In it’s over 50 years, The Great Gatsby, has survived the test of time as an American classic. The novel was published and set in the Roaring Twenties, a time of great change in America. However, the book mainly shows the lives of wealthy white people. It fails to represent all voices of the 1920s, such as the voices of marginalized communities who were making historical progress and redefining the American Dream of this time. Learn about the Harlem Renaissance and how it provided African Americans with the right tools to overcome societal barriers and establish their roots in history and discover the side of the American Dream that Fitzgerald did not include in his novel.
Sources include Langston Hughes’s poem Harlem about dreams denied by racism, Claude McKay’s The Barrier and the deep racial divisions of the time, Billie Holiday’s song "Strange Fruit" made in reponse to the brutal lynching of Black Americans, and James VanDerZee’s photograph Couple in Raccoon Coats which capture Black pride and success.
Before talking about the Harlem Renaissance, we need to understand The Great Gatsby. The book’s author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is known for focusing on wealth, class struggles, and the idea of the American Dream and it is no different in this book. The novel criticizes the idea that money alone can lead to success, but it mostly tells the story of wealthy white characters. While it does portray an accurate and believable life of the elite, it does not explore how people from different backgrounds, especially African Americans, experienced the American Dream during this time.
Langston Hughes was a poet during the Harlem Renaissance. This cultural movement aimed to celebrate Black life and protest injustice. In his poem Harlem, Hughes writes about the pain of having dreams put on hold because of race.
The poem uses images like a “raisin in the sun” (something dried up and wasted) and “rotten meat” (something spoiled) to show how delaying dreams can lead to sadness, frustration, and anger. Hughes suggests that denying African Americans their dreams due to prejudice is harmful and could lead to bigger problems (“Or does it explode?”). This show that for many Black Americans in the 1920s, systemic racism made even starting the dream difficult which is harshly different from what Fitzgerald portrays in his book and has you to believe. Not only was this dream difficult or blocked, it could be dangerous as well.
Music was a important factor to the Harlem Renaissance. While jazz celebrated Black culture, other songs directly addressed the harsh realities of racism. “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday is a powerful protest song against the brutal lynching of Black Americans. The song was written as a response to racial violence in the South.
The lyrics describe “Black bodies swinging” from trees, showing the horror of lynching. The “strange fruit” is the bodies of lynched victims hanging from trees. The song exposes the reality that racism made the American Dream not just impossible for many Black people, but dangerous and could cost Black Americans their lives. Instead of the safe and prosperous life that Gatsby and Daisy lived, Black Americans were living in fear of their lives. “Strange Fruit” became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement, proving that progress required ending racial violence.
Despite the huge challenges, the Harlem Renaissance was also a time of Black achievement and pride. Photographer James Van Der Zee, it shows Black success and dignity during the Harlem Renaissance. The photo shows a well-dressed Black couple standing in front of a luxury car, symbolizing success.
Despite racism, some African Americans found ways to achieve wealth and status. The photograph challenges stereotypes and shows that Black people were creating their own version of the American Dream. This photo represents the rare victories for Black Americans in which are not convered by The Great Gatsby.
Another important writer of the Harlem Renaissance was Claude McKay. His poem The Barrier describes how racism prevents progress and personal relationships. McKay often wrote about racial injustice and the struggles of being Black in America.
The poem’s lines about racial separation, like “You’re fair and I am dark,” highlight how racism divides people. The poem shows how racism not only affects careers and rights but also personal connections and emotions. For African Americans, success wasn’t just about money, like Gatsby’s struggles with old vs. new wealth, it was about breaking down racial barriers in all parts of life.
With 50 years to date and many more to come, The Great Gatsby does not fully represent the Roaring Twenties as it might have you think. This doesn’t mean its a good read or should not be considered an American classic, but it just doesn't include unrepresented groups such as Black Americans which are covered here. Learning about the Harlem Renaissance gives us a better picture of this important decade in American history.