Introduction
"The Great Gatsby" is an Australian-American film released in 2013 based on the bestselling novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald written in 1925. Directed by Baz Luhmann, "The Great Gatsby" provides the source of this academic discourse. The analysis of the sociological issue of deviance portrayed in the 2013 movie "The Great Gatsby" connects to the immoral actions of the era about ill-gained riches, social snobbery, racism, sexism, and excess in a time of national economic depression, immorality and marital infidelity, and murder.
Ill-gained Riches
The underpinning deviant behavior of the key player in this movie is Jay Gatsby who gains his wealth as others during the era through illegal activities. In this case, without any details Jay Gatsby's wealth comes in part from illegally dealing in bootlegging alcohol. Ironically, the only real evidence of any hint of disapproval of this ill gained wealth remains hinted at by Nick Caraway who lives on the fringes of the wealthy because of his familial relationship to the Daisy character. Clearly, the impetus of Jay's socially deviant behavior acquiring his riches makes very little effect on the crew of social snobs portrayed in the movie because after all this is the Roaring 20's.
Exhibited throughout the movie are the underground corrupted and deviant dealings. Ironically, or possibly nothing more than the sociological evolution of society into the 21st century, this deviant behavior like in the movie find a familiar connection. The Gatsby types of then represent so many in today's society looking at drugs like the bootlegger business Gatsby and even the riches gained by Joe Kennedy the patriarch of the well-known Kennedy family who gave America a president – John F. Kennedy – use of sociologically deviant behavior in selling illegal drugs today to gain wealth.
Tom Buchanan deftly refers to Gatsby as nothing more than a 'common bootlegger.' It is Gatsby's desire to change from his humble beginnings to create a new life through the illegal bootlegging that represents the corruption connected to the new perception on the American Dream. The flagrant and deviant sociological aspects of this reality reveal an acute irony embedded in America aligned to anti-social behavior. Too many Americans as depicted by the actions of Jay Gatsby continue walking a crooked path in the attempt gaining their dream.
Racism and Sexism
Naturally, in a fictional representation of society it is through the characters sociological issues emerge. Through the character Tom Buchanan – Daisy's husband the sexist and racist social attitudes of not only his class but also, the American society in general exhibit this type of deviant social behavior. The fact remains the hypocrisy of America then and even in the 21st century about racism and sexist views have nothing to do with legislation. Laws cannot change character flaws aligned with cultural ignorance. Thus, Tom Buchanan represents the typical type of sociological deviance too many Americans then (and now) still hold on hidden by well-disguised social masks. Tom's hypocrisy knows no bounds, as he demands those around him live up to clearly defined moral standards he makes no move to cover he never intends living up to.
Excess
As stated in the thesis, the core, of the sociological deviant behavior portrayed in this movie lay in the excess of this social class during one of the most extraordinarily debilitating economic crisis in America's short history. The social immorality, of the excess portrayed in the deviant behavior of the key players comes across in a realistic manner on the screen. While millions literally on the doorstep of starvation in America, the social structure gap between them and the wealthy few of America remains the most profound deviant behavior. The excess in spending for the sake of spending looks at Gatsby's impressive library full of books he never intends reading. This kind of materialism represents the fundamental ideology and deviant behavior that having material things equates with happiness and power.
Caraway's narration brings this deviant behavior to full spectrum with references to the conflict of wealth and class excusing these people from the social norms of the era. The inherent inequality of opportunity this class of excessive living engages while making it seem they live the American dream asks the question of at what cost. Sociologically, this display of excess fuels the issue of poverty and the sociological problems aligned with this economic condition.
Deviant behavior reflected from the sociological aspect portrayed in the movie referring to this massive economic inequality and their inappropriate share (often ill got) seems to neither bother their conscious nor inhibit their behavior resulting in stagnation in addressing the social ills of the abundant poor in America in this era. Consequently, the excesses of these wealthy people have little if any concern for the social ills surrounding them. Their deviant social values dare conformity to the fundamental moral mores of the era. Those who hold the wealth create their own world where poverty and the social issues inherently pinned to this status believed out of sight out of mind.
Few think about using their wealth in an equitable gesture for addressing the social ills connected to poverty that reflect poor housing, unemployment, health issues, and the decay of the American way of life. Other issues reflected in the movie's portrayal of social deviation refer to race as well as gender in this idea as seen through the grounds of the most of pertinent as well as endurance and struggles in society.
The fallacy of the nouveau riche of the era comes across as immoral connected to the social norms of those times in America but with an intense character flaw reflected in hollowness. Perhaps this collective character flaw of this social class reflects a lingering reflection of America's European roots to class system still prevalent in European society.
America's older rich aristocracy, while possessing taste free from the vulgarities of the new rich nonetheless proves inconsiderate and careless bullies. The excess of this deviant socially despicable behavior extends to the belief their money gives them the ability to keeping worry from their door they never consider the hurt they do to others. Daisy's marriage to the Buchanan family, a part of this old money, establishes her as one of these types of people. She is self-centered and lacking depth of character beyond her own needs.
Immorality and Marital Infidelity
Filled with abundant examples of immorality the 2013 film portrays the new modern woman who smokes, drinks, wears short skirts, takes off her corset, and for the upper class portrayed in this era there exists little remnant of the home as a hearth or a sacred institution. Rather, the social deviation expressed in the movie show home as nothing more than a meeting place for husbands and wives, with shelter and food, defeating any social and spiritual characteristics of the typical family unit of the time.
Deviant behavior sets a more modern view of the home where it is no longer socially wrong for women to smoke and drink alcohol. Daisy's disinterest in her child shows how home no longer exhibits a sacrosanct nature of an idealized mother who functions as the nurturer of her children. Motherhood portrayed in this movie proves a particular deviation from the sociological underpinnings of a previous way of life.
Plainly, the image of the mature woman society once held in respect now exhibits a younger modern woman fully aware of her sexuality, and free to express it in deviant behavior counter to the social norms framing the American social mores of the era separate from those of the Gatsby group. Showing their sexuality wearing thin, sleeveless, backless, and clinging dresses with rolled stockings topped by a face looking back with dark eye shadowed eyes and crimson lips meant to entice the lewd and welcome attentions of men as portrayed by the party revelers at Gatsby's cocktail and petting forays where he knew few of the guests.
Other sociologically deviant behavior of this particular woman, of the 1920s, reveals they talk openly and frankly. The dance provocatively, go with men in cars, and engage sex as portrayed by the director in this 2013 "Gatsby" movie. Through the character of Jordan Baker, an avid competitive golfer emerges this modern woman. She is single, and she is dishonest. Cheating so she wins her first tournament, she must continually lie to cover this initial deceit and socially deviant behavior.
Marital infidelity proves a particular sociological deviation portrayed in this movie. It is with every intention that Jay Gatsby intends wooing the married Daisy away from her husband. Everything from the moment he hears of her betrayed promise to wait for his return from the war and marrying a wealthy man she knows will give her the life she is accustomed drives Gatsby to achieve his goal attaining wealth illegally and to win Daisy back.
There is no sense of social morality in his endeavor. His passion and love this this flawed woman cares nothing for the social degradation his behavior exhibits. Whether intentional amid the glitz of Luhrmann's direction of this movie, the criticism of this part of American society of the 1920s nonetheless comes through expressing how this era proves the onset of the increasing gap between the have and have not in America creating the sociological issues of that pivotal time in the U.S. The center of the developing plot of deviant behavior looks at Tom Buchanan and his infidelity to his marriage to Daisy with his mistress Myrtle. This further proves the extent of his hypocrisy when he becomes enraged and confrontational at the first hint something suspect of an affair exists between Daisy and Gatsby while blatantly ignoring his own behavior. Myrtle, a bored and unfulfilled married and married to an exhausted and lifeless man named George Wilson who owns a dilapidated auto shop, mistakenly believes hooking up with Tom Buchanan is her chance to better her station in life
Murder
One of the epitomes of sociological deviations remains the intentional taking of a life – murder. Daisy whether intentional hits Myrtle with her car killing her and sets off a series of presumptions and a final event that ends in murder. Due to the illicit relationship of Daisy and Gatsby what surfaces is Daisy admitting she loves the both of them and generally, this explains her running the mistress Myrtle down and killing her.
It is easy to see how the deviant behavior of both Tom and Daisy Buchanan's extramarital affairs involving Gatsby and Myrtle lead to the murder of Gatsby. Other deviant actions, including Nick securing Daisy away from the harm of the killing of Myrtle shows he is not the innocent he may want to believe. Tom hears of Gatsby's intention taking the blame for the killing of Myrtle then becomes the pawn of the guilty Tom telling it was Gatsby driving the car to Myrtle's husband that leads to him assuming Gatsby is the elusive lover and prods his decision to kill Gatsby. Lies, betrayals, and illicit affairs make the mix of a sociological tragedy with the murder of Gatsby. The immorality, the move away from religious idealism and the desire for material excess make the story of this movie a poster child of deviant sociological issues.
Conclusion
A final reflection connected to this academic analysis of the sociological deviant behaviors outlined in the introductory thesis connects to the immoral actions of the era about ill-gained riches, social snobbery, racism, sexism, and excess in a time of national economic depression, immorality and marital infidelity, and murder. When money and materialism prod the actions of the people of a society as portrayed in this, movie it matters little the era, but rather the underpinning fallacies of this type of behavior. Attraction to money leads to corruption by too many people and remains then and now a course of deviant behavior that creates sociological issues as exhibited in the story told in this movie.
