HongKongofSecondaryEducationExamination

LiteratureinEnglishPortfolioShortandExtendedTasks

Titleofshortpieceofwork:FilmReviewon
MidnightinParis

Titleofextendedessay:TheAmericanDreamandthedeclineofmoral
values

FilmReview

Film:
MidnightinParis
Director:WoodyAllen
YearofRelease:2011
Cast:OwenWilson,RachelMcAdams,andMarionCotillard

In Woody Allens
Midnight in Paris
(2011), Gil (Owen Wilson), a freespirited but
disillusioned American screenwriter, travels back in time in Paris to the 1920s as an
escape from the frustrating reality and his materialistic girlfriend, Inez (Rachel
McAdams), meeting such big names in literature as Hemmingway and Fitzgerald.
This much acclaimed movie is worthawatchbecauseofthewellwroughtspatialand
temporalarrangements.

The opening panoramic montage of the tourist spots in Paris seemingly serves to
pleasetheeyesoftheaudience.However,thisestablishingsceneindeedhelpscreatea
romantic atmosphere that paves the way to the later subversion of Gils romantic
escape from the unsatisfying reality to the world of literature in the 1920s. In one of
the initial 1920s party scenes where Gil meets those literary figures and enjoys the
performance of a lady in white, one can see that Gil is marginalised in the
composition. A closeup reaction shot shows that Gil looks disoriented amidst the
partygoers of the 1920s. In the subsequent scenes, however, when Gil understands

that he has travelled backintimetothe1920swherehecanrealizehisliterarydream,

he is reluctant to leave. However, he cannot stay in this dramatic world forever but
hastoreturntotheunsatisfyingreality.

Unlikeotherstereotypicaltimetravellingmovies,WoodyAllendoesnotemployany
specialeffectstointroduceGilstimetravel,butsubtlyusesbackgroundmusicto
drawalinebetweenrealityandhisenteringintothefantasticworldofliterature.For
example,inthefleamarketscene,Gilfirstentersthescenewithhisgirlfriendandher
mother,butwhentheygoindifferentdirections,musicisintroduced.Atfirst,the
audiencemightmistakethemusicasnondiegetichowever,whenGilreachestheCD
shopandencounterstheshopkeeper(LaSeydoux),themusicturnsouttobe
diegetic.TheuseofdiegeticmusicservestodrawGilawayfromhismaterialistic
girlfriendandtobringhimanothergirlwhoisamusiclover,namelyanartlover
sameasGil.Infact,thefleamarketsceneforeshadowstheromanticrelationship
betweenGilandtheshopkeeper,whichendsthemovie.AlthoughGilsromantic
dreamofstayinginthe1920sisshattered,inrealityhisromanticyearningis
consummatedbyhisencounterwithanartlovinggirl.Wecanthereforeseehowthe
directordefineslovenotintermsofmerepassionbutintermsoftwopersonssharing
thesamevaluesandinterest.

Inconclusion,thismoviecanbereadasalightheartedmodernistpiece.Attheparty
intheBelleEpoque,whenAdrianaasksGiltostayintheerawithher,Gil
responds,Iwastryingtoescapemypresentthesamewayyouretryingtoescape
yoursPrettysoon,ifyoustayhere,youllimaginethatanothererawasthegolden

time.Butthatsthepresent,itsalittleunsatisfyingbutlifesalittleunsatisfying.
Eventually,Gilrealisesthatthepresentisalwaysunsatisfyingandthatbeingnostalgic
isnotasolutionbutjustatemporaryescape.Therefore,thedirectorarrangesGilto
returntorealityandstartanewrelationshipwithanartlovinggirl.Thissuggeststhat
wecannotgobacktothepastandweonlyhavethepresent,butthereisalwayshope
atthemomentthatwelive.Unlikesomemodernisttextswithcharactersfacedwitha
deadendinreality,thismoviebringsoptimismaboutlifetotheaudience.This
perhapsexplainswhyWoodyAllenhasbeenpraisedforbeingabletostrikeabalance
betweencommercialandaestheticsuccesssincethe1970s.

[Wordcount:626words]

ExtendedEssay

TheAmericanDreamandthedeclineofmoralvalues

James Truslow Adams first coined the term the American Dream in his book
The
Epic of America
published in 1931. Adams defined the American Dream asabelief
in the freedomthatallowsallcitizensandresidentsoftheUnitedStatesofAmericato
achieve their goals in life through hard work. At the heart of Adams definition isa
belief in social order and that anyone can attain stature and respect in societydespite
their origins, i.e. irrespective of their class, gender or ethnicity. This essay aims to
analyse Adams idealized definition in relation to F. Scott Fitzgeralds
The Great
Gatsby.

th
The origins of the concept of the American Dream can be traced back to the 18

century. At this time many people were inspired to emigrate from Italy, Russia,
Ireland, etc. to the United States because America was believed to be the land of
opportunities and country of freedom where they could find a better life, an idea
that remainsprevalenttoday.As immigrationinAmericaprogressed,theenvironment
many immigrants found themselves in was very different to that of today. As the
railroads were built and the population moved west, new towns and citieswerebuilt,
often the rule of law lagged some way behind. In this semilawless environment it
was not uncommon for people to live to a set of ideals and values quite different to
the established legal society from their original country and this often meant
attemptingtoreachtheirDreamwithlittleregardforstatutoryormorallaws.


Adams idealized the phrase and his definition concentrates much on social order,
harmony and status. However, to others the concept of the American Dream is less
about society and more about the self, instead they aspire not to a society of social
order and justice but to one where they attain the trappings of a rich materialistic
lifestyle.

Inspired by one of thesettexts,

PaulsCase
byWillaCather(1905),twoofthemajor
themes in the short story are the American Dream andtheexaggeratedimportanceof
money (i.e. materialism or wealth). He [Paul] hadnotahundreddollarsleft andhe
knew now, more than ever, that money was everything, the wall that stood between
1

all he loathed and all he wanted this passage illustrates Pauls misunderstanding of
money in a similar way to how peoplehavemisinterpretedtheAmericanDream.The
short story also illustrates how peoples judgment has becomecorruptedthepursuit
ofmoneyandwealthhinderstheirabilitytotellrightfromwrong.

A similar situation exists in the

Great Gatsby where characters, such as Jay, go to
extreme lengths to acquire wealth and in so doing a certain degree of respect in
society. In addition, so as to maintain his newfound social status, Gatsby, repeatedly
engages himself in fraud and money laundering.
Such illegalactivitiesundertakenby
Gatsby are immoral they are a result of a misunderstanding of original meaning of
the American Dream as defined by Adams. This essay focuses on drawing a
connectionbetweentheAmericanDreamandmoraldecay.

R.S.Gwynn.ThePocketAnthology(Sixthedition),PaulsCase(part2,
pp.61)
6


Fromtheoutset,Jaysrecklessdesireto attaintheAmericanDream(soastoappealto
Daisy), leads to his moral decline. Jay is very determinedtoacquirewealthinashort
periodoftimeevenatthetenderageofseventeen.JamesGatzthatwasreally,orat
least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at the specific
moment that witnessed the beginning of his careerHis parents were shiftless and
unsuccessful farm peoplehis imagination had never really accepted them as his
2

parents at all Gatsby is desperate to overcome his poor family background. On

top of that, he wants to win Daisys love back as rich girls dont marry poor boys
3

and that her [Daisy] voice is full of money

. He mistakenly alters one of the key
original elements of the American Dream, namely the pursuit of happiness, to the
pursuit of wealth and high social status.Gatsbysdesiretoachieveasocialstatus
he believes will help him in his pursuitofDaisyleadstohimabandoningbasicmoral
values. He engages in corrupt business to attain the wealth he thinks will give him
socialstatus.

The concept of the American Dream varies from person to person. However, the
malecharacters,namelyJayandTom,inthenovelonlyfocusonthematerialisticside
of the belief, ergo fame and fortune. One can argue that though acquiring fame and
fortune may sound deplorable and lamentable, nonetheless, it is still valid to be a
dream or goal in life. However, the element hard work central to Adams
definition does not appear in the path of attaining the American Dream forthesetwo

2
3

Fitzgerald,F.Scott.(1925)TheGreatGatsby.(ch.6,pp.67)

Fitzgerald,F.Scott.(1925)TheGreatGatsby.(ch.7,pp.99)
7

characters. This is the reason for Toms arrogance and his lack of moraljudgmentin
thenovel.

The second argument that explains how the American Dream leads tomoraldecayis
the use of illusion in the story. People create illusions because they want to escape
from reality. They may wish to be an individual but perhaps lack the ability or the
persistence to achieve it, so they use devices to create a better impression of
themselves. Gatsbys lavish parties thrown every Saturday at his home create a
stunning spectacle that helps to create the illusion that he is something that heisnot.
The decadence of the parties helps the guests to create theirownillusionsandvirtual
worlds. The attendees of the parties are all (wealthy) and newmoney people who
enjoy flaunting their fortune and wealth, such as showing off one's RollsRoyce car.
In this voracious world, people would often feed on another's pain so as to gain
selfesteem. Tofind pleasureinother'smisfortuneisanoldilladvisedsaying,butit
nevertheless exists in the human world. The parties give these people an opportunity
to boast about their wealthandshowofftheirriches.Moreover,itisanopportunityto
compete with and outdo their contemporaries. This gives them an even greater sense
of selfsatisfaction and selfimportance.The arrogant and gloating mannerisms of
thesepeoplemarkthemasmalicioustheyhaveattainedtheirversionof theAmerican
Dreambuthavedonesobyallowingtheirmoralitytobecorrupted.

The second objective of this essay is to examine the further deterioration of ones
moral values as a result of sustaining ones concept of the American Dream. First,
there is the recklessness of the upperclassin
TheGreatGatsby
.Inonescene,Jayhas
8

invited Nicktohavelunchwithhimandhisfriend.Duringthemeal,Gatsbydiscusses
ways to "earn" more money. Gatsby's one and only way to do so was by illegal
means. Bootlegging is one of the ways to show money laundering inthestory,asthe
sale and distribution of alcohol was illegal during this period known as Prohibition.
At Gatsby's parties, the guests nonchalantly savor the endless free flow of alcohol.
They are unaware of whereGatsby'swinehascomefromandshown no concernasto
whether their drinks are safe or not. Although Gatsby hosts parties every week, he
would never reveal himself in front of his guests. The guests would speak behind
4

Gatsbys back Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once andIdont
5

think its so much thatits more thathewasaGermanspyduringthewar

,thisidle
speculation shows ignorance amongst the guests since the reader later discovers that
Gatsby is in fact a young man who originates from an impoverished farming
community and is at best a seemingly successful social climber. This idle chattering
also implies thattheguestsareonlyinterestedinhavingagoodtimeandnothingelse.
Though they are curious about meeting the host, they never try to search for him in
his house. So in reality they care little for the man, who he was or his status, who is
theirhost,theycaremorefortheirownenjoymentofhisprovisions.

Gatsby and Tom both think that they are superior to others because of their wealth.
Neither of these two characters thinks of the consequences of committing adultery
because they do not think such behaviour is wrong. Gatsby is clouded by the
American Dream into thinking that as long as he has wealth, he can be with Daisy

4
5

Fitzgerald,F.Scott.(1925).TheGreatGatsby.(ch.3,pp.30)

Fitzgerald,F.Scott.(1925).TheGreatGatsby.(ch.3,pp.35)
9

regardless of the fact that she has a husband and that Daisy should be with him. He
ignores the fact that having an extramaritalaffairwithDaisyisimmoral.Towardsthe
climax of the story, while Gatsby and Daisy are dating, Gatsby demands that Daisy
tell Tom that she does not lovehim.Daisy criestoGatsby, Oh!Youwanttoomuch!
6

I love you now, isn't that enough? I can't help what's past. Thisillustratesthegreed
and impulsiveness of Gatsby. Equivalently, Tom does notthinkanextramaritalaffair
is a problem as he blatantly speaks of his transgressions in front of Daisy, his wife.
And whats more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and makea
7

fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time.
Despite the fact that Tom loves Daisy, he shamelessly commits adultery. Tom uses
Myrtle for his own pleasures and ignores her feelings and aspirations of reachingthe
upper class. He rejects her marriage proposal by lying to her that Daisy isacatholic,
so he simply cannot divorce. This shows Toms indifference towards infidelity and
personal relationships he believes that he candowhateverhewantsbecause hehas
themoneyandpowertodoso.

The intentions of characters, such as Jay, and the means they employ to achieve
socalled happiness only serves to degenerate them and their values further. The
saying money cant buyhappinessisatruisminthisstory.Jaythrowslavishparties
toenticeDaisy.Themorepartieshethrows,themorepleasedheiswithhimselfashis
parties are becoming more known throughout town, and he assumes his reputation
and status is enhanced. Nonetheless, his popularity proves ephemeral. At Jays

6
7

Fitzgerald,F.Scott.(1925).TheGreatGatsby.(ch.7,pp.268)

Fitzgerald,F.Scott.(1925).TheGreatGatsby.(ch.7,pp.251)
10

funeral, none of the guests who attended his parties are present, suggesting what Jay
thinks he has while he is alive i.e. the possession of status and happiness isnothing
morethananillusioninthemindsofhisguests.The obsessionwithmoneyintheEast
Egg and West Egg was so profound thatpeopleconfusedthepossessionofhappiness
tothepossessionofwealth.

One could argue that it is unfair to conclude that the AmericanDreamleadstomoral

decay because as long as people keep on the right track and stay focused, then the
American Dream is attainable. However, humans areborngreedyandhaveunlimited
desires. Much like Paul in
Pauls Case,
where he so naively thinks that stealing
money from his own father would benefit him but in fact brings more harm to him
than good causing him to commitsuicidesimilarly,Gatsbythinkshehasattainedthe
American Dream and can be with Daisy. However,hisdreamsareultimatelycrushed
and he is faced with death at the endofthestorybecauseduringhisimprudent desire
toattaintheAmericanDream,hehascarriedoutundignifiedandimmoralacts.

Adams idealized definition of the American Dream is not the reality for Paul or
Gatsby. They want to succeed in order to gain the lifestyle and status that they
incorrectly perceive the dream should provide. However, they stray from hard work
and choose immoral means to acquire wealth, but they are weak as indeed humans
can be. Ultimately, it is difficult for them not to go off track succumbing to
temptations, and misinterpret the original beliefs of the American Dream, like many
afterthem.
[Wordcount:1980words]

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Bibliography

1. Fitzgerald,F.Scott.(1925).
TheGreatGatsby.
(ReissueEdition).NewYork:
Scribner.

2. Truslow,James.(1931).
TheEpicofAmerica.
(ReprintEdition).Transaction
Publishers.

3. Wordnet3.0[2006]
http://www.webstersonlinedictionary.net/definitions/American+Dream?cx=p
artnerpub0939450753529744%3Av0qd01tdlq&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF
8&q=American+Dream&sa=Search

4. St.RosemaryEducationalInstitution."GreatGatsbyEssay:ThePursuitofthe
AmericanDream."
http://schoolworkhelper.net/greatgatsbyessaythepursuitoftheamericandr
eam/

5. SparksNotes[2012]
http://www.sparknotes.com/shortstories/paulscase/themes.html

6. SparksNotes[2012]
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/themes.html

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