Explain how Fitzgerald presents marriage as a dysfunctional institution in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ with reference to Richard Yates’ ‘Revolutionary Road.’

Throughout ‘The Great Gatsby’, F. Scott Fitzgerald arguably presents marriage as counterproductive and disadvantageous, often hindered by the characters’ own selfish desires. Critics, such as Perrett in ‘America in the Twenties’, describe the 1920s as a time where writers “steadily derided marriage as an outmoded institution, something the modern world could well do without” and this would certainly seem to ring true of Fitzgerald’s novel. The relationships can be shown to be corrupted by materialistic longing whilst many produce conflict and violence. Similarly, Richard Yates’ ‘Revolutionary Road’, set in the 1950s where marriage is considered idyllic and the expected status-quo, shows the flaws and underlying issues that occur whilst characters strive for the perfect family unit. Both novels show characters attempting to create the illusion of perfection, where the shattering of the image creates dramatic scenes in both texts. In both these time periods, advertising had caused people to aspire to achieve an ideal and marriage is viewed as the benchmark of the times, yet the novels suggest this doesn’t ultimately end in happiness. Although there are aspects of unconditional love within the marriages, the novels present marriage as an institution where the collision of individual needs and outmoded ideals make it dysfunctional. Marriages in ‘The Great Gatsby’ are linked with materialistic desires. It is evident that Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s marriage is largely based on these aspirations. Daisy is described by Nick as having “an excitement in her voice that men who cared for her found difficult to forget” and by Fitzgerald presenting her as a beautiful trophy that men aspire to win, Tom also becomes an object of admiration. Tom, coming from an upper class family with “old money”, provides Daisy with security and stability. Nick describes their home as being “even more elaborate than I expected” with “French windows” which were “glowing now with reflected gold”,