Frozen Dreams

As early action decisions start rolling out this month, many seniors will be either devastated or ecstatic.  It seems like this piece of paper, this letter of admissions, is the pivotal point in their lives. In other words, it's their Judy Jones.  This moment in their life is probably the most important up to this point, as they are constantly "unconsciously dictated by [their] winter dreams" (Fitzgerald 2).

Dexter starts out as the epitome of a self made man, one that rises from modesty to recognition and wealth.  However, Judy Jones comes in and- in part- ruins much of what he has worked for.  In other words, Judy comes to represent the materialism that was the demise for many of the wealthy during the Jazz Age.  Ultimately, Judy becomes "old news" and all the sacrifice Dexter made for her went to nothing.  The irony of the situation seems to parallel modern society with the rigorous college admissions process.  Many parents start preparing their children to become respected and educated students from a young age.  However, these efforts often go in vain as we as students tend to forget what we are really working for.  Judy/college comes into our lives, becoming our winter dream.  Yet contradictorily, these dreams freeze our conscious, rendering us from moving forward.  In the end, all dreams, all hope, cannot be focused on one goal or one object.  Because when that thing is gone, so is all the hope.  

don't let anything block your vision

Fitzgerald's warning against materialism and the demise of the once potent American Dream can even be seen today.  Similar to the way racism is still present (and how Lorraine Hansberry included the continuation of the problem in Raisin in the Sun), the problem of frozen dreams and blurred vision continues to deter talented students from the real goal. 

destroyed and alone

The entire ending of this book was just a emotional storm-- actually, the entire book was.  I was constantly torn between straight up fangirling and obsessing over the rich and sophisticated Gatsby (Leanardo DiCaprio!!!) and yelling at him to stop obsessing over the past. The fact that Gatsby held these wild parties with great attendance and ceaseless attention over his mysterious figure by its guests seems to contradict his bland funeral.  Why is it that someone who was so popular when he was alive just a ghost once his spirit is gone?

he was alone in the end.

Ironically, the only person who came to his funeral other than the ever so constant Nick is the father who James Gatz left as a young man.  As a man who was never influenced by the materialism wealth (he stayed in the West all of his life), Gatsby's father does not have the fickleness that the residents of the East do: he values people with moral values without regarding them as mere temporary items.  It seems that the people we encounter in this book are only worried about the material wealth tied with events and items- if it is no longer relevant, it is not worth their time and resources to consider.  Even Daisy, the one person Gatsby focused over half a decade of his life on, sent no condolences or even recognition of the tragedy. Yet Mr. Gatz remembers his son and even reminisces over the determination Gatsby had as a young boy to improve himself and his social status.  This goes back to the importance of speed during this time period.  Time seems to move at an infinte speed for the residents of East Egg- the past is only a distant memory.  However, it seems that this "speed" never reached Gatsby.  He is and always will be a man living in the past.  At the same time, it is important to note how much his obsession over the dream of Daisy has consumed Gatsby. It seems as though Gatsby had a fresh and morally right future in front of him- he was a bright boy with ambitions and the right of mind (as noted by his father).  Yet Nick knows who he has become. He knows that through the process of trying to gain material wealth and consequently Daisy, Gatsby succumbed to the ruins and corruption that characterized so much of this time period.  

corruption consumed him.

The demise of Gatsby seems to highlight the moral fraud many of those during the infamous "Jazz Age".  The moral values Nick tried to find so desperately in the opulent Eggs was nonexistent: those caught up in this lifestyle could not see past the lavish parties and the swiftness of life. Real relationships never truly happened.  All the relationships in this book were characterized with insincerity, hopelessness, and artificiality.  This age destroyed even the most pristine of characters.