A Marxist reading of The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, from a Marxist perspective, represents class conflict, the haves and have-
nots, and how people gain riches and power at the expense of other people's lives. Tyson also discussed
some flaws of the novel, in a Marxist perspective and the damaging effects of capitalism portrayed by
the characters in the pursuit of pleasure and abundance.

As per Tyson, Fitzgerald’s novel stands as scathing critique of American capitalist culture and the
ideology that promotes it. The Great Gatsby exposes the social classes based on the characters
ideology. To start with, Tom Buchanan’s character; “for him, all things and all people are
commodities”(p.70) Tom who is in power sees Daisy, his better half as a trade of Daisy's youth and
beauty that is great for his standing as it upholds power and soundness. He then uses Myrtle, his love
affair and other lower-class women in the conviction of what he has to offer for them; and his control
over George, Myrtle’s wife, by buying him cars. These commodification in return puts him in a great
advantage where he sees human interaction as his markets. Daisy, however a victim of her husband’s
commodification, benefits from what Tom has to offer; her acceptance of pearls as Tom’s present and
how she impressed Nick, his cousin with her social status that she think she fits in. His affair with Gatsby
is also based on a commodified view of life, where she thought of Gatsby as the same social class as
hers. But apparently made Gatsby assume the fault for Myrtle's demise. Gatsby, on the other hand,
despite the luxurious possessions only cares how these possessions built an image for him conferring to
the social status he belongs to. His goal of pursuing Daisy is the ultimate commodity, as what Tyson
stated, that with Daisy, on his side would make him the same strata as him and would finally accept him.

Tyson also highlighted the role of the place where the story took place; the Long Island,
consisting of two areas: East Egg and West Egg. These two places are differentiated by the kind of
wealth the people possessed and raised from. People raised from old rich are more respectable than
those of the new rich who receive doubt because of the source of their fortune. This has been Tom’s
insecurity despite of his commodities, that whatever he possessed, he would never belong to the old
rich because one of the requirements if old money is not only to be earned from the past but in the East.
The novel also illustrates the place of the lower-class, the land of hopelessness as described in the novel,
people who make it out of living from being exploited by the aristocrats, or the highest social class.

The Buchanan’s wealth and power show no mercy for others' cutthroat sacrifices to their
advantage. Tyson discussed the flaws of The Great Gatsby in a Marxist perspective. One of the flaws is
how the characters of Myrtle and George who belonged to the lower-class were not given empathy
because of their underlying characteristics; Myrtle who is submissive, marketing her own body to Tom
and George who is dumb, played by Tom in the hopes of getting good profits from buying his cars.
Despite the fact that they strive for their own good, the irony lies on who they are condemned to, which
is in Tom’s hand. Another flaw that was stated by Tyson is how Nick, the narrator of the novel, has a
subtle admiration to Gatsby. As per Tyson, his romanticization of Gatsby as an idealistic dreamer made
him think that as a man who belongs to a middle-class, who cannot afford lavish possessions would one
day be like Gatsby, pursuing an American dream. “He is in collusion with Gatsby’s desire, and his
narrative can lead readers into collusion with that desire as well.”(p.77) this evokes readers to have the
same desire of Gatsby’s wealth.

“While The Great Gatsby offers a significant critique of capitalist ideology, it also repackages and
markets that ideology anew.” (p.78) the ending statement, “beat on, boats against the current, borne
back ceaselessly into the past” drives readers to condemn to the capitalist ideology. In spite of Gatsby's
failure to achieve the American dream, the novel created a world where wealth and power were
everyone’s ultimate desires and readers would continually be excited about.