Hollywood In Fitzgerald's The Love Of The Last Tycoon

The Reality of Hollywood as the Californian Dream When presented with the notions of a utopia, one should take a closer examination; chances are reality is far from expectations. This aphorism is most aptly captured in Fitzgerald’s novel The Love of the Last Tycoon, where Fitzgerald paints a picture of Hollywood that is ultimately incompatible with the notion that Hollywood is the embodiment of the California Dream. Early Hollywood was portrayed as a land of leisure and luxury, a utopia where with enough hard work and talent anyone could achieve a life of pleasure. However, examination of the various characters and events throughout The Love of the Last Tycoon reveals that for those that live in Hollywood, it is anything but the perfect world it is portrayed to be. The experiences of the novel’s narrator, Cecelia Brady, reveals an insider’s perspective into Hollywood and demonstrates that the reality of working and living within Hollywood is often not as glamorous as the public perceives it to be. Considering the livelihood of Hollywood depended on its success as an industry, artistic vision and freedom would often be restricted in order to achieve financial success. Furthermore, Hollywood was less inclusive than it purported to be, as people often only interacted with those

From the start of the novel, it is clear that the narrator, Cecelia Brady, does not have the most favorable view of Hollywood. Growing up as the daughter of a movie industry executive, Cecelia is able provide an insider perspective into the supposed glamorous lifestyle of Hollywood. She mentions how she “always wished fervently that we looked more interesting than we did” (Fitzgerald 8) because the reality of working within Hollywood often failed to meet the expectation of adoring