#americandream

I’ve just finished reading The Great Gatsby for the first time, and yes, I can see why it’s become a classic of American literature. The underlying themes, the gradual reveal of the Gatsby’s elusive past, the inevitable tragedy, are subtle and enduring. It reminded me of Brideshead Revisited in a way. The tragic nature of wealth, the decay beneath all that glitz and glamour—Gatsby is to American literature what Brideshead is to English.

Both are narrated by outside observers, Nick Carraway (Gatsby) and Charles Ryder (Brideshead). And both of these men are drawn into the world of wealth from modest backgrounds, and both are simultaneously invested and detached in what they see. Nick establishes a relationship with Jordan Baker, a socialite part of Gatsby’s world, and Charles with Julia, the sister of Sebastian Flyte. And both watch as Gatsby and Sebastian struggle through their personal issues.

Those observed are haunted in their own way by their past. Gatsby is obsessed with Daisy Buchanan, while Sebastian and his family are consumed by their heritage, the death of the English nobility and struggling Catholic traditions. And Gatsby and Sebastian’s family are both eventually consumed—Gatsby is killed following the attempted renewal of his relationship with Daisy, and Sebastian descends into alcoholism.

But there are, of course, key differences. Brideshead’s driving theme is the Catholic religion and English aristocracy; Gatsby’s is the American Dream, a quasi-religion in itself, I suppose, and chased with similar fervour. Fitzgerald critiques a particular form of social mobility and how it can be achieved, and amidst this the hidden classes that define American society, while Waugh explores, with nostalgia, the decline of English nobility, its relationship to faith, education, and tradition. Significantly, wealth, for Gatsby, comes from questionable means, and for the Flytes, wealth is inherited and comes with its own obligations. But, of course, wealth ends up destroying them both, and the people they love.

image source: SoraTheAdventurer on Reddit

Wenn die Cadillac-Heckflossen im August 2025 noch glamouröser sind als die Temperaturen hoch

Hier steht er nun, der rosafarbene Straßenkreuzer mit Flügeln, die selbst bei 35 Grad im Schatten noch majestätisch in die Höhe ragen. In Zeiten, wo alle über die Hitze jammern, denkt sich dieser 1959er Cadillac: "Bitte, ich bin seit über 60 Jahren heiß und keiner hat sich beschwert!"

Diese Heckflossen waren damals die größten der Welt – und heute? Würden sie perfekt als Solarpanel funktionieren! Bei der aktuellen Hitzewelle könnte man auf diesen chromblitzenden Raketenflossen problemlos ein Spiegelei braten. Der Wagen ist so stylisch, dass selbst die Sonne neidisch wird und deshalb extra heiß scheint.

Während wir uns über 30 Grad beschweren, lacht dieser Pink Panther der Straße vermutlich innerlich. Seine integrierten Doppel-Rückleuchten sehen aus wie Raketendüsen – perfekt für den Start in den nächsten klimatisierten Supermarkt. Und mal ehrlich: Bei der Größe dieser Heckflossen hat man wenigstens genug Schatten für eine ganze Familie!

(via Opinion | Trump's Dreamland for Billionaires Is a Nightmare for America's Working Class | Common Dreams)

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