AnnaMarie Pyne
Mr. Jennings
HON AP ENG LANG & COMP
25 February 2015
Oxymoron in the Great Gatsby
In Oxymoron in the Great Gatsby, Peter Hays argues that there are compelling
paradoxes throughout The Great Gatsby, which are represented by the use of
oxymorons. Hay credits Gatsby as the symbol of the elusive American dream because
Gatsby embodies the contradictory qualities of our country. As a whole, the people in
the Great Gatsby tend to spend money just to make themselves look good in the eyes
of their peers. In this article, Hays establishes the motives of the characters and how
their actions are symbolic of society, and how they deal with their struggles and internal
conflicts. Fitzgerald recognized the prevalence of how contradictory our society is,
especially in the 1920s, and as a result, she demonstrated how the people from the
book can symbolize certain characteristics of people in real life. The notion of Gatsby
as a paradox comes from the idea that with hard work one can accomplish anything and
that America is a classless society.
During the 1920s many people believed in meritocracy, which was a social
system that recognized social status based upon wealth. Hays wanted to demonstrate
the importance of meritocracy during the 1920s, which is shown most prominently
through Jay Gatsby. He believes that since he has money he can close the social gap
that separates him from other people. From Gatsby's perspective, Daisy is perfect. “The
unreality of reality” (Hays). This shows that reality can truly seem to be an illusion and
that appearances can be deceiving; he realizes that even the prettiest and richest are
capable of horrible actions. An example of this is shown through Daisy. Although a
beloved character, she was hit by a bystander. "Hays and many others credit Fitzgerald
with perfectly portraying the American Dream, with its paradoxes, oxymorons, and the
ideals that many strive for that are so far off from reality." It's apparent that he believes
that oxymorons and paradoxes are imperative in presenting the tone of the novel, and I
completely agree. For example, although Gatsby's library has tons of books, none of
them have been opened.
Although I completely agree with Hay's representation of Gatsby, I think that Nick
is not as obsessive about money as the others. “Nick, too, has his doubleness...and a
belief that qualifies Nick very much as a snob” (Hays). I feel as though this is an
inaccurate representation of Nick because he lives in a normal house with a normal job.
He is brought into all this madness because Daisy is his cousin. If he had a choice, I
feel as though he wouldn't have been involved. Hay's establishes the idea that Nick is
another prime contradiction in the book. Although it mentions that he talks poorly of
others, and does what he hates, I don't think that this is the case. Nick did what he
thought was the best for his friendship with Gatsby. For example, he tried to please
Daisy's visit with Gatsby, but not everything turned out right. He tries to live up to other
people's expectations I believe that is why he runs into so many conflicts because he
tries to bear the burden of many people.
I believe he changes throughout the book as a person because Nick initially
showed that he wasn’t as appreciative as he is at the end. “All the people in this world
haven’t had the advantages you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 5). Although pretty straight forward,
I think that he interpreted it differently. Nick believed that he was lucky that he was born
into a rich family. As the book goes on, Nick grows as a character. Nick starts to show a
lot of maturity when he says, “I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor”
(Fitzgerald 177). He starts to realize that people can be happy without money, and that
money doesn’t buy happiness. I think he really noticed this when no one showed up to
Gatsby’s funeral. Nick was furious when not even Mr. Wolfsheim would attend the
funeral. Although their aspirations were within their grasps, no one got what they
wanted. This just proves that just because you have money, it doesn't necessarily get
what you want. Rather, it could lead to one's downfall if used unreasonably.