Examples Of Loneliness In The Great Gatsby

During the 1920’s, urban America was radically reshaped. Factories and many new businesses emerged due to industrialization. Many Americans rapidly gained enormous wealth and power. As a result, the family centered and religious values of small town America quickly became substituted by a strong desire for wealth and materialism and a “get rich quick” attitude. People started to place their own well being, almost always in terms of money, above the interests of the community. Loneliness, as seen in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, became a common sentiment in the hearts and minds of urban Americans. Due to the increased amount and availability of wealth and a ruthless business mindset, people began to use and take advantage

Loneliness causes an individual to view him or herself as the only one whose interests and desires need to be met. One of the clearest examples of this is Gatsby’s funeral. Almost every weekend, Gatsby would host large, extravagant parties with hundreds of guests. They squandered his food, liquor, and entertainment. “They used to go there by the hundreds” (175) as exclaimed by Owl-Eyes, but at his funeral only Owl-Eyes, Gatsby’s servants, Mr. Gatz, and Nick attended. Mr. Klipspringer, who stayed at Gatsby’s house for a long time, could not come to the funeral and instead only called Nick to get his tennis shoes back. Wolfsheim, Gatsby’s business associate who was “always together” (171) with Gatsby, could not go to the funeral even though he had taken advantage of Gatsby’s attributes, “I knew I could use him good”. This attitude of one’s interests being much more important than the rest is summarized in “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures…and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” Daisy was interested in being with Gatsby since she had an enjoyable and fun time with him in his luxurious estate, but never called or showed interest after Gatsby’s death. People, such as Gatsby’s guests or Daisy, drained the luxuries or qualities that others

Every interaction lacked any sense of genuine compassion or kindness. For example, when Myrtle Wilson died, Michaelis tried to comfort Wilson by offering to call any friend of the Wilson’s. But “he was almost sure that Wilson had no friend: there was not enough of him for his wife.” In his quest for economic improvement and a better quality of life, George had prioritized his work as a mechanic above relationships, even with his wife, which was most likely a reason for Myrtle’s affair. Another relationship lacking any real sentiments was that of Nick and Jordan Baker. It was evident that they did not love each other and lacked communication as seen in their telephone conversation the day after Myrtle’s death, “we weren’t talking any longer…I couldn’t have talked to her across a tea-table that day if I never talked to her again in this world.” Loneliness was a prevalent trait in most, if not in all, characters and their relationships in The Great