Thus, desire must be linked to and defined in relation to these negative phenomena.ĭesire in this sense has no substance. (4) If there is a stage where desire is most poignant, it is clearly in the later stages, characterized by serious conflict, violence and illness. There is a development from fascination to rivalry, to conflict, and hate, and eventually to madness/murder/suicide. The stages of desire as described by Girard are stages of decline, developing from a fascination with the rival to the final stage of being possessed by the same rival and they can be explained in terms of the increasing intensity of the imitation of the other, which gradually becomes more and more conflictual. Thus, desire “ is always reaching past its ostensible objects and finds little or no real satisfaction in them.” (3) Desire in mimetic theory is not static and therefore cannot be fixed except in stages. He maintains that there is no such thing as original desire, only mediated desire. In contrast to these views, Girard claims that desire is not spontaneous, individual, or primarily generated by objects, but is mediated through what other people desire. If desire were based on the object alone, it would be based on a spontaneous attraction towards different objects, such as money, houses, and cars. The romantic understanding of desire is that this phenomenon is original and individual. As long as they desire through each other, their desires will become more and more symmetrical. Desire may then work both ways and pave the way for intense rivalry between the subject and the mediator. Thus, by imitating through a mediator instead of experiencing direct, object-related desire, the subject becomes entangled in the mediator’s desire. The mediator can both receive and hinder desire so that one’s desires are transformed into secondary and rival desires. As long as there is a mediator present, there cannot, initially, be any freedom or autonomy in desire. Girard views desire as less straightforward, postulating a triangular structure that includes a mediator. However, if that is the case, it is possible to desire freely and attain the object of one’s desire. Usually, desire is considered object-related. Metaphysical desire is contrasted with spontaneous desire and arises when the protagonist desires an object via a mediator/model. The common denominator in the European novelistic tradition is, according to Girard, the revelation of metaphysical desire. Girard considers that desire is evoked by other people’s desires.
In this article I will consider French philosopher and literary critic René Girard’s theory of desire, and apply it to The Great Gatsby. In this context of rootlessness, the dream of a new life seemed to flourish, creating the perfect setting to investigate how desire works. (2) Soldiers had returned from World War I, tired and confused after their nightmarish experiences, only to discover that there were no jobs.
Lynching reached a peak in the early 20 th century and immigrant-dominated gangs roamed the big American cities. The 1920s in America was a time of great contrasts, as well as of changes for example, on the one hand, there was a breakdown of traditional moral values, and, on the other, a puritan revival that attempted to control this development by banning alcohol. Given its position, America also became a leading cultural nation, creating what has come, partly through Fitzgerald’s writings, to be called the Jazz Age. (1) It had the capacity to impose its will on other nations. By 1920, it is in a position of dominance, the most powerful nation in the world.
World War I transformed the USA into a global political and financial power, and marked the end of its isolationist policies and its sense of inferiority vis-a-vis Europe. Thus, in contrast to the East, the West represents a traditional society, where desire is kept under control.
Society is on the brink of great upheavals as the result of desire, although the West is still rather entrenched in its regularity and established patterns. The East is the America of desire of adventure, excitement and freedom. The feelings of restlessness and rootlessness, combined with a dream of new opportunities, have inspired the whole set-Gatsby, Nick, Daisy, Tom, and Jordan-to move from the Mid-West and West to the East. Restlessness and a feeling of alienation have caused him to move East, to sell bonds instead of hardware. War has made men restless and Nick claims that it has, at least temporarily, made him unfit to join the family business. Both Nick, the narrator, and Gatsby, the protagonist, have been in World War I Nick even confesses that he enjoyed the experience. The residents of Long Island are drifting, with a feeling of having been uprooted. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the attitudes and character of the upper class in 1920s America.