Author(s)

Fu Jiayuan ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China

Corresponding Author

Fu Jiayuan

ABSTRACT

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald highlights various cultural characteristics of the Jazz Age. This paper will explore the cultural elements of the original novel and the 2013 film adaptation and its impact on its audience. Specifically, this paper focuses on the themes of a materialistic culture, hegemonic culture, the American Dream, the portrayal of women in the 1920s, and the racist ideology. During the Jazz Age, a period of economic prosperity and social change, materialism shaped people's values and pursuits. Through an in-depth analysis of the novel and the film, this paper will explore the characters' endless pursuit of material wealth and social status to show that there was also impatience, emptiness, and ruthlessness behind this era's wealth. Moreover, this paper will explore the concept of hegemonic culture and the dominance of upper class characters over the lower class people. By examining the class conflicts between old and new money, the nature of the upper-class social circle, and the set of society that the aristocracy benefited from, this paper aims to show how The Great Gatsby highlights the power dynamics between different socio-economic classes and the injustices caused by this hegemonic culture. Despite Jay Gatsby's pursuit of wealth, status, and desire for personal fulfillment, the pursuit of this ideal often comes at a price, and this paper will explore the downfalls and disillusionment of the American Dream, as well as the complexity and ambivalence of the American Dream in the Jazz Age. In addition, the paper explores the portrayal of women in The Great Gatsby and the limitations of these female characters as well as the broader context of gender dynamics during the Jazz Age, where despite the progress made by women in terms of their social status at the time, some limitations and negativity still existed for women. Finally, the paper will look at racist ideology through the character Tom Buchanan as an aristocratic white man. Although this is not the main theme of the story, the fact that racism still exists is reflected in this character. The Great Gatsby portrays many elements of American society during the Jazz Age in both the novel and film highlighting the social dynamics and values of its time.

KEYWORDS

The Great Gatsby; Film Adaptation, Materialism; Hegemonic Culture; The American Dream; Female Portrayal; Racism; Jazz Age

CITE THIS PAPER

Fu Jiayuan, The Great Gatsby: An Analysis of Cultural Representations in Literature and Film. Media and Communication Research (2024) Vol. 5: 128-135. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/mediacr.2024.050320.

REFERENCES

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