Comparing Wealth in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

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Wealth has both a good and a bad side. It can change the life of a person for the better or worse, and that is clearly shown in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Wealth effects the lives of the characters of Their Eyes Were Watching God very differently than the characters of The Great Gatsby. Janie’s wealth came about, mainly, from her failed relationships. Gatsby, on the other hand, earned his wealth, despite it being through questionable means. The characters also used their wealth for different reasons. Gatsby used his wealth in hopes to win back the love of his life, and Janie’s wealth was simply an asset to her. Even though there are many differences in how the characters live, there are similar outcomes (change wording). Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Great Gatsby take place in very different places, but despite that, their relationships and happiness are similarly affected by wealth. The novels both take place in similar time periods, but the locations of each novel as incredibly different. While Their Eyes Were Watching God takes place in the deep south, The Great Gatsby takes place in a modern and big city. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby the setting is more diverse. There is the East and West Eggs, where the rich live, and the Valley of Ashes, where the poor live. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the locations are all similar to the Valley of Ashes. The Great Gatsby takes place in New York, which is thriving with bootlegged alcohol, flappers, and parties. Gatsby criticizes the lifestyle of the rich and famous during the prohibition, while Their Eyes Were Watching God Their Eyes Were Watching God depicts the struggle ... ... middle of paper ... ...aisy risking her place in society.. Gatsby thought that having wealth would guarantee Daisy to be his again. His naivety about Daisy seemed childish, but in Gatsby wealth is hugely important to the characters. Despite the completely different settings of Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Great Gatsby, wealth effects the characters is many similar ways, including their happiness and success of their relationships. The relationships that the characters have are, despite not being based off of wealth, affected greatly by the lack or surplus of wealth. Wealth also influences the way the characters’ peers view them. Wealth plays a main role in the lives the characters despite the differences that exist. Even though the novels take place in very opposite places the superficial longing for wealth and the existence of wealth impacts the characters in similar ways.

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