Although I had seen the 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby prior to reading the book for the course, I never realized the flirtatious undertones between the book’s main character and narrator. While I understand the cultural implications of men’s close relationships in 1920, I also found myself thinking about (what I believe to be) the crush Carraway had on Gatsby. Although trying to be subtle, it was blatant that Nick was infatuated with the idea of Gatsby, and the feeling from Gatsby was mutual. While this is just a theory that I had, along with much of the internet, I find that a queer understanding of one of the most popular books in American literature is apart of the evolving American Dream. In 2021, it would be irresponsible to erase the queerness of a certain text to fit the mold of what it has always been perceived.
1900-1916’s Cultural Understanding of the American Dream in “Behold, America”
1900-1916
At first, the American Dream was being used to “articulate a collective national ideal” and stopping the rich and powerful from destroying the collective ideals of democratic equality.
Today, many Americans envision the American Dream as golden, sparkling return to the past (national prosperity and so-called harmony)
Being rich is now synonymous for “making it” and living the purest form of the American Dream.
“At the beginning of of the twentieth century, thanks to the explosion of advertising, the rise of celebrity culture, the use of photographs in newspapers and the imminent dominance of Hollywood in the American imagination, consumer capitalism–which included the ‘fashion and home magazines’–was becoming aspirational: ‘the universal American dream and hope’. (pg 30)
The myth of the American Dream as Told by The Massacre of the Greenwood District
Black Wall Street, or the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was one of few extremely prosperous Black neighborhoods in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. Unfortunately, this self-sufficient, wealthy Black neighborhood burned to the ground by white supremacists. The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 left thousands of Black Tulsans homeless, hundreds dead, and the district completely obliterated. Now that we have reached the 100th anniversary of the tragedy, there need to be reparations from the United States, a country that claims to strongly value the ideas of prosperity, democratic equity, and equal opportunity. The citizens of Tulsa’s Greenwood District who lost their lives in this horrible mishandling of justice were not even buried in marked graves, let alone given the opportunity to pursue the full version of what the American Dream is supposed to be (Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness as written by in the Declaration of Independence, for example). Tulsa, and all of Oklahoma for that matter, was a supposed safe haven for Black Americans post-Emancipation Proclamation and the opening of Indian Territory. This safe haven for Black Tulsans was soon turned to Hell due to a horrible assumption of guilt by white Tulsans about 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a Black shoe shiner, who was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, the 17-year-old white elevator operator of the nearby Drexel Building. He was taken into custody, but white Tulsans decided to riot, massacre many Black Tulsans, and burn the district to the ground regardless. The time to commemorate the success of Black Wall Street and mourn the loss of so many lives is far overdue. As Peter Lupsha states the American values in “American Values and Organized Crime: Suckers and Wiseguys,” “The taproots of American culture are those Lockeian (sic) values embodied in the writings, declarations, and documents of the Founding Fathers and their interpreters. These values are based in beliefs in individualism, property, or ‘materialism,’ competition, and freedom of action, or independence.”
The Exclusivity of the American Dream
The Exclusivity of the American Dream The idea of the “American Dream” has been an ideal most notably tied with prosperity in the United States of America. An ideal that means with hard work, comes great amounts of success. An ideal that was written in the Declaration of Independence with such inclusivity that it suggests anyone, regardless of race, class, or gender is given a set of inalienable rights that will lead them to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. While the text was written with seemingly inclusive intentions, the writers of the Declaration of Independence and the Founding Fathers really meant that America was for them to prosper in. These so-called self-evident truths that “…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable (sic) Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” (Declaration of Independence) became negotiable for whom these rights ACTUALLY applied to (white men who owned property), and it was not just anybody (freed black men, unfree black people, women, other minority groups). While a more equitable future has been shaped from the subtle exclusivity of yesteryear, there is still a battle to be fought in terms of everyone being able to reach the American Dream in all its intended glory of full democratic equity. While the country has made progress towards democratic equity, we just have to keep going further.
My Experience and Knowledge on the Tulsa Race Massacre
Growing up in Tulsa, my family always immersed me in the history of the city. I first heard about Black Wall Street from a coffee table book my aunt had at her house. As well, I was lucky enough to be taught the rich history of the Greenwood District in my high school curriculum, which is a pleasure not many Oklahomans have. The first chapter doesn’t deviate from my previous knowledge on the prosperous Greenwood District. I feel lucky that my knowledge wasn’t suppressed by my school. While the destruction of the district was horrific, I am glad that I was taught about it. The only way to never repeat history is to learn about it.
Questions I Have for Jay Gatsby
Prompt: If you could interview Jay Gatsby as a student in this class, what questions would you ask him about his understanding of the American Dream and why (what would be your reasons for asking/wanting to know this information)? What
I would ask Jay Gatsby if he agreed with Peter Lupsha’s assertions and values in American Values and Organized Crime: Suckers and Wiseguys considering he is an organized criminal himself. Likewise, I would ask his opinion on the success of Black Wall Street, considering the book takes place within two years of the peak of the Greenwood District and the subsequent massacre. These questions would include the keyterms: American Dream, organized crime, values, materialism, and success. I would reference Suckers and Wiseguys, as well as Black Wall Street by Hannibal Johnson.
1b: Other than questions relating to the content of THIS COURSE, what other questions might you ask (that are not already answered/necessarily answered in The Great Gatsby?
If I could ask Gatsby a couple of personal questions, I would ask “How did going to war impact your idea of what the American Dream is?” and “Do you wonder if Nick’s intentions with you are more than friendly?”
2: Gatsby’s answer to my questions.
- “I became grateful for my life and what it has to offer. While I lost a great deal, my youth and love for example, I found pleasure for the finer things in life. Living in excess is the American Dream”
- “Nick is strictly a confidant and I find his intentions to be nothing more than familial at most.”
3: In what ways can we understand The Great Gatsby as an American Dream novel? (be creative in your interpretation here). We can interpret The Great Gatsby as an American Dream novel for the use of wealth as an attempt to reach happiness and comfortability in oneself. Not to mention, it is extremely American to gain your fortune through organized crime and lies, as displayed by Lupsha. Truly, Jay Gatsby represents the superficiality of the American Dream as he is still unable to attain love from Daisy (representing class and everything elite) despite reinventing himself from humble beginnings.
“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” by Taylor Swift
Often noted as singer’s “redemption” era, Taylor Swift’s reputation album discusses the ugly sides to fame and how you can’t really trust anyone in Hollywood. The song “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” mentions elaborate parties and overflowing alcohol, similar to a party that Jay Gatsby would throw.
Lyrics like
It was so nice throwing big parties
Jump into the pool from the balcony
Everyone swimming in a champagne sea
And there are no rules when you show up here
Bass beat rattling the chandelier
Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year
Discuss the fantasy of it all and even refer to the mysterious Gatsby himself. As the song continues, we learn that Swift felt betrayed and had to “take away” her materialistic attributes from so-called friends. This concept reminds me of The Great Gatsby in the way that people only valued the man for his wealth and parties, not for himself. In reality, Swift brings a modern rendition to the tale as old as time.
What I Learned From “Myth of The American Dream”
When I registered for the course for my minor, I chose this one as it seemed to have the most interesting subject matter. I can say that I was right and enjoyed our discussions about the American Dream. My overall idea about the American Dream has not changed, but become stronger in the fact that it does not exist. I knew that the American Dream was ultimately inaccessible for most Americans and our talks on race, social status, and economic history have strengthened that. I did not realize how many Americans actually adhered to the idea of the American Dream until this course, which I found surprising. I figured everyone understood how inaccessible the Dream was. My favorite part of the course was the creative freedom in the Freewrites and our personal discussions of the American Dream in the Zoom breakout rooms. My least favorite part was the structure of the canvas page, as I found it hard to navigate and overall understand due to organizational differences between Dr. Mintler and I (I organize vertically whereas the Canvas was organized horizontally). I would say the course is designed well for first year students on Zoom, and could transfer well to in person when the time comes. I liked discussing songs and other forms of creative media in class because I found them to be the most engaging for everyone. The more of those the better, in my opinion.
List of Keyterms Used Throughout the Semester
- American Dream
- Wealth
- Suckers
- Wiseguys
- Organized Crime
- America First
- Nationalism
- Patriotism
- Democracy
- Intersectionality
- Liberty
- Inalienable
- Wealth
- Social Mobility
- Success
- Opportunity
- Happiness
- Expression
- Individual
- equal opportunity
- prosperity
- hard work
- initiative
- self determination
- preservation.
- Moxie
- Glittering
- Industry
- Statism
- Emancipation
- Isolationism
- Depression
- Tyranny
- Facism
- White Nationalism
- Democratic Responsibility
- Eugenics
- Massacre
- Justice
- Peace
- Progressive
- Political Affiliation
- Affordable
- Achieve
- Democratic equity