In our class discussions, we have found that The Great Gatsby revolves around wealth, and the failed American Dream. Yet again, Lois Tyson uses fancy critical theory terms to make a simple, obvious concept more complicated than it is. "Nowhere in The Great Gatsby is commodification so clearly embodied as in the character of Tom Buchanan." (70). Wait, really? I had no idea. It's not like it's clear that Tom's only concern is his money, or that his marriage with Daisy doesn't mean a thing to him. We may not have used the exact terms Tyson teaches us, but it's fairly simple to see this using the language we knew before.
Concerning Gatsby, she writes "Even Jay Gatsby, the character who seems at first to embody the American dream and the hope of capitalism thereby offers to all, reveals upon closer inspection of that dream... even his motive for amassing wealth seems pure:... to win the woman he loves." (73) The Great Gatsby is hyped up as a love story, but as we read each new criticism (at least so far), it becomes clearer how impure Gatsby's love for Daisy actually is. According to Tyson, Gatsby wishes to possess Daisy because it would be a "permanent sign that he belongs to her socioeconomic class" where he cannot be accepted completely without this "permanent sign." In other words, Gatsby loves Daisy for her money. Again, we discussed this in class, using the symbolism behind the green light, which represents Daisy, while she represents money.
I'm assuming that when we move on to the less accessible criticism (as the book is in order of difficulty), Tyson's critiques will be less obvious. But you know what happens when you assume...
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