The Other Side of the American Dream

The Other Side of the American Dream (inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby)

Bob Scott and Betty O’Malley worked at Gatsby’s mansion in West Egg, Long Island. Basically they were part of the team who were responsible for keeping the mansion spic and span and who tidied up after Gatsby’s lavish parties. They could not believe how such refined people could leave such a mess. They saw the other side of the American dream when they picked up the champagne glasses and empty bottles, the plates, the cutlery—the half eaten baked ham, the turkey, the pig, and the hors d’oeuvres. 

When Betty became an employee at the mansion she was totally gobsmacked at the extraordinary extravagance Gatsby lavished on his parties. The butler Tim Davies took great pride in operating the machine which was able to squeeze 200 oranges and lemons at the click of a button. 

Betty’s grandparents had sailed from Ireland across the Atlantic Ocean on one of the infamous coffin ships and she remembered her mother telling her about the Irish potato famine which occurred in 1845. The people were literally starving and though the journey was hazardous, many decided to take the risk. So Mary was made aware of the horrors of the famine which led to her grandparents taking the decision to emigrate. Life was very hard in America, but at least there was a chance of employment, even if it was menial. Mary looked forward to the day when she could visit County Mayo, the birthplace of her grandparents. 

When Betty began working at the mansion she marvelled at the splendour of the mansion. A big Rolls Royce was parked at the front door and she noticed that when Gatsby threw a party, the chauffeur would drive back and forth to New York to pick up guests. Buffet tents were erected and packed with sumptuous food and drink. Guests would wander down to the beach or congregate around the swimming pool.

The jazz music played all evening and into the early hours. It was certainly the roaring twenties and carousing and revelry was the order of the the day.

At her induction the head of staff said to Betty, ‘You will be treated well here and the pay and conditions are excellent.’ He then looked at Betty and said, ‘Mr Gatsby will have important people and celebrities at his parties here and he has stressed that the staff must be totally discreet and not gossip about anybody they see at the mansion.’

Betty wondered why the manager was so emphatic about not carrying tales or engaging in tittle-tattle but after working there she realised that the Gatsby household was a rather unusual place. There didn’t really seem to be anyone living in this lavish mansion except Gatsby and of course a house guest Ewing Klipspringer who was basically a sycophant looking for a place to live rent-free. He had literally stayed on after one of the parties and then decided to move in. 

‘Where are Gatsby’s family and relations? ‘Betty once asked Bob when they were collecting litter after a party.

‘Who knows? replied Bob. 

He held up a glass and commented, ‘this is a very expensive glass’. 

‘Yes’ replied Betty, ‘He has an eye for detail’.  Betty recalled one of Gatsby’s guest sipping her Mint Julep cocktail and she thought she had never seen anyone so sophisticated in her life. And she seemed to have a very handsome boyfriend who paid her a lot of attention. Betty wondered how anybody could be so confident and self-possessed. She sipped her Mint Julep and flirted with this handsome young man-it was as if she expected to be treated like a goddess—the world was at her feet. Even Mr Gatsby singled her out and she had a private conversation with him. 

Mr Gatsby did not seem to take much interest in his guests or pay them any attention. They just flocked to his mansion, swam in his pool, danced and revelled on his lawn and beach, ate his food and drank his champagne. And then swanned off and did not reappear until the next party. 

When Betty returned to her flat in New York, she would tell her flatmate about the latest antics of the guests and the orchestra and the opulence and the bright coloured lights hung around the buffet tents. Betty would describe the beautiful woman who sipped the Mint Julep and laughed and talked as if she didn’t have a care in the world. 

Betty had overheard some gossip relating to Mr Gatsby—he was a spy, a bootlegger, a murderer. Her father Mick O’Malley commented, ‘how come he can serve all that alcohol when alcohol is prohibited?’ And he added, ‘he must be giving backhanders to the police for they seem to turn a blind eye.’

Betty didn’t really know what to believe. All she knew there was something really strange about Mr Gatsby and his flamboyant parties. Why did he want to have these guests when he didn’t seem to interact with them? As well as that he didn’t drink the champagne and eat beautiful food—it was if it was all some kind of a charade. And Betty could not understand why he would pack his home with guests who only got drunk and rowdy and destroyed his beautiful haven. Extra staff had to be recruited to help with the clean-up. Betty and Bob were glad of the help.

As time went by, Betty noticed a change in Mr Gatsby. He appeared to have a spring in his step and he seemed quite animated. It did not take long for her to put two-and-two together after a lady called Daisy came to tea one fine afternoon. She had more class than the woman who sipped the Mint Julep and Mr Gatsby seemed besotted with her. His parties came to an end and there was no more tidying up to do in the grounds. Betty almost missed the parties as they conjured up a world which she was not a part of and never would be.