More handpicked essays just for you.
The theme of materialism in the great gatsby
The theme of materialism in the great gatsby
The theme of materialism in the great gatsby
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby provides the reader with a unique outlook on the life of the newly rich. Gatsby is an enigma and a subject of great curiosity, furthermore, he is content with a lot in life until he strives too hard. His obsession with wealth, his lonely life and his delusion allow the reader to sympathize with him. Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth. Ever since meeting Dan Cody, his fascination for wealth has increased dramatically. He even uses illegal unmoral methods to obtain hefty amounts of wealth to spend on buying a house with “ Marie Antoinette music-rooms, Restoration Salons, dressing rooms and poolrooms, and bath rooms with sunken baths.” (88) His wardrobe is just as sensational with “ shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine fennel.” (89) Gatsby buys such posh items to impress Daisy but to him, Daisy herself is a symbol of wealth. Jay remarks, “[Daisy’s] voice is full of money.” (115). For him, Daisy is the one who is “ High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden gir...
How they treat each other shows how selfish both of them are and how they only care about themselves. Gatsby finds himself falling in love with Daisy, and the idea of her, when he returns to Long Island and discovers the lavish lifestyles that are being led. Jay Gatsby is a man who has been obsessed with the idea of being wealthy ever since the age of seventeen, when he met an older gentleman named Dan Cody. Gatsby was supposed to inherit all of Cody’s money but was cheated out of it at the last minute. Ever since then, Gatsby has been obsessed with the idea of being wealthy and he would do whatever it would take for him to be wealthy. Once Gatsby and Daisy begin a relationship, Bloom points out that, “Gatsby, with his boundless capacity for love, a capacity unique in the sterile world he inhabits, sees that the pursuit of money is a substitute for love. He knows himself well enough to see that his own attraction toward wealth is tied to his love for Daisy.”. It is hard for Gatsby to admit, but it becomes evident to the reader that Gatsby values wealth and status over human love and affection. Gatsby had an obsession with money that unfortunately he was never able to shake, and ultimately led to a lonely life and eventually to his
As a young man, Jay Gatsby was poor with nothing but his love for Daisy. He had attempted to woe her, but a stronger attraction to money led her to marry another man. This did not stop Gatsby’s goal of winning this woman for himself though, and he decided to improve his life anyway he could until he could measure up to Daisy’s standards. He eventually gained connections in what would seem to be the wrong places, but these gave him the opportunity he needed to "get rich quick." Gatsby’s enormous desire for Daisy controlled his life to the point that he did not even question the immorality of the dealings that he involved himself in to acquire wealth. Eventually though, he was able to afford a "castle" in a location where he could pursue Daisy effectively. His life ambition had successfully moved him to the top of the "new money" class of society, but he lacked the education of how to promote his wealth properly. Despite the way that Gatsby flaunted his money, he did catch Daisy’s attention. A chaotic affair followed for a while until Daisy was overcome by pressures from Gatsby to leave her husband and by the realization that she belonged to "old money" and a more proper society.
According to Aristotle, there are a number of characteristics that identify a tragic hero: he must cause his own downfall; his fate is not deserved, and his punishment exceeds the crime; he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. These are all characteristics of Jay Gatsby, the main character of Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero according to Aristotle's definition.
The Great Gatsby set in the glistening and glittering world of wealth and glamour of 1920s Jazz Age in America. However, the story of the poor boy who tried to fulfill the American Dream of living a richer and fuller life ends in Gatsby’s demise. One of the reasons for the tragedy is the corrupting influence of greed on Gatsby. As soon as Gatsby starts to see money as means of transforming his fantasy of winning Daisy’s love into reality, his dream turns into illusion. However, other characters of the novel are also affected by greed. On closer inspection it turns out that almost every individual in the novel is covetous of something other people have. In this view, the meaning of greed in the novel may be varied The greed is universally seen as desire for material things. However, in recent studies the definition of “greed” has come to include sexual greed and greed as idolatry, understood as fascination with a deity or a certain image (Rosner 2007, p. 7). The extended definition of greed provides valuable framework for research on The Great Gatsby because the objects of characters’ desires can be material, such as money and possessions, or less tangible, such as love or relationship.
The novel, The Great Gatsby focuses on one of the focal characters, James Gatz, also known as Jay Gatsby. He grew up in North Dakota to a family of poor farm people and as he matured, eventually worked for a wealthy man named Dan Cody. As Gatsby is taken under Cody’s wing, he gains more than even he bargained for. He comes across a large sum of money, however ends up getting tricked out of ‘inheriting’ it. After these obstacles, he finds a new way to earn his money, even though it means bending the law to obtain it. Some people will go to a lot of trouble in order to achieve things at all costs. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, conveys the numerous traits of Jay Gatsby through the incidents he faces, how he voices himself and the alterations he undergoes through the progression of the novel. Gatsby possesses many traits that help him develop as a key character in the novel: ambitious, kind-hearted and deceitful all of which is proven through various incidents that arise in the novel.
“Her voice is full of money‘…That was it. I‘d never understood before. It was full of money – that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals‘ song of it…High in a white palace the king‘s daughter, the golden girl…” (119) Gatsby understands that after all he erroneously defined her merely by who she was, but by what she had and what she represented. His first feelings were created by the aspiration and admiration of Daisy’s wealth, materialism was the reason the Gatsby was first attracted to Daisy.
At a first glance, The Great Gatsby is an account of a failed relationship between a man from a modest background and a woman from high society. This aspect of the novel however also serves to develop a much bigger theme. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is a story about the value of the so called American Dream and the polarity between its particular ideas. Fitzgerald uses many different means to express a certain perspective on the subject. The most significant articulation of this theme is reflected in Jay Gatsby's tremendous quest for the woman he loves, which is punctuated by a conflict between his idealised vision of his love and the actual conditions. This is a repeating pattern. The novel is punctured by many
“Money can’t buy happiness” is a saying that is often used to make one understand that there is more to life than wealth and money. Jay Gatsby was a man of many qualities some of which are good and bad. Throughout the book of “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we learn of his past and discover the true qualities of Jay Gatsby. Starting from the bottom, with little money, we learn of why Gatsby struggled so hard all his life to become wealthy and what his true goal in life was. When reading this story, the true reasons behind Gatsby’s illegal actions reveal themselves and readers can learn a great life lesson from this story and the actions the characters take. Readers can see through Gatsby’s contradictions of actions and thoughts that illustrate the theme of the story, along with his static characteristics, that all humans are complex beings and that humans cannot be defined as good or bad.
Jay Gatsby believes he can buy happiness. For example, Gatsby's house is “ A factual imitation of some Hotel De Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (The Great Gatsby 9). His house is nothing more than an perfect symbol of his vast income. Gatsby uses the house in an attempt to win happiness and respect from his peers. Furthermore, Gatsby also tries to impress others with such unimportant possessions as his clothing, as when Daisy emotionally comments, ”beautiful shirts… It makes me sad because I have never seen such beautiful shirts before”(98). Crying over articles of clothing is outrageous, yet it is not the shirts that overwhelm Daisy. Their symbolism of Gatsby’s unlimited wealth and faith in money is truly saddening. Also, Gatsby realizes that Daisy’s main and only concern in life is money. Gatsby pursues immoral and often illegal actions in pursuit of wealth, subconsciou...
In order for a humble knight to deserve his mistress, he must prove his cultivated bearings, and likewise Gatsby devotes himself to this endeavor. Culturing Gatsby in courteous mannerisms, Gatsby’s mentor Dan Cody fills “the vague contour of Jay Gatsby [with] the substantiality of a man” (102) and brings Gatsby a step closer to Daisy’s dignified status. Desperate to line up to Daisy’s standards, Gatsby takes every precaution necessary to ensure Daisy’s affections. Every check mark on the aristocratic list must be met for Gatsby: charm, money, and status. After Dan’s death, Gatsby enters himself into illegal business dealings with Meyer Wolfsheim, gaining a new token for success by “[buying] up a lot of side-street drug-stores [in New York] and in Chicago [to sell] grain alcohol over the counter” (135). Gatsby soon brews up an overflowing abundance of wealth, and seizes the opportunity to impress Daisy with his intriguing assets. Like a determined knight hoping to demonstrate both skill in battle and social standing, Gatsby flaunts his newly obtained wealth in the form of parties and extravagant materialism. The glamour of his displays eventually catches Daisy’s eye and Gatsby at last wins her over, proceeding to the events of their impassioned
F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social commentary on American life. Although it was not a commercial success for Fitzgerald during his lifetime, this lyrical novel has become an acclaimed masterpiece read and taught throughout the world. The book carries out the theme of materialism, exhibiting the lifestyle of those whom are very well off and live extravagant lifestyles. The biggest example of this portrayed in the book is Mr. Jay Gatsby himself. He lived a very high maintenance life. He owned many luxurious belongings, such as his immense house and his deluxe car, things that not everyone could afford. He started out as a very humble fellow with not many possessions, but with a lot
Throughout the different sources Gatsby uses to attract Daisy, one of them is his luxurious and materialistic spending to gain Daisy’s attention. Gatsby’s materialistic livelihood is for Daisy’s affection, Gatsby tells Nick, “Well, suppose we take a plunge in the swimming-pool? I haven’t made use of it all summer” (82). When Gatsby invites Nick over to his house, Gatsby surprises Nick, and Nick refers to his house as the “World’s Fair”. All of Gatsby’s materialistic possessions are for Daisy’s attention because he wants the unattainable “golden girl” for the idea of what she represents: class and old money. Also Gatsby does not use most of his possessions for his own benefit, but for Daisy’s sake. However, it is ironic how the one time he enjoys his wealth, he dies. Gatsby represents the perfect gentleman because of his reputation in the Jazz Age society, however, his unknown source of money becomes a skeptical inquiry for many. Jordan expresses to Nick, “Well, they say he’s a nephew or a cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm’s. That’s where all his money comes from” (32). Jordan hears of rumors about Gatsby’s past, and this shows that everyo...
Scott Fitzgerald himself were so caught up with was more about the “pursuit of happiness” than anything else. Somewhere along the line, Jay seems to get this confused with the pursuit of wealth and status at the cost of everything else. While this paper has certainly made the case that Gatsby is not admirable, heroic or representative of the American Dream it is not to say that he is not a sympathetic character, either. He has been absolutely corrupted by the idea of achieving his dream and has simply wound up going about it in completely the wrong way. Nick, at one point in the novel, argues that Gatsby is “worth the whole damn bunch together” (Fitzgerald, 1925, 45) reflecting his apparent belief that Gatsby is actually a decent man who has perhaps gotten involved with the wrong sort of people. Pearson (1970, 126)
It is not just her that Gatsby wishes he had, it is her old money status and belonging also. Gatsby squanders his whole adult life attempting to get Daisy back, while simultaneously building up his wealth .Gatsby's fixation on Daisy gives him a false deception of her, and his hallucination of the “American dream”. When Gatsby works his way up to the amount of materialistic wealth he thinks is acceptable for Daisy to love him, he “[takes] out a pile of shirts...shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel...while we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher...suddenly with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily”(118). Daisy is overwhelmed by the wealth Gatsby possesses, showing Daisy’s shallowness, foreshadowing how important materialism is to her. This speaks to how much materialism can be the way into creating an entry of a relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. Fitzgerald uses imagery to convey how much wealth Gatsby has amassed to, like “shirts of sheer linen” “thick slick”, “soft rich heap” to describe how expensive and rich Gatsby truly is. This depicts an image of a man who has more money than he knows what to do with. Daisy’s tears at the end symbolize her realizing that she could have had everything she wanted in life, the wealth,
In the famous great American novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main character Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a romantic hero, hopeful dreamer, and as someone who is completely unforgettable. What makes Gatsby so great was not his wealth, position in society or his personal belongings, but his determination to make something of himself during a time in which moral corruptions were common. Jay Gatsby’s personal greatness was exemplified in his struggle against his own fate, devoted love towards Daisy, and self sacrifice.