F. Scott Fitzgerald
In this section of the novel, I started to notice some similarities to our first novel, The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. Mr. Costello assigned two similar novels. Who would have guessed?
Three aspects in particular stood out: Tom's racism, the quip about Nick's "engagement", and Tom's affair.
First on the block is Tom's racism. For some reason, Tom finds it necessary to bring up the "peril" of the Anglo-Saxon race, his knowledge of which his wife ironically dubs "profound". This prejudice, widely believed to result from societal insecurity (many poor whites throughout history have clung to racism to create a bond with the rich whites), parallels prejudices common throughout The House of Mirth. Just as Tom devoted more energy to assert his superiority as an Anglo-Saxon, the antagonists in The House of Mirth created a superior and exclusive society by holding prejudices against Lily's "promiscuous" behavior.
Typical defenders of the superiority of the Anglo-Saxon civilization.
Another point of similarity between the two stories is the topic of marriage. After Tom and Daisy point out that they heard that Nick was engaged, Nick objected by noting, "... and on the other hand I had no intention of being rumored into marriage" (Fitzgerald, 19). Just as in the time frame of The House of Mirth, during the 20s, marriage was viewed among the wealthy as a sign of class. In both stories, the reader witnesses immense pressure from the expectation to retain class through marriage. In The House of Mirth, that pressure had fatal ramifications; one can only hope this novel will end more optimistically.
In addition to marriage, the shortcomings of marriage also appear in both The Great Gatsby and The House of Mirth. Almost right after my first section of reading ended, Miss Baker reveals that Tom is having an affair, and I'm still saying Betty Dorset was having an affair in The House of Mirth. I will guess that, like in The House of Mirth, in The Great Gatsby, the affair will serve as an indicator of the hypocrisy of the standards of the upper class. However, in this case, I think it has more to do with the everlasting search for entertainment rather than an attempted escape of a life forced upon one.
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