featured image: Juan Parra on Unsplash
Jay Gatsby is the man of the hour. The man whom the book is titled after represents many different ideas and concepts from the time. As it was the 1920s, there was fun and also crime. The fun comes from the end of The Great War and the shackles of responsibilities. People were able to let go a bit more. The 1920s probably bring to mind the images of flappers but there was also the rise of organized crime. Something which Gatsby was no stranger to.
His nostrils turned to me in an interested way. “I understand you’re looking for a business gonnegtion.”
The juxtaposition of these two remarks was startling. Gatsby answered for me:
“Oh, no,” he exclaimed, “this isn’t the man.”
The Great Gatsby Chapter 4
Gatsby brought Nick Carraway with him to lunch and bumped into Meyer Wolfsheim, a mob boss-type figure. Gatsby obviously had done business with him before as Wolfsheim thought Gatsby introduced Nick to him because he was involved in the underground. However much Gatsby was involved in crime cannot be said but Gatsby was guilty of more than just this. Gatsby believed he was in love with Daisy Buchanan. He thought so much of an encounter with Daisy that Daisy herself did not think much of it. Daisy is married and has Tom. He gives her normalcy that Gatsby cannot provide. He is new money and not the kind of person that Daisy can seriously see herself with. But Gatsby treasures everything about her.
“He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes.”
The Great Gatsby Chapter 5
Gatsby holds Daisy’s opinion above his own even considering her evaluation of his home as something he needed to take stock of in case she disliked something he needed to change. He has not seen her in her years but waits for her to show up at his parties just so he can be in her life again.
“There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams—not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything.”
The Great Gatsby Chapter 5
Nick calls Gatsby disillusioned with Daisy because Gatsby has been holding onto this idea of her from 5 years ago. She has grown a lot since then and no longer is the same person he has in his head. He is almost obsessed with the idea of her more than Daisy. He tries to make the current Daisy fit into everything he remembers about her.
To continue in the same vein as previous posts, it cannot be a post without mention of some aspect of South Korea. A song that encapsulates both the aspect of crime and love is Gambler by Monsta X. They use the imagery and language of gambling and betting. The music video portrays the typical bad boy image but also incorporates gambling with the concept of love.
The lyrics suggest this overwhelming love that they want their lover to take a chance on essentially asking the lover to bet on the odds of them being a success while they also take a chance on them. Eventually, it is revealed that the lover is faking it all as the lyrics say, “I just figured it out, your bluffing” which also contributes to the idea of Gatsby being delusional in his love for Daisy as she most likely was never quite as in love as he was with her.
https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-monsta-x-gambler-english-translation-lyrics
Link to the Genius English Translation of Gambler
Another lyric in the song says, “I’m obsessed with your tricks” which is something Gatsby can also identify with as Daisy has shown herself to be manipulative throughout the book. The most obvious representation of this is when the quality of her voice is mentioned. Her voice takes on a certain tone and she speaks at a certain volume to make people listen to her and do what she says. Gatsby falls for this trick throughout the book believing that she means everything she says even though she really just says what he wants to hear.
Gatsby eventually has his heart broken in much the same way the singers of Gambler do. This might make it seem like love is not worth it but there are all types of love in the world. Love is one of the strongest forces that exists. As Joohoney of Monsta X sings, “Cause love is a gamble.” Who knows what they will get?
