Success

What it means to have success in America can be viewed differently according to time periods and the person who you are asking. However, success in America during the time of The Great Gatsby is defined by a rather simple format that you must fit into. To be successful, you must be of the white race and have a lot of money in order to prove your worth. Race has a large factor in determining what success means as their is only a single scene showing a successful black man who is described as "a pale well-dressed negro" compared to the numerous white, wealthy people shown throughout the rest of the novel. Also, although this "negro" is described as successful, he is also said to be "pale" which connotes that he is of light skin, which, like in The Bluest Eye, is viewed as higher in society than typical blacks. This scene illustrates that to be successful in America you must be of the white race, or at least resemble it like the pale black man. Everyone in The Great Gatsby that is viewed as successful are also very wealthy. Just like Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are viewed as successful because of their wealth; despite it being old or new, compared to the people like wilson living in the valley of ashes who are described as lifeless because of their lack of wealth.