Interview with Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby is a man who has struggled with class distinctions his entire life. He has worked at becoming a member of the upper class and has achieved this status, only to find that has not turned out to be all he had dreamed it to be.

Here's an interview with Mr. Gatsby to get his perspective.

Interviewer: How did it feel growing up in a lower class family?

Gatsby: Well, old sport, I never felt like I belonged in that class. I always wanted more. I would look at other kids at my school and think, "Wow, they are going to acheive so much and they've had this opportunity handed to them."


Interviewer: When did you decide that you would try to become apart of the upper class?

Gatsby: At first, I thought it would be nice, but I never believed in the potential to actually switch social classes. At the time, there was no "striking success". You had your social marker, and you knew it well.


Interviewer: What made it possible for you to "strike success"?

Gatsby: WWI happened. America came home to discover a treasure trove of entrepreneurial opportunites. That's when we all thought maybe we could finally meet our American Dream. But with that new cover of optimism came this new sense of pessimism. We all lived through something traumatic, and it changed the world. The way our parents and grandparents lived no longer felt real. We needed to live for ourselves because life can change pretty quick.


Interviewer: Would you say America's values changed for the better or for the worse?

Gatsby: The worse. At first, we were selfish. We made money any way we can. I made my riches through dishonesty, and I regret it. I saw an opportunity and I thought that there was no reason to avoid it. It's the American Dream! Finally we had equal opportunities! But we didn't.


Interviewer: What was the greatest force in motivating you to change social classes?

Gatsby: Many things. I wanted to achieve success, I wanted to be well thought of.... But the greatest desire was to impress Daisy. She was so elegant and she had so many opportunities. I thought that I could make her happy if I was part of the same social class as her, but I was never really part of the upper class.


Interviewer: Looking back, how hard was it to cope with the discrimination you may have faced?

Gatsby: I definitely had a hard time coping with the feeling of being less than I felt. Especially as a young man. There was so much pressure on me to be all that I could be and I knew it couldn't happen if I stayed where I was. That's when I moved out East, and met Wolfsheim. He presented me with an opportunity to no longer be discriminated. It felt like the easy ticket to being part of the upper class. Now, I wish I had just been happy with whatever I had done. But I wish I hadn't been dishonest about gaining money, but a lot of people were doing things like that back then.

Interviewer: Thank you for your time.

Gatsby No problem, old sport.