Jay Gatsby: An Outsider in the 1920s America

The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American author who is considered one of the greatest writers of all time. The novel depicts the American society in the 1920s, also known as “The Roaring 20’s.” Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald describes the sense of prosperity and the corrupted rich who dominated America, as well as the desolation of the American dream. The characters in the novel all belong to a high-class society regardless of whether they are the “new” or “old” money. Among the characters is the protagonist of the novel, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is the character who is at the center of the plot, with the major events occurring around him. Despite the strong influence that he has on other characters, Gatsby is an outsider in the story, both internally and externally. Throughout the story, Gatsby puts in his best effort to try to break away from his identity as an outsider in order to get his lover back.


Since the beginning of the story, the way Gatsby is distinguished from the rest of the residents in Long Island suggests that he is an outsider. At first, Gatsby is simply introduced as a grand man who owns a gothic mansion right next to the house of Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel. When Nick first encounters Gatsby in person, Gatsby acts in a very light-hearted and charming way. With his manners and heartwarming words, the first impression of Gatsby is a well-educated young man who likes to host grand parties every Saturday night. If we only see Gatsby based on these points, he seems to be the kind of person who is extremely social, amiable, and popular among many people. Yet, his strong English accent and segregation from the rest of the crowd at his parties allow us to think that perhaps Gatsby does not truly belong to the rich American group after all. Before he attends one of his parties, Nick witnesses Gatsby standing alone in his mansion, staring at the green light. On page 21 of the novel, Nick admits that Gatsby might not be the type of person who likes to hang out with a group of party-goers. He says, “I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone ... I could have sworn he was trembling.” Considering that he has observed this before the party, it is more reasonable to think that Nick has found a true side of Gatsby at this moment.

As the story unfolds throughout the novel, description of Gatsby’s past enables us to discover the connection between his wealth and his identity as an outsider. In his earlier years, Gatsby worked as a soldier, and during the course of World War I, he fell in love with Daisy, the girl from the “old money” family who considered opulence and luxury the first priority. On page 74 of the novel, Daisy’s friend, Jordan Baker, says that “[Daisy] was just eighteen, two years older than me, and by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville.” From her description, the gap between Gatsby and Daisy appears larger, since Gatsby attempted to get a girl who lived in a completely different society from his. In order not to lose her, Gatsby lied to Daisy about his family background, saying that he, just like her, rose from a family of long history and strong reputation. On page 149 of the novel, Nick describes that Gatsby “had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the stratum as herself – that he was fully able to take care of her.” Based on this textual support, it is clearly shown that since the start of his life, Gatsby is already trying to break free from his identity by marrying the “old money.”

When his original plan of marrying Daisy fails, Gatsby does not hesitate to use the illegal method of bootlegging to earn tons of money. He concludes that wealth is the only method to bring Daisy back, who impatiently marries Tom Buchanan, the man from an extremely wealthy family. Gatsby also realizes that it is impossible to raise a large amount of money in a short amount time, so instead he chooses to take the underhand route, which is often seen as cowardly and unfair to the eyes of the “new money.” However, even after he becomes rich and buys a gigantic mansion in West Egg, Long Island, Gatsby is still more of an outsider and not a person who truly belongs to the rest of the group. It is noted on page 5 of the novel that East Egg is the region where all the “old money” families reside, whereas West Egg is the region that is “the less fashionable of the two”, mostly populated by the “new money.” This shows that no matter how hard Gatsby tries to resemble the lifestyle of the “old money,” he can never truly become a part of the group.

Furthermore, Gatsby is an outsider who tries to break the relationship between Daisy and Tom, who are already married and are considered a “family.” Gatsby never looks into the reality and only thinks of his past. Rather, he expects everything to be the same as before. Thinking that he is now superior to Tom in terms of wealth, Gatsby feels confident in winning Daisy back. On page 110, Gatsby’s comment of “Can’t repeat the past? Why, of course you can!” pretty much confirms his strong conviction. However, despite all of his efforts, it is revealed at the end that Daisy had never loved Gatsby, but rather favored his wealth and grandeur. When Gatsby is accused of killing a woman in the car accident, he is shot by the husband of the victim. Meanwhile, it turns out that Daisy was the actual driver of the car. She, however, does not take the responsibility for her actions, and moves to another region in America after Gatsby’s death. In the end, Gatsby does not only fail to bring back his lover, but also he does not succeed in getting rid of his identity as an outsider.



Fitzgerald put Gatsby as an outsider in the novel to depict the American society in the 1920s and the fall of American dream, which are the core themes of the novel. The 1920s was the era when America became so prosperous that people started to have more riotous lifestyles. Through illegal activities such as bootlegging, people who did not belong to a family of rich tradition could become the “new money.” The rise in this new class ignited the conflict between the two social classes – the “old money” and the “new money,” in which the “old money” families deemed the way that these new money people earned money as undesirable and unjust. Thus, the “new money” people, even though they tried really hard to fit in to the wealthy lifestyle, were often not accepted into the already-established society and thus, were left segregated.


Perhaps, the society that Fitzgerald depicted in this novel not just describes the society in the 1920s, but rather it can also be a reflection of our current 21st century. More people are chasing their own American dream, hoping that one day they can also make a fortune. Indeed, as more people work toward this goal, more outsiders are formed. The outsiders of our current society, therefore, are bitter consequences of the never-ending materialistic obsession of humans and our self-centered society which will continue to exist in our lives.