You Are What You Choose to Buy (Sandra)

          

            Looking at The Great Gatsby through a Marxist lens is relatively effortless - the book highlights on numerous examples relating to the effects of American capitalist culture. One barely needs to skim the surface to find instances of the American dream and materialism gone wrong. However, the Marxist interpretation from You are What You Own brought to my attention a new layer altogether. The Great Gatsby criticizes capitalist culture by revealing the effects of capitalist ideology (including those who are its “most successful products”). What surprised me most was “while The Great Gatsby offers a significant critique of capitalism ideology, it also repackages and markets that ideology anew” (78). The concept that capitalist ideology is, in actuality, being sold to the reader was something that I had not suspected.  Reading You Are What You Own made me reconsider the aims and purposes behind the role of American capitalist culture in The Great Gatsby.  Is it possible that The Great Gatsby is portraying commodification negatively, but at the same time is trying to sell it to the reader?