highlights the limitations of Eckelburg’s moral influence diminishing his presence to an inanimate object only capable of externalising moral doubt present within characters. Thus illustrating the internalised moral conflict present within many characters, further suppressed through deceptive narration and perspective.

Fitzgerald’s intricate characterisation of Jay Gatsby allows for the exploration into his illusive nature and means of deception. Within the novella, Gatsby is presented as the embodiment of illusion, through his fabrication of an alluring façade, which ‘sprang from his platonic conception of himself’. Fitzgerald exhibits vivid characterisation with the initial description of Gatsby, with ‘eternal reassurance’ and ‘something gorgeous about him’ describing his radiating aura of enticing romance. However, Fitzgerald later illustrates the detriment and fragility of Gatsby’s illusion when Daisy Buchanan, ‘tumbles short of his dreams’ due to the ‘colossal vitality of his illusion’. This suggests Gatsby’s hedonistic concept of Daisy does not exist in reality, but simply as a symbol of Gatsby’s inconceivable dream, further critiquing Gatsby’s unattainable ambitions cultivated within his imagination. Working through irony, Fitzgerald exhibits the stark contrast between reality and illusion through the tone of Gatsby’s funeral. Of the ‘sparkling hundreds that enjoyed his hospitality’, ‘not a single one attended the funeral’. This details the artificiality and absence of meaningful exchange present within the upper class of American society, thus signalling the inevitable collapse of Jay Gatsby’s illusion. With the death of Gatsby, Fitzgerald highlights fallibility within Gatsby’s deceptive nature, exhibiting the remorse caused by Gatsby’s perpetual deception as he pays a ‘high price’ for ‘living too long with a single dream’. Implicitly, through Fitzgerald’s characterisation of the protagonist, Gatsby’s fabricated façade of power and wealth, exemplifies a broader issue of corruption and deception within the upper echelon of American society.

Through the failures of the American dream, Fitzgerald explores the driving influence of wealth in regards to deception and moral confusion. Employing symbolism, Fitzgerald depicts the ‘single green light’ upon the dock, to represent the idealistic American dream as an unattainable ideology. Caraway explains that ‘tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther’ encompassing the eternal unsatisfaction accepted by American society. This exhibits the inability to convert dreams into reality, resulting in many resorting to an insincere life of deception and moral corruption, all in an effort to obtain a meaningless aura of social superiority. The unfulfilled promise of social mobility is depicted through the attitudes of Myrtle Wilson who is quick to conceive a fictitious identity and ‘impressive hauteur’ whilst in the present of the aristocracy. This is shows as she in an attempts to dissociate from her true persona in an attempt to obtain wealth as she looks down in ‘despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders’. Additionally, under the constraints of the elite of East Egg, Tom and Daisy Buchanan conformed to the idealistic image of a perfect family. They established themselves as a respectable couple, showing ignorance to the indisputable flaws within their relationship. Although Daisy later admits she did ‘love him once’ it is simply not enough to maintain their delicate façade. Further, Fitzgerald depicts the moral corruption within the Buchannan’s, as they ‘smashed things up’ and then ‘retreated back into their money’. This depicts the carelessness held by the wealthy with their ability to exploit their affluence, never truly being held accountable for their deceptive guise.

Ultimately, through ‘The Great Gatsby’ Scott F. Fitzgerald explores the deceitful and illusive nature of classist society, critiquing their artificial life fuelled by the futility of the American dream. Through the exploration of illusion and perspective, Fitzgerald displays the systematic privilege exerted by the affluent as they exploit their wealth for materialistic gain. Fitzgerald condemns affluent society resorting to deceptive mannerisms in times of moral corruption, cultivating the perception that authentic human experience is unattainable.