The automobile, in all its luxury, is a desirable expense to almost everyone who travels. Along with it comes new-found freedoms, faster means of travel, excitement, and many other beneficial qualities to one’s everyday life. There are high-end pricey cars that people of high social status and wealth can afford, and the lower-end average priced cars that the average American can afford. Its very power is one wanted by all and many use the automobile to show off its glory and the sense of entitlement it gives them. In the 1920s, the automobile had been a new invention that was advertised only to the wealthy, but as it became more popular, it also became more affordable to lower class people. The presence of mindless carelessness, recklessness, …show more content…
Gatsby, Jordan, Tom, and others are involved in many disastrous situations throughout the novel, which were all causes of careless acts. One of the more careless individuals is Jordan, who is explained to have ruined a highly expensive car at a party. Nick states that “When we were on a house-party together up in Warwick, she left a borrowed car out in the rain with the top down, and then lied about it…” (Fitzgerald 57). Acts like this help show that the wealthy and of high social status are oblivious to most responsibilities and act with carelessness on a regular basis. Her mindless and irresponsible lifestyle clearly shows that to her, consequences were just an afterthought. To add to the numerous reckless acts, Gatsby and Daisy also has a grave encounter with disaster in this novel. While they were returning from the city to drop Daisy off, Myrtle dashes out into the street, thinking it is Tom driving. With Daisy behind the wheel, she panics and doesn’t swerve out of the way, leading to the impact and death of Myrtle. Without the fear of consequence or the presence of any morality, Gatsby and Daisy sped off quickly after, not even thinking twice about stopping for help. Their irresponsibility symbolizes the attitude of all the wealthy in that time period. Later in the novel, Nick states that they “smashed up things and creatures and …show more content…
The very rich, such as Gatsby, had an undoubted high standing social status, that bared no worries of expense, but only of the luxuries he could display. One of Gatsby’s many luxuries were his cars. One day upon sight, Nick describes Gatsby’s automobile and states, “I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it. It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns” (Fitzgerald 64). It was no mistake that Gatsby’s wealth and status had shown expression through his cars. Nick’s tone towards Gatsby seemed to be criticizing his unnecessarily large and flashy car, like when he uses the words “monstrous”, and “swollen”. Despite Gatsby’s impressive status, there were also those who did not have as imposing of a standing, such as Nick Carraway. Nick was an average stock-broker who made decent pay and lived in a small cabin next to Gatsby, clearly stating his lower status in society. As Nick explains his summer, he recalls, “an old Dodge,” (Fitzgerald 4) that wasn't elegant like that owned by an increasing number of Americans, but just another typical car. That ownership showed that Nick had money, especially throughout his family, but not nearly enough to elevate his social
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby recounts a love story of fortune, sacrifice, and passion. Mystified by the foreign land of excessive capital and immense material possessions, the narrator, Nick Carraway, judges or exalts numerous inhabitants of the East and West Eggs, especially Jay Gatsby, whose mystery and secrecy attracts many. Although it seems like Mr. Carraway obsesses about Gatsby, strictly, for his wealth, a careful look at craft choices and his characterization reveals that Jay Gatsby captivates Nick because he is one of the only characters, who, unclouded by prosperity, recognizes his own fascination with money.
Cars as a Symbol in The Great Gatsby Cars play a very important part in the telling of The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is a very dark, unhappy book, and the cars really. exemplify the need for this. " â€cars change their meaning and become a symbol of death" (Dexheimer, et al.). Cars also give the reader insight into some of the different characters in the book.
In the novel “ The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick describes Tom and Daisy as careless people which they are. Nick and Daisy are careless people because they can afford to be careless because of their money and use other people or do nothing at all for their own benefit. For example, When tom told Myrtle that he could not marry her because he was in a relationship with daisy and she was catholic and did not believe in divorce and told lies to myrtle to use her as a toy even though myrtle was also using Tom to get to a higher social class for her own benefit even Nick stated that when she was with Tom that she would act like from a higher class when she was with tom. Another example of Tom 's and Daisy 's carelessness is that daisy wanted Gatsby and had her fun with Gatsby for a while, but did not face the consequences when it was time to tell Tom the truth of Daisy and Gatsby and instead ran away. Another reason that tom and daisy are careless is that neither Tom or
Tom has a high social status which displays irresponsibility and carelessness in The Great Gatsby. Nick says, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (191). As Nick explains, Tom Buchanan lives a careless lifestyle which shows through the way he destroys Gatsby’s life. Like Jordan and Daisy, Tom only cares about his own well-being. Tom says, “‘I told him the truth,’ he said. [. . .] He was crazy enough to kill me if I hadn’t told him who owned the car. His hand was on a revolver in his pocket every minute’” (190-191). Readers can probably suggest that Tom does not tell the truth because it’s the right thing to do; he tells Mr. Wilson the truth to save himself from getting hurt. Tom’s actions also lead to him destroying Gatsby’s life. Like most of the characters in The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan reckless lifestyle implies that he is a reckless driver as
Prominence in The Great Gatsby is imperative for life in Long Island and also reflects 1920s America. Gatsby throws magnificent parties, boasts about his car, and flaunts his costly materials. Gatsby’s materials and riches result in his vast popularity. During one of Gatsby’s parties, Nick becomes intrigued when he overhears a group gossiping about Gatsby. The gossip “was a testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who had found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world”(Fitzgerald 48). Gatsby’s fo...
The 1920's was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited "old money" and some obtained "new money". However, there was the other side of prosperity and many people also suffered the nightmare of being poor. In the novel eThe Great Gatsbyf, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a wealthy character who lives in a mansion. However, Nick Carraway, the protagonist of the novel and next door neighbour of Jay Gatsby, is an average man who does not have the fortunes that Gatsby has. He is gtoo poorh. Nick Carraway is part of the middle class in society while Gatsby is in the upper class of society.
When telling Nick the history of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship, Jordan explains that “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 78). Since Gatsby wanted to be around Daisy all of the time he let this make the decision of where he lived. He was always throwing big parties, “I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night” (Fitzgerald 79). Looking at this see how desperate Gatsby is trying to get Daisy over to his house. He spends heaps of money for Daisy without even thinking. Even though Daisy was driving, “[He’ll] say [He] was” (Fitzgerald 143). Gatsby is so in love with Daisy that he takes the blame for driving and hitting Myrtle. He knows that doing this will cause problems for him down the road but he doesn’t think twice about claiming responsibility anyway. In conclusion do not let the desires for other people control the decisions in
As you read on, Daisy’s true character is slowly revealed, and you come to achieve that she is a very careless person. She seems to never care about the consequences of her actions, and this is proven when she is driving home from the city, and hits Myrtle with Gatsby’s car. Unlike most other people, she didn’t even hesitate and just drove home, without a care in the world about what she had done. One of Nick Caraway’s final assessments of Daisy after the accident is that she is very careless. He even says; “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made”. (Fitzgerald 187) This quote is proof that people i...
Fitzgerald uses cars to demonstrate that the rich believe that they are superior and above all the rest. The rich use their money as a way to make their own rules. The people of higher class demonstrate that they can not take responsibility for their actions. They also go through life not caring what they leave behind. They speed through all decision they make not caring if they break hearts or take lives. Fitzgerald uses cars to symbolize the carelessness of the wealthy which ultimately leads to death.
For example, “...Tom Buchanan and his girl and I went up together to New York...for Mrs.Wilson sat discreetly in another car” (26). Even though Tom is close to Myrtle, he knows how detrimental it would be to his reputation if one of his rich friends saw him with Mrytle, so he makes her sit in another car. Likewise, Tom realizes the recklessness in his choices he is doing because it is both bad for himself, if someone in the “secret” society finds out he has a mistress. Also, it is bad for Daisy because she is getting cheated on without even knowing. Along with Gatsby and Tom, Daisy also commits reckless behavior when she does not go to Gatsby’s funeral. All his life, Gatsby acquired wealth and a huge mansion on the Long Island Sound right across from Daisy’s house, just to impress Daisy. He even hosted extravagant parties to attract Daisy to his house. After Daisy decides she does not want to go to Gatsby 's funeral, Nick Carraway concludes, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast
Fitzgerald shows disillusionment and carelessness to be a cause of moral decay. According to Nick, Tom and Daisy never thought about the consequences of their actions, as they “were careless people… They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” This decay of moral value and carelessness can be seen when Daisy, who is meant to love and care for Gatsby, is prepared to allow him to take the blame for Myrtle’s death. It is then shown again after the death of Gatsby as “she and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them,” Daisy didn’t bother to show up to Gatsby’s
...rom the elite rich, who possess old money. Tom also claims that Gatsby “threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s”, (142) and can be said to be using his false wealth to mislead and confuse Daisy and Nick into thinking he is someone of their standards, which shows that Gatsby is not recognised as one of their class. This undercuts the glamorous wealth associated with Gatsby, and the ideal of equality in the American Dream.
As we all may know, the 1920’s were not only known as the jazz age. There was music, moving, news everywhere you would turn, and exquisite parties. In any case, the one thing that truly developed to be prevailing was the automobile industry. The automobile industry influenced Fitzgerald when composing The Great Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, composed by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the automobiles were symbolized as destruction, and status in the novel.
The passage in which Myrtle Wilson is killed exemplifies the recklessness of Daisy and Tom. Daisy sees Myrtle running out into the road and at first swerves toward the other car and seems to change her mind and just collide with Myrtle and continue on. Afterwards, Tom and Daisy just pack up and leave, without even attending Gatsby’s funeral. Nick seems to think they used their position in society to escape any mess they had gotten themselves into. Later on in the book, Nick says, "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness." That quote supports the way Daisy and Tom acted with the Myrtle incident. In this passage they retreat back into both their money and carelessness by running away.
The Great Gatsby takes place during the infamous jazz age of the 1920s, where only the wealthy were able to enjoy it in all its hedonistic decadence. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, constantly depicts the upper class during the novel as self-indulgent and careless people. He does this by portraying acts of carelessness through the upper class and showing the irresponsibility in which they possess. The epitome of this carelessness can be seen through two of the main characters in the novel, Tom and Daisy Buchannan; when they consistently make messes and refrain from cleaning them up due to their vast money and contemptuous nature. Recklessness while driving is also displayed throughout the novel to show this theme of irresponsibility within the wealthy; this can be seen when Tom and Gatsby drive along with Jordan and Daisy. Therefore it can be said that throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald demonstrates his disgust for the upper class through Tom and Daisy’s careless acts and irresponsibility for their actions.