Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

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The American philosophy is people can build their own lives and achieve happiness. America, the new world, epitomizes a person’s opportunity to recreate one’s self and deny their past. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores how the American dream is itself a measure of America’s failings. The dream is too great for what America can offer. Gatsby invests his whole being into recreating himself to fulfill his dream of being with Daisy Buchanan. Jay Gatsby believes the only way to reach his dream is by impressing Daisy with shows of his great wealth. While Gatsby feels a desperate need to reject his past, Gatsby’s dream to be with Daisy is a direct result of his past. Fitzgerald utilizes Nick’s perception of Gatsby to demonstrate …show more content…

Scott Fitzgerald uses Nick’s narration to show the material corruption of the American Dream. Nick declares “…I disapproved of him (Gatsby) from beginning to end” (Fitzgerald 162). Gatsby earned his living in bootlegging and other illegal actives to reach his goals. The American Dream is now commonly associated with becoming wealthy. The illegal path Gatsby took to achieve his dream represents the corruption of the American dream by material pursuits. Valuing materialism is a measure of our dissatisfaction. Nick notes, “ I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game” (Fitzgerald 10). Tom was not satisfied with his wealth, beautiful house, and family so he searched for some satisfaction and thrills through his affair with the lively Myrtle. Tom is truly a symbol of the evils of the world. While Nick asserts his distaste for Tom, he is tempted by the fast and indulgent life Tom carries on in New York City. The American dream of early settlers’ was to leave their past, move west and start a new life. This dream has since been warped by the materialistic desires of mansions, beautiful clothes, and an easy, entertaining lifestyle. We are dissatisfied with the lost hope promised in America, so we appease our desires with the search for worldly pleasures. Gatsby idealizes Daisy into his object of desire. Daisy is simply a wealthy, idol, and trivial woman. But for Gatsby, she …show more content…

The East Egg and West Egg both represent wealth and success. Between the Eggs and New York city lies “the valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (Fitzgerald 27). The valley, a product of the industrial age, inhabits people of low social status beaten down by the monotony and hopelessness of their situations. The imagery of the locations is a glitzy show that covers up the ethical and spiritual decay of the time. The valley of ashes can also be seen as a symbol of the American dream. The America dream in The Great Gatsby is not as full of hope as Gatsby wishes, but barren and devoid of

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