The (Many) Lost Generations

Ambiguity, a word defined as encompassing an equivocal, uncertain idea about something. The word in itself represents vagueness; no clear truth can be found to define a specific object or ideal. Aside from everyday life, its occurrence in literature is extremely common in that the reader has the ability to determine the overall meaning of a given motif, event, or character. Many novels seem to portray a class of characters as being a lost generation. Within context it is difficult to attach an exact meaning to the term lost generation, for the term has such an ambiguous nature. The novels The Great Gatsby and The Rules of Attraction both possess their own lost generations, but even deeper, the former can help describe the latter.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby exhibits several different themes throughout its course, but one that is difficult not to notice is the way in which he depicts the decline of the American Dream in the 1920s. With the First World War just recently concluding, Fitzgerald showcases the characters of East and West Egg in Rhode Island. With the east coast being the primary stranglehold on politics and wealth at the time, the characters within both communities, primarily Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, and Daisy Buchanan are young, affluent individuals who have earned their fortune through different means. On the surface these three characters are just as materialistic as any American, but they have a deep rooted desire to feel love and emotion. Through this and the events which take place during the rest of the novel Fitzgerald, once again, paints a picture of the decline of the American Dream and the rise of consumerism and materialistic ideals.

The time between 1920 and the mid-80s represents are vast amount of social, political and economical change, but it seems that the events prior to the Great Depression have completely affected those in the 80s, and even in the 21^st century. The luxury of earning easy money and having very relaxed social values were ideals that allowed for the decline of the American Dream. Fitzgerald depicts the characters in The Great Gatsby as just this and through this it can be said that a downward spiral has occurred since spanning to the mid-80s, the time in which The Rules of Attraction is set. Perhaps passed down through each generation or these materialistic ideals of easy-living were just innate to the 20s and 80s, resulting in yet another case of lost generations. No matter the case, there is a direct correlation between the two, there was definitely not a desire for the pursuit of happiness and prosperity to be in decline, but with money being the sole light at the end of the metaphoric tunnel there is much temptation to toss aside true happiness and work toward a seemingly empty pursuit of pleasure. With Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby being a somewhat vulgar and ostentatious individual whom deeply desires love, it can be said that the characters of The Rules of Attraction are nothing but a more or maybe less evolved forms of Nick, Jay and Daisy. Rather than to compare the characters, it can be said that the lifestyles of the three main characters in Fitzgerald’s novel left an everlasting footprint for Sean, Paul, and Lauren of The Rules of Attraction to tread upon.

The decay of social and moral values are evident within The Rules of Attraction, but it seems that Nick Carraway’s statement “material without being real” toward Jay Gatsby fits into several key aspects of the lives of the young college students in The Rules of Attraction(Fitzgerald.) Sean, Paul, and Lauren live near empty lives full of materialistic needs; drugs, alcohol, and sex are the main substances they yearn for. But, to some extent the characters are aware of their actions but do not a single thing to turn themselves around. This quote also exemplifies the notion that not a single character feels a “real” emotion throughout the course of the story, they each move from sexual partner to partner and party to party. There is no real feel of life, more of a steady zombie-like march toward self-destruction. The characters within Bret Easton Ellis’ The Rules of Attraction have had every potential luxury handed to them; money, “free” education, and a great sense of entitlement to being rich but having no true life to show for it. In a sense the characters of Ellis’ novel could not even be categorized as “characters,” their desires are nearly identical to the person next to them, their thoughts and emotions are centered around materialistic needs making them simply not there, as Patrick Bateman states, from Ellis’ other novel American Psycho. (Ellis)

In addition, Sean, Paul, and Lauren are characters that embrace the relationships and articles in their lives as mere objects; ideals. Baudrillard’s piece “The System of Objects” exemplifies Ellis’ depiction of his main characters in that they all desire these “perfect” ideals of people they really do not know. It can also be said that the consumerist society in which they live preaches this way of thinking as well because as the characters live for purchasing drugs and alcohol, etc; they are only accustomed to doing the same within their personal lives. Therefore, a person they desire becomes nothing more than an object, another meaningless article. (Baudrillard)

Overall, the generations of both the 20s and the 80s are ones with similar appearances on the outside, but a great ambiguity lies within. Cluttered with a race toward wealth and material needs, both of these generations are lost; the lives they live lack morals and good foundation.

Works Cited

Baudrillard, Jean. "The System of Objects." Literary Theory: An Anthology. 2nd ed. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden: Blackwell, 2004. 408-19.

Ellis, Bret Easton. American psycho a novel. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Print.

Ellis, Bret Easton. Rules of attraction. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1998. Print.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.