The Shape of Restlessness: Reading The Great Gatsby in the Age of Trump

• In Event: Political Frustration and the Age of Trump in Media

Abstract

Winning politicians construct multiple narratives that speak to different audiences. Going back to the days of Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison, presidential candidates emphasized common roots and heroic deeds (Jamieson 1988, 1996). Commoners without obvious achievements or connections to an enlightened elite, such as Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton, promoted tales of how they became self-made successes (Pessen 1984).

On the surface, the popular appeal of Donald Trump is difficult to explain in narrative terms. Born to a successful real estate developer, Trump attained billionaire status through ruthless business practices and aggressive marketing of his brand’s aura of luxury and success. Trump’s politics and policies are dictated by self-interest, and as president he continually sides with corporations and the rich. Nevertheless, Trump has a strong and loyal following, especially among Republicans, and is viewed by his supporters as a champion of the working class.

What narratives has Trump constructed to build and maintain political support, particularly among those with whom he has little in common and whose interests many of his policies do not appear to favor? This paper explores President Trump’s political success through an analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic, The Great Gatsby. We argue that the Gatsby story provides the key to unlocking the Trump narratives that appeal to working class people. Trump-as-Tom Buchanan attracts those nostalgic for an America where white, male privilege prevailed, whereas Trump-as-Gatsby reveals Trump -- an outsider and re-inventor with shady business associates – as a self-made striver for the American Dream.

Authors

• Fletcher McClellan, Elizabethtown College

• Kayla Gruber, Elizabethtown College