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Irina Duh
Mr. Owain Phillips
English 10A
15 May 2014
Marxist-Communist Criticism in The Great Gatsby
The way society is seen through Scott Fitzgeralds eyes in The Great Gatsby makes it a
classic novel that develops the actions of love and betrayal. From the view of Marxist criticism,
according to Lois Tysons text, Critical Theory Today, the novel addresses the social class
division in America, the importance of material value to consumers, and the ways society affects
peopleon their opinions, values and goals in life. The author expresses this idea by showing the
lives of Nick, Tom, and Jay Gatsby.
For the development of this paper, the theory of Marxism explained by Lois Tyson will
serve as the main source for the understanding of the topic. Marxism is not a way of governing
(even though it is often referred to as so), but a theory stated by Karl Marx that explains the
behavior of society as a whole and individually based on the influences it receives from it. Tyson
wrote, in Critical Theory Today that Marxism is based on getting and keeping economic power
which is the motive behind all social and political activities, since wealth creates all matters of
thought, from philosophy to science, and it dominates the power that is given to complete these
ideas (Tyson 53-54). What the author means is one of the concepts of Marxs theory, is the
rivalry between the social classes. Lower classes pursue to acquire economic power, and high
classes pursue to maintain it. This forms a system of inequality that, beyond its differences,
offers the possibility to ascend and descend positions and adopt new customs, causing equality.
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In The Great Gatsby, these ideas are clearly illustrated by the way Scott Fitzgerald describes
situations, attitudes, and appearances.
One of the principles of Marxism states that society affects individuals more than their
own family circles. In the book, this is clearly seen in the way Nick evolves. In the beginning,
when he arrives in New York, he was a man of business, ready to work and grow by himself, as
he had been told by his family; but as time passes by, he is affected by the way his friends
behave in their environment. Nick says that he was drunk just twice in his life, and the second
time was in New York (Fitzgerald 29). What he wanted to portray here was that, before he had
been there, he was a formed man, educated, and that only once had lost himself; but in the short
time he spent in New York, he managed to fall under the influence of alcohol, leaving behind all
he had done before and turning into a party animal. Another example of character evolution
from external causes, is Jay Gatsby. During his poor infant years, he always dreamed of having a
perfect house, money and an infinity of pleasures, but as he grew older and acquired wealth, he
fell in love with Daisy. She was his society, in this case, thus she affected him more than his
family ever did. This way, he began to base all his actions on Daisys opinion and not on his,
harming who he was. These two are exemplifications of Marxism, since Jay and Nick show
being affected by society more than their own past.
More Marxism is illustrated in The Great Gatsb, and seen in the contrast between social
classes. Explained in one of Duttas essays, he lays out that characters are distinguished by their
wealth and where they live or work and that they are separated by the different settings within
the novel (Dutta). This contrast is seen in Tom as he behaves throughout the whole book; he
treats money in a way that suggests he is not attached to it, but sees it as a bridge to all dreams.
In a point in the story, he gives Myrtle money and tells her to Go and buy ten more dogs with
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it (Fitzgerald 28), which shows the non-existent bond he has with it, and how he is not
interested in keeping it, as long as he can please his woman and himself. He represents the
highest class, and all the commodities he enjoys as a member. Differently, Wilson takes part of
the opposite social class: the poor. He lives in the Valley of Ashes, in a small house, and works
for his own car repair shop. This shows that his economic status does not give him the possibility
to acquire a higher rank, because of his deficiency. These two characters show the contrasts
between classes in the book, and manifests the Marxist idea of demographic division.
Along with commodity, comes materialism; one of the most evident characteristics that
Fitzgerald addresses is how people tend to value material items in an exaggerated manner. He
creates an artificial world in which the characters sole purpose in life is money, and the
essence of desire is wealth (Turner 1). The most obvious illustration of this is Daisy since, as
Nick says, Her voice is full of money (Fitzgerald 120). She uses it with no boundaries, and
possesses an attraction to physical values that no other character is able to own. This causes her
attraction to Jay, whose love for her forces him to fill his surroundings with material value. He
acquires a beach house and two motor-boats that draw aquaplanes over cataracts of foam
(Fitzgerald 39). They illustrate the essence of materialism and the power of wealth.
In Marxism, equality is the goal. In The Great Gatsby, possibilities given to different
characters are not equal. Faye Daigle writes then, that Marxism is founded on the belief that all
people should be given equal opportunities in the pursuit of success and such equality was not
prevalent in Fitzgeralds world", addressing accurately the disadvantages in the authors creation
(Daigle). This means that The Great Gatsby is not completely communist, but rather a
compilation of ideas made by its writer. As Nick's father said, though, not everyone has the same
opportunities.
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Even though there might be restrictions, exclusion and disadvantages, Fitzgerald manages
to give chances to every person, giving them the ability to ascend social stratum, like Myrtle
selling her body to Tom, and like everyone being able to participate in wonderful events, like
Gatsbys parties. These are totally unrestricted, allowing a variety of races and statuses to enjoy
such entertainment.
In conclusion, Marxist ideas are clear to be seen in Scott Fitzgeralds book. It comes at
ease to understand why The Great Gatsby is a relevant source for the understanding of this
theory, and it is now arguable that Fitzgeralds view on communism in the decade of 1920 was
affected by the emerging freedom, war and social innovations. The emerging freedom and
acceptance given in that age, guided him to write his book portraying Marxist ideas through the
lives of the characters explored.

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Works Cited
Daigle, Faye. "Communism, Old Sport?" Philosophy of Knowledge. Weebly.com, n.d.
Web. 22 May 2014. <http://tipphilosophy.weebly.com/11-communism-old-sport.html>.
Dutta, Sam. "Social Status in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald." Sam Dutta.
WordPress.com, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 May 2014.
<http://freelancewritingteam.com/2013/01/17/social-status-in-the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-
fitzgerald/>.
Fitzgerald, Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner ed. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster,
2004. Print. Paperback.
Turner, Tabatha. "Marxist View of the Great Gatsby." StudyMode. N.p., Feb. 2011. Web.
20 May 2014. <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Marxist-View-Of-The-Great-Gatsby-
586201.html>.
Tyson, Lois. "Marxist Criticism." Critical Theory Today, A User-Friendly Guide. Second
ed. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group, 2006. 53-81. Print.