“Nobody came (Fitzgerald, Page 174).” Following Gatsby’s
tragic death, the true values of American society became evident in the
preparations of his funeral. Selfishness and greed as well as fear of economic
consequences which characterized so many of the upper class became highlighted
as all of Gatsby’s previous guests found reasons as to why not to attend his
final party. Only those most loyal and unaffected by social pressures of wealth
stayed true to their friend both in life and death. This tragedy of treason and unfaithfulness
follows a similar story line to the book and movie “The Ultimate Gift” by Jim
Stovall.
In “The Ultimate Gift” a man of immeasurable wealth
, Howard "Red" Stevens, passes away tragically leaving behind his wealth to
those acclaimed as family. Like Gatsby, Stevens was a man who had built his own
success and became popular as a result of it. Yet, this popularity was for
money and social status, not true friendship or family. Despite all of this
false loyalty however, there were those who were true friends and remained
loyal to Stevens even after his death. As Gatsby’s servants, postman, Nick, and
owl-eyed friend continue to support Gatsby at his funeral, Stevens’ secretaries
and grandson continue his legacy of service when all others turn only to money. Jason, Stevens’ grandson, is very similar to
Nick (just as Gatsby is similar to Stevens) in that he had always admired
Stevens but never truly respected him until after his death as he had never
truly understood his character. Additionally, it is in the death of Stevens
that Jason’s life is forever changed and he is finally able to fully see the
flaws of society and work to change them.
Through tragic tales, both Fitzgerald and Stovall create a
masterpiece of loyalty and morality. They address the social injustices of
material pressure, dishonesty, and immorality and they embrace the qualities of
true love, faithfulness, and dreams. From a tale of past corruption comes a
tale of future hope.
