Racism in The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises

The historical setting of The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Sun Also Rises written by Ernest Hemingway is the period known as the roaring twenties. It was an exciting time in American history because the USA was one of the victors in World War I and it enjoyed a great period of prosperity and economic expansion. However, during this period tension arose between a new generation, with liberal and progressive ideas, and a more conservative group, who sided with conventional values and sentimentalism. This social tension was caused by the rapid urbanization, by the revolution of morals and by scientific and technological advancements. The new era was about rejecting the old, rigid rules of society, and it was about spectacular wealth and everything it could buy. Unfortunately, prejudice and racism was also present in many areas of society, with people showing a tolerance for racist views in the media, literature, and science. Scientific articles freely postulated racist theories in Europe as well as in the USA. According to some of these theories, the American way of life was under threat from the Negroes, Catholics, Jews and all immigrants who came to America to find a better life and to benefit from the great prosperity. (Margolies, 1.) Racist elements similar to those surfacing in both The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises, later in history served as the foundation for the most horrible ideology in modern history and "provided the 'scientific' backing for the racial policies of the Nazi Party in Germany" (Glass, 130.) which led to World War II and destroyed the life of nearly 60 million people. Racism is clearly one of the most important elements in The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises novels because the bigoted views it describes quickly evolved into a horrible and deadly ideology within a decade from the birth of the story.

The reader finds the first hint of racism in the first chapter of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. Jake speaks about how Cohn decided to learn boxing "to counteract the feeling of inferiority and shyness he had felt on being treated as a Jew at Princeton." (11) Jake does not stop here but also feels necessary to mention how Chon's nose was flattened in a boxing match and concludes the sentence with the statement "...and it certainly improved his nose." (11) Jake is sarcastic and his comment is hurtful because he is implying that Cohn would be better off if he would not be or would not look Jewish. Jake's comment can be taken as a reference to the stereotypical Jewish nose that is often thought of as an "unmistakable" trait of Jewish people. Clearly, Jake cannot ignore the fact that Cohn is Jewish and he seems to believe that being Jewish is a fundamental characteristic of Cohn's humanity and it must be mentioned when describing him. Jake accurately represents prejudice, racism, and the fashionable anti-Semitism of the 1920's; just like Nick Carraway in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Nick Carraway also speaks in a demeaning way about Jews. He expresses dislike and even disgust in his portrayal of Meyer Wolfshiem. According to Nick's description of Meyer, he seems to believe that Jews are less than human, and resemble more strange, animal-like creatures. Nick describes Wolfshiem as "A small flat-nosed Jew raised his large head and regarded me with two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril. After a moment I discovered his tiny eyes in the half darkness" (55). The reader can see the ethnic stereotyping with emphasis on noses just like when Jake referred to Cohn's nose in Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises. While some people would find this kind of description funny and harmless, it clearly shows that neither Nick nor Jake can or is willing to see behind the race. In both novels the main characters accurately represent the prejudice and racism of the 1920's.

Tom Buchanan's racism is evident from the very beginning of the novel when he advises that "it's up to us (white people), who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things" (Pg. 17.) Tom seems to embody an ideal physical and intellectual superiority. Tom "among various physical accomplishments, had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven - a national figure in a way" (Pg. 10.) His physical description shows how much power he has, like he could take on the whole world. "Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward... There was touch of paternal contempt in his voice, even towards people he liked." (Pg. 11.) By making others inferior to him, Tom sets his place as the "dominant" race. Tom's domineering nature prevents him from being able to consider the opinions or views, or see anyone else as an equal. Another quote which suggests Tom's racist views is "Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and White" Pg. 137. Tom believes that African-American people should not be associated with people of European origin. When he talks about "The Rise of the Coloured Empires' by this man Goddard," he is referring to Nordicism. (Marigoles, 2.) "It's a fine book and everybody ought to read it...The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be - will be utterly submerged. It's all scientific stuff, it's been proved" (14). Tom as an educated and wealthy man proudly recites what he learned from his new readings. At the time Goddard had studied a family of undesirables and concluded "feeblemindedness, not environment, was responsible for social ills and was hereditary and trasmitted," (Marigoles, 4.) Tom also echoes a popular view at the time which stated "The disadvantage of unions between certain individuals of the primary races is understandable. It breaks up the smooth-running harmony of each, and increases variability to a point where selection of a better whole is almost impossible." (Glass, 133.) Tom clearly embodies the overwhelming prejudice and racism of his time with his presence and behavior. Despite being described as a well educated, wealthy member of society, Tom cannot see through the prejudice and racism which was spread with the help and in the name of science.

Nick Carraway also makes racist comments throughout the novel. His portrayal of the African Americans who pass Gatsby and him on the Queensboro Bridge is the following: "a limousine passed us, driven by a white chauffeur, in which sat three modish Negroes, two bucks and a girl. I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry" (55). The physical description of the passengers is degrading because of the choice of demeaning words, like "bucks" or "girl" instead of using more respectful words like gentleman and lady. Also by mentioning the fact that the driver was white and the passengers were Negros he focuses his and the readers' attention on the race and color of people he describes. It seems that Nick is unable to see beyond their skin color, behind "the yolks of their eyeballs". He also suggests the presence of rivalry "their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry" between the black passengers and him and Tom, which he finds ridiculous, "I laughed aloud." With his laugh Nick ridicules the idea that the black race can ever compete with the white race.

The prejudice and racism depicted in both novels eventually led to the development of an ideology which blamed all problems of the world on Jews and other minority races. This ideology was propagated easily because of the previously discussed "scientific" theories and because of the Great Depression. The world needed a scapegoat and an easy target to vent its anger and frustration at. The eradication of Jews only stopped when World War II ended. African Americans had to fight for their civil rights even after participating in World War II along with their white comrades in the army. Only in 1964 was the Civil Rights of Act signed which "prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin." (Ngai, 14.)

The world has dramatically changed since Fitzgerald created his novel. The scientific thinking of his time "was badly clouded by race prejudice" (Glass, 134.) Today in America people from different cultures, people of different races and religions live together in prosperity, harmony, and peace. In 2008 we elected the first African American President in our history. Those words of the 1920s postulating the scientific view that "We can find no probability that the negro will contribute...value to the white race." (Glass, 134.) are gone forever.

Sources

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 75. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1995.

Glass, Bentley. "Genetics Embattled: Their Stand against Rampant Eugenics and Racism in America during the 1920s and 1930s." American Philosophical Society 130(1986): 136-154.

Ngai, Mae. "Nationalism, Immigration Control, and the Ethnoracial Remapping of America in the 1920s" OAH Magazine of History, (2007): 11-14.Margolies, Alan. "The Maturing of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Twentieth Century Literature" (1997): 1-12