Desire and Its Obstructions as Seen in the Great Gatsby and the Enormous Room

Desire is a force of motivation. Desire is something that drives one to achieve a particular goal or result. Having desire is what shapes an individual's character - that is to say character is a function of one's ability to realize his or her desires. Jay Gatsby, the ostentatious aristocrat from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and E. E. Cummings from his autobiographical novel The Enormous Room are both men who attempt to realize their desires. Gatsby desires the affections of an elusive socialite, Daisy Buchanan while Cummings desires adventure and freedom from his perfunctory life. While Gatsby's failure to fulfill his desires results in his death, Cummings is able to realize his desires only after spending three months toiling in prison, proving that in order to fulfill one's desires, one must overcome and adapt to hardship and pain.

Gatsby, a shy, optimistic aristocrat is motivated by his desire to win Daisy Buchanan. However, Gatsby cannot bring this one wish into fruition. Nick Carraway, the first-person narrator provides the reader with opinionated insight into the nature and character of Jay Gatsby. From the early chapters, Nick's opinion of Gatsby is one of disdain. Gatsby's elaborate parties coupled with his frequent absences lead Nick to dislike him. Fitzgerald's use of imagery emphasizes the lavishness of the parties as he describes "buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d'oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs..." in addition to a full orchestra with " ...a whole pit full of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets..." (44). Moreover, Fitzgerald's use of diction in describing the hams as "crowded" against salads augments the ostentatious grandeur of the party. When Nick finally meets Gatsby, he is appalled by his excess formality; Nick says, "I was looking at an elegant young rough-neck...whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd" (53). Nick can hardly fathom Gatsby's over-the-top joviality; he immediately thinks Gatsby is an over-privileged aristocrat. However, Nick begins to formulate new opinions of Gatsby after learning of his mysterious past. Nick learns Gatsby was a war hero - he received a medal of valor in addition to numerous other awards and recognitions from diplomats from countries around the world, including "little Montenegro." Nick also learns Gatsby met Daisy Buchanan before the war and since then he has tried to win her affections. The reason for Gatsby's mystique - his absences from his own parties - is a product of his love for Daisy. Gatsby buys his house because it is directly across the bay from Daisy's. Through Nick, Fitzgerald unravels the clandestine nature of Gatsby and his unilateral desire to obtain Daisy.

Gatsby's overwhelming love for Daisy cripples him emotionally. Gatsby is too afraid to contact Daisy directly so he asks Nick to arrange a rendezvous at his house. Nick is taken aback by this odd request; Gatsby has waited more than four years to reunite with Daisy, yet he is apprehensive in finally meeting her. Nick makes note of Gatsby's apprehension in seeing Daisy again for the first time as he describes Gatsby as being "pale as death" with "a strained counterfeit of perfect ease" (91). Gatsby is incapacitated with anxiety as he finally sees Daisy again - he almost drops Nick's clock as he leans nervously against the mantelpiece. However, Gatsby magically transforms as he warms up to Daisy, even though he brings her to tears. Gatsby cordially invites Daisy to his house in order to show her his wealth. Nick describes the grandeur of Gatsby's house with lavish imagery, referring to rooms "swathed in rose and lavender silk" (96). The splendor of Gatsby's house titillates Daisy; she is so overcome by Gatsby's wealth she begins to cry at his splendid repertoire of shirts. The more Gatsby reveals his wealth to Daisy, the more she falls for him. She is a woman driven solely by ostentation - she wants wealth, luxury, money and nothing else.

The result of Gatsby's desire is his untimely demise. His efforts to capture Daisy's affections prove futile and cost him his life. Nick ultimately discovers that Gatsby was born in rural North Dakota with not a penny to his name. Gatsby acquired his wealth by entering the bootlegging business. Gatsby was determined to become rich because he knows that it will satisfy Daisy. Though Daisy begins to fall in love with Gatsby, he is unable to adapt to the overwhelming odds, especially Daisy's malicious husband Tom. Gatsby, with naïve optimism, tells Nick he can repeat the past - the past he shared with Daisy - regardless of Tom. Gatsby confronts Tom about his plans of "stealing" Daisy and he absconds with her. In turn, Daisy drives madly and recklessly, killing Tom's mistress, Myrtle, along the way. Tom informs Myrtle's husband that Gatsby was behind the wheel and he vindictively murders Gatsby. The result of Gatsby's efforts to fulfill his desire - acquiring wealth illegally by bootlegging, waiting five years, fighting the war, combating Tom - are all in vain. At Gatsby's funeral, Nick finds himself with just two other men. Despite Gatsby's parties and his notorious reputation - he dies alone just as he lived a solitary life.

In contrast, Cummings succeeds to an extent in fulfilling his desire. Cummings, a Harvard-educated, pompous, privileged man never really experienced the real world. He volunteers for the Red Cross in France during the War, but never sees combat. His desire is adventure and excitement; he wants to escape the perfunctory sameness of his life as a volunteer. Cummings, youthfully arrogant, allows himself to be imprisoned for no reason. After writing a libelous letter to the French Aviation board, the French authorities detain Cummings and his friend, B., for questioning. The French authorities accuse B. of being an enemy of France and deem Cummings an accomplice to treason, but they cannot prove Cummings' involvement. The authorities ask Cummings if he hates the Germans, a question which Cummings admits would be both tactful and appropriate simply by saying "yes"; however, he sardonically replies "No. I am very fond of the French," a rebuttal which allows the French authorities to detain him and B. under suspicion of sympathizing with the Germans. Cummings knows all along that he cannot be detained; however, his juvenile arrogance leads him to mock his captors. Cummings also mocks the various other characters he encounters. He refers to one French policeman as a "very fat gendarme," a title which he later reduces to "v-f-g" (22). Cummings scrutinizes everything and everyone in a supercilious manner. Cummings refers to another French official as a "turnkey creature" (20). Cummings' use of diction in describing human beings as "creatures" augments his juvenile arrogance. To Cummings, everyone is beneath him and imprisonment is a mere joke.

Cummings pays the price for his arrogance. His world is shattered when he finally enters the prison - La Ferté Macé - in Normandy. Cummings encapsulates the disparaging ambience at the prison with sensorial imagery. Cummings immediately recognizes the unbearable odor, noting, "the ponderous reek of sleepy bodies [undulating] toward me from three directions" (48). He later notes the presence of pails "overflowing with urine" (48). The room in which he lives is crowded with smelly bodies, yet Cummings sarcastically refers to it as the "enormous room." From a life of comfort and luxury to a crowded room surrounded by filth and reprobates, Cummings finds himself submerged in inhospitable territory. Apart from the stench of feces, Cummings must also put up with the authoritative plantons that patrol and govern the prison. One planton will summon a prisoner to sweep. Another will demand the pails be emptied. Though Cummings is not phased initially by the demands and pitfalls of prison life, la Ferté Macé incalculably changes and shapes him. Cummings encounters four men who embody purity and innocence, yet whose lives and experiences have incurred nothing but pain and suffering. These men whom Cummings refers to as "delectable mountains" enable Cummings to learn the true value of human life, regardless of social distinction. One delectable mountain, The Wanderer, is an entirely innocuous fellow. He brings his wife and children to the prison so that he can see his family at all times. The Wanderer sleeps with his son every night, while he keeps his wife and daughters, who sleep in the women's quarters, at close proximity. The Wanderer manages to be a prisoner and a father at the same time, never failing in both roles. The French authorities somehow deem the Wanderer- a loving family man- an enemy of the state and feel it necessary to separate him from his family Another delectable mountain, Zulu, has an abnormal affinity for cheese. He speaks only in incomprehensible gibberish, yet manages to display his altruism by sharing his cheese with Cummings and B. derives greater pleasure in seeing B. and Cummings enjoy the cheese as opposed to simply eating the cheese himself. Cummings admits he is startled by the "extreme modesty and incomparable shyness" of Zulu, noting his infallible quietude (184). Cummings recognizes Zulu's altruistic intentions, saying "Zulu...expressed...profound satisfaction upon noting that I too had been enjoying the pleasures of cheese" (184). The French authorities also detain him falsely. Surplice, another delectable mountain, lives to amuse the other prisoners. As Cummings says, "[his] duty was to amuse"; Surplice just wants everyone to acknowledge his existence, even in ridicule. Cummings describes Surplice as hardworking and religious, even though Surplice foolishly reads his prayer book upside-down. He epitomizes innocence though everyone laughs at him. The fourth delectable mountain, Jean le Negre, embodies beauty and strength. Though extremely vain, Jean is still a child at heart. He laughs inappropriately and harangues the other inmates. After getting into a fight, Jean cannot fathom the magnitude of his actions. The punishment the prison officials give him topple his childish flamboyance as he "cloisters himself in solitude" (219). The tragic flaws of the four delectable mountains - their idiosyncrasies and suffering - along with the filth of the prison dramatically alter Cummings' personality.

So what then can be said about desire? Desire can be expressed as a measure of one's ability to overcome obstacles. Gatsby for this reason was unsuccessful in his attempts. He could neither adapt to or overcome the obstacles he faced. Unfortunately for Gatsby, the biggest obstacle he faced was also his goal: Daisy. Daisy killed Myrtle. Daisy's love of money, luxury, wealth, superficial desires interfered with Gatsby's love for her. After Myrtle's death, Nick can hardly believe the audacity of the Buchanans as he disgustedly says, "they were careless people...they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money...and let other people clean up the mess they had made" (188). Nick and Daisy resume their relationship as if Myrtle and Gatsby never died. The extreme superficiality of Tom and Daisy prove to be an overwhelming and sadly deadly obstruction of Gatsby's desire.

Cummings, on the other hand, manages to realize his desire. He yearns for excitement and adventure to defeat his privileged, prim and proper youth. He fails to find excitement with the Red Cross in France, yet a seemingly harmless letter turns out to be his biggest break. Cummings deliberately surrenders himself to the French authorities because of his juvenile insubordination and his thirst for adventure. The result of his desire for adventure proves costly as he is thrown in prison for three months under the vilest of conditions. Cummings must acclimate himself to living with criminals and reprobates in a room redolent of feces where brawls erupt nearly every week. Yet somehow, Cummings holds his own. He, unlike Gatsby adapts and in a way, conquers the obstacles that threaten his desire. He survives in the prison by making friends instead of shying away like Gatsby. He avoids the pugnacious miscreants instead of confronting them unlike the manner in which Gatsby confronts Tom about Daisy. Cummings succeeds in areas where Gatsby fails. He is able to find the excitement in the prison, yet he also gains something more; he learns the value of life through the four delectable mountains. He learns to appreciate his life after learning the depravity in the lives of others, especially the most innocent and harmless four men he has ever met. It seems Cumming's desire is not just excitement, but also meaning. In that respect, the four delectable mountains provide him with that meaning. As Cummings says of the delectable mountains, "Gentlemen I am inexorably grateful for the gift of these ignorant and indivisible things" (191). These "things" are meaning and wisdom.

Jay Gatsby and E. E. Cummings are both men filled with desires. While the former fails to overcome the hardships and obstructions he faced, the latter succeeds in converting the pain and obstacles he faced into wisdom and meaning.

Bibliography

Cummings, E. E. The Enormous Room. Penguin Books: New York, 1999.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon & Schuster: New York, 1992.