Every child has a hero.
Indeed, a great part of my childhood was spent with Buzz and Woody, Simba, Aladdin and Peter Pan. The whole Disney crew. The magic I found in Disney engulfed my imagination, inciting dreams of love, fortune, and ultimately, defeating the bad guy.
But when did I start to outgrow the dream? When did I realize that the magic depicted in Disney movies was just bitter coffee loaded with creamer, sprinkles of sugar, 5 pumps of vanilla and hazelnut syrup?
In "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is really just an overgrown Disney hero. What makes a Disney hero?
The Classic: When you wish upon a star, your dreams..come true.
Fitzgerald ironically places Gatsby in a situation where he wishes and hopes for his dream, using the green light of Daisy's dock as a star to guide him. Like Pinocchio, who desperately wishes for the impossible dream of becoming a boy, Gatsby hopelessly strives for the light, believing that his trembling hands will one day grasp fortune and love.
Deal with the Devil
Much like how Ariel sells her voice and Hercules gives up his life for their dreams/goals, Gatsby "sells his soul to the devil" when he decides to make a fortune out of bootlegging and other illegal activities. His relationship with the dubious Meyer Wolfsheim proves his money was not innocently earned.
Damsel-in-Distress
Gatsby believes that Daisy never loved Tom, and his misguided judgment prompts him to act in heroic manners to "save" her. His pursues his dream to steal her away with money, clothes and other materialistic goods.
Love at First Sight
Seems like Gatsby instantly fell for Daisy, "the first 'nice' girl he had ever known".
The Power of Friendship
Gatsby throws lavish parties in order to discover the whereabouts of Daisy. Of course, he comes off as a socialite, when people he didn't even invite show up at his grand parties.
Disney stories are glazed with happy endings, triumph and joy. Fitzgerald shows us the demise of Gatsby, whose dreams very much resemble that of a hero. However, Gatsby's dream is unobtainable, and reality knocks Nick off his feet when he realizes Gatsby was a dreamer caught in unfortunate circumstances.
This was brilliantly written Karen. I love how you used Disney themes to point out the flaws in modern society and in the magical fairy tales themselves.
ReplyDeleteWow. This is truly a wonderful blog post, not only does it have your unique style it also has your voice, I can imagine you saying this in real life! The attention getter was amazing and also had a dark twist comparing Disney heroes to bitter coffee that is only good because of the add-ons! I absolutely love how you incorporated examples from so many Disney movies because it helped me realize the similarities of happy Disney movies and the sad life of Gatsby!
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