Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

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Over time, certain human traits have become universal, including materialism, resulting in societies in which people are forced into a more superficial way of life. Most of society is afraid of being judged or viewed as an outcast; thus, they are forced to go along with what society deems as correct. This idea of universality in characteristics is further backed by Parvini, as he writes, “Individuals are said to be conditioned by a set of social, cultural and ideological forces; they are entirely products of their particular place at a particular historical moment” (52). In other words, people born in certain time periods have no control on what they think or do, but it is rather a combination of outside factors that dictate standards set …show more content…

To Gatsby, his idolization of the extremely rich led him to inherit certain shallow ideals, which over time, caused him to lose focus on what should and should be given meaningful value. As Gatsby continued to surround himself with rich and powerful people, along with living in the 1920’s, he became engulfed in many materialistic and shallow ideals, leading to the corruption of is American Dream. While his dream becomes corrupt, Gatsby was not at fault, but it was rather the society’s fault as a whole. Society is at fault not only the time period, but also for the pressures that were put on Gatsby to be seen as achieved or successful. This included Daisy, as she could not marry someone poorer than her, which ultimately led Gatsby to believe he wasn't enough. Thus, his desire to be seen as equal to Daisy overtook him, until ultimately, he was left blinded by what he had worked so hard for, money. His constant fuel for more is what led materialistic and shallow ideals to be apart of everyday life for Gatsby, along with outside pressures from

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