Guidance and distance, Amory the mannequin, criticisms of wealth and the role of the narrator

Guidance and distance, Amory the mannequin, criticisms of wealth and the role of the narrator

The purpose and satisfaction of life in the perspective of Amory Blaine continues to elude me. What exactly does Blaine wish to accomplish in life? Is Blaine condemned to the superficiality of popularity and aristocracy? So it seems, as far as the novel has told me so. Blaine seems to be a misfit in the world that he lives in. He lacks direction, and perhaps this is in part due to the absence of a guiding figure in his life. His father Stephen Blaine is seemingly absent from the world and passes away with little impact on Blaine. Beatrice Blaine is no better, being mentally unstable with her nervous breakdowns and aristocratic influence on Amory Blaine that seems to have an adverse affect on Amory Blaine’s ability to immerse well in society. Monsignor Darcy, whose attention to Blaine bestows him as the more dominant parental figure than Blaine’s biological parents gives Blaine some form of advice, but as Darcy self-admits later, he gives Blaine too much assurance and the impression that life will pass without struggle. There is also the issue of distance from youth; Blaine was only thirteen when his mother had a nervous breakdown and he was sent to Minneapolis. As of that age, he has been distanced from his family, with no one to ground him and steer him through adolescence, which is a crucial period for moulding one’s moral values and identity. Perhaps this is why we feel Blaine lacks identity.

My primary problem with the character of Amory Blaine is his lack of response and emotion to the activities surrounding or affecting him. He functions as a mannequin would, pulled in different directions but lacking depth and personality. The setbacks he encounters such as failing exams and being unable to continue as quarterback due to serious injury do not seem to alter his view of the world, nor do they seem to inject a sense of desire to seek success and find new meaning to life. Emotions of joy and love are fleeting moments as demonstrated with Isabelle and Clara, so short-lived that I am led to believe that they arose in the heat of the moment and exist as nothing more.

I am inclined to believe that Fitzgerald is trying to make an argument of the trivial lives experienced by members of the aristocracy. Fitzgerald’s presentation of the wealthy as narcissists makes us wonder whether or not he condemning the actions of the privileged. Amory Blaine does not stand alone in the category of conceited wealthy personnel, as much of this mirrored by Beatrice Blaine. Princeton University too is portrayed to consist of elitists from the pinnacle of the social hierarchy, with aristocratic organisations such as the Ivy Club. The description of the Ivy Club as “detached” suggests the exclusiveness of the wealthy in isolating themselves from the rest of society, that wealth and status are key to being accepted in the Princeton society.

I question the reliability of the narrator in giving us an accurate depiction of Blaine and the world Amory lives in. Perhaps the reason why we have such a negative depiction of Blaine and his pompousness is due in part to the narrator’s lack of understanding of Blaine. Our vision of Blaine is illustrated solely through the narrator’s perspective, which for all we know could be a skewed account of the life of Amory Blaine and clouded by the narrator’s distaste for aristocracy. This leads us to consider, just are we being unfair to protagonist Blaine?