(Willie) Deconstruction Paper

Deconstructive criticism, at least as it appears to me, is not necessarily a criticism but a philosophy. When you really look at what it is saying, the primary message is that everything is subjective. One can draw many conclusions from a single text; or, many can draw many conclusions from a single text. Either one fits. The problem I see here is how loose this is in the way in which it is applied to literature. One can look at the signifieds of a given text and explain the many signifiers that arise from them–"I grasped my bow" could mean anything from "I held my musical device designed to assist me in playing musical instruments" to "I seized my weapon" to "I hastily grabbed my necktie" (potentially due to strangulation)–or, they can speak of the different interpretations which arise from signifiers. For example, one might see the struggle between HAL and Dave in 2001: A Space Odyssey as symbolic of the dangers humanity faces with their use of technology or a statement against absolute monarchy and placing absolute power in the hands of one individual.

With all of that said, applying this to The Great Gatsby is rather difficult. There are, however, a few minor elements of the story that we can deconstruct. For example, when we look at Jay Gatsby's success in life, we primarily see a man who has exploited the American Dream to become rich illegally (a bizarre irony in and of itself). We can disregard this notion altogether, though, and leave the American Dream completely out of the question. Suddenly, we can see that Gatsby is simply representative of a novel that supports drug use. It sends out the message that drugs and alcohol are good and an easy way to get rich in life is by selling them. In other words, if you want to get rich easily, sell drugs. That is what Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's character to say.