While money is a substantial necessity, its value is attenuating the value of more principal things which can be deemed priceless such as relationships and self respect. “Money is the root of all evil” is a quote that is often used to contrast the human behavior and how money affects it negatively. In the complex novel “The Great Gatsby”, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes many literary instruments which have enhanced the reader’s understanding of the major universal idea: the relation appertaining to the detrimental influences of fortune, characterized by the wealth. In the novel, wealth is greatly valued by society, and wealth has a negative impact on individuals. Fitzgerald has elaborated in depth with this universal idea of the devaluation of necessities of life such as time, relationships, and dignity, which he emphasizes using various literary elements such as character development, conflict, and motivations as these aspects can all adequately relate to the same general idea of the novel.
Money is often how one measures the value of materialistic items of this world, but in the novel, it is ironic how money has made the characters lose the knowledge of value of non materialistic items which money cannot buy. In many of the major character’s lives, wealth has negatively altered their way of life as they fail to view things with value anymore. An example of that is the character development of Daisy throughout the course of the book. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy was described as a young, rich, and innocent woman at the time Gatsby Gatsby, subsequently known as Gatsby, had first laid eyes on her. Daisy portrays a distinct personality as the book progresses. Everything about her seems to be perfect, from h...
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...ndividual accustomed to the life of the poor. Fitzgerald had used Gatsby as an excellent example of wealth devaluing character as looking at this novel from an analysis of character development perspective; Gatsby creates an artificial persona devaluing everything that had immeasurable values such as self respect, family, and his past life. The motivation which had sparked this entire conflict to arise was Daisy; a demi-mondaine. An additional factor which added to Gatsby’s artificial persona would be the major conflict; devoting his life to a futile passion of rekindling his previous affection, which resulted in him defying the odds of destiny. Money is the only thing that sustains value in society as often, the rich are respected, but to what extent is money really worth when its purpose is to fulfill emptiness, yet ironically leaves one with a hallow emptiness?
The thought of having an immense sum of money or wealth brings certain people to believe that money can buy almost anything, even happiness, however in reality, it will only lead to loss and false hope. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, writes a story about a man named Gatsby who is a victim of this so-called false hope and loss. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald clearly demonstrates and elaborates on the relationship between having money, wealth, and one's ethics or integrity by acknowledging the idea that the amount of money or wealth one has attained does affect the relationship between one's wealth and one's ethics whether or not in a pleasant manner. Although money and wealth may not be able to buy a person happiness, it surely can buy a person's mind and action, given that a wealthy person has a great deal of power. Fitzgerald analyzes the notion that even though many people dream of being both rich and ethical, it is not possible, and therefore, being poor and ethical is much better than trying to be rich and ethical.
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.
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.
Wealth can be a noble thing or a dangerous thing, depending on who does what with it. In The Great Gatsby, the wealth of Jay Gatsby was used for a multitude of reasons, the main one being to get the attention of Daisy. In contrast, the Joad family’s wealth, in The Grapes of Wrath, was staying together throughout the loses and hardships. One of the aims of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was to show how money and materialism could change a person again and again until they were hardly the same person anymore. In comparing their work it is clear that Fitzgerald and Steinbeck felt that materialism changed people for the worse. While both of their novels deal with wealth and poverty, each novel conveys its message from a very different perspective-
He writes, through the voice of Gatsby, that “her voice is full of money” (127), implying that Daisy speaks with an eloquence and elegance found only in the voice of those born wealthy. Gatsby inherently connects Daisy with the idea of wealth and money, and shows a desire to be seen as one born with money. Hence, the reader can conclude that Gatsby is in love with what Daisy represents: wealth and the high class. By associating Daisy with the high society, Fitzgerald indirectly reveals his attitude towards America of the 1920s. He implies that similar to how Daisy chooses material pleasure and societal benefit as opposed to a real feeling that brings true joy, the people of the 1920s prioritize wealth and fleeting pleasure over concrete feelings that bring true happiness. He even takes his commentary a step further, as the “true” feeling represented in The Great Gatsby is love. Ironically, the love depicted in this society is corrupt and fake. Thus, Fitzgerald states that the ideologies and values of the American 1920s will result in its downfall, just as the corrupt and fake love between Gatsby and Daisy results in the downfall of Gatsby. Furthermore, through his portrayal of Daisy’s inadvertent cruelty towards both Myrtle and Gatsby, Fitzgerald parallels the unconscious depravity of the high society and its negative impact on America. This is seen
What is later revealed is that Gatsby’s wealth and luxurious lifestyle is all in the name of getting Daisy, Tom Buchanan’s wife, to fall in love with him. But in the end, even with all his money and power, Gatsby is not able to get the girl. What this brings to light is, was Gatsby’s money truly worth anything? “I love her and that 's the beginning and end of everything” (The Great Gatsby, Chapter ) This quote from Jay Gatsby shows that his entire life is centered around Daisy. That his only motive for the things that he does, for the massive parties that he throughs, for working to become incredibly wealthy, is to have Daisy fall in love with him. Gatsby’s life is one that is incredibly lavish. It is full of expensive amenities many would only dream of having. But Jay Gatsby is not living this fabulous lifestyle for himself. He is living it for Daisy, and only for Daisy. Gatsby’s only desire in life is to have Daisy be in love with him, and he chooses to live the way he does because he believes that is what she wants. Gatsby spends money at wild abandon simply to make an effort to impress Daisy. He throughs incredibly immense parties, with hopes that Daisy and Daisy alone will be impressed. But what is troubling about Gatsby is that, unlike most books, he doesn’t get the girl. Gatsby is, despite his entire life being dedicated to getting the one thing
Fitzgerald uses wealth and social status to define Gatsby?s character, which is exemplified by his lavish parties and the dignitaries who attend them. In his formative years, Gatsby was employed by a wealthy yachtsman, Dan Cody. It is from Cody that Gatsby develops his appreciation for wealth. ?To young Gatz, resting on his oars, looking up at the railed deck, that yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world? (Fitzgerald 106). Fitzgerald uses this quote to mark the point at which Gatsby encounters wealth and power for the first time, and also, he uses it to symbolize Gatsby?s social standing and economic status. By comparing Gatsby?s rowboat with the luxurious yacht of Cody?s, Fitzgerald presents the idea that money and power translate into bigger and better things. The event is symbolic in that it illustrates Gatsby?s perception that wealth is a necessity. By saying that he was ?looking up? to ?all the beauty and glamour in the world,? Fitzgerald makes it evident that Gatsby idolized this lifestyle. Also, he shows that Gatsby views beauty as a materialistic quality. Gatsby?s materialistic view of beauty can be seen in his love for Daisy when Gatsby says, ?her voice is full of money? (127). This quote by Gatsby shows how he identifies his love for Daisy with his love for money. Gatsby and Daisy met in Louisville, where they fell in love with each other, however, when Gatsby lef...
In The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald money, power, and the fulfillment of dreams is what the story’s about. On the surface the story is about love but underneath it is about the decay of society’s morals and how the American dream is a fantasy, only money and power matter. Money, power, and dreams relate to each other by way of three of the characters in the book, Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom. Gatsby is the dreamer, Daisy cares about money, and Tom desires and needs power. People who have no money dream of money. People who have money want to be powerful. People who have power have money to back them up. Fitzgerald writes this book with disgust towards the collapse of the American society. Also the purposeless existences that many people lived, when they should have been fulfilling their potential. American people lacked all important factors to make life worthwhile.
Deteriorating moralities and optimistic beliefs of overnight wealth replaced strict traditional views on religion, family structure, and work ethics. In an era of such high optimism, the pioneering spirit of the American Dream was revitalized. The nouveaux riches often clashed with the established wealth, as evident throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s narrator, Nick Carraway, suddenly finds himself submerged in the paper-thin morals, and shallow values of upper-class New York after migrating from the Western interior. Throughout the novel, Nick is highly cynical of American society. Thus, The Great Gatsby is Fitzgerald’s means of criticizing the worsening family structure of American society, the newfound materialistic lifestyles of Americans, an American society governed by corruption, and ultimately, the paradox of the American Dream.
During Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.
Despite the amount of property and money that Jay Gatsby acquired, he was not old money, thus, not worth Daisy 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 affects the characters in many similar ways, including their happiness and success in 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.
If one has no money, he is no one in society. Money affects different people in different ways throughout the novel. Gatsby made his life what it is due to daisy’s greed for wealth and social class. Gatsby throws huge magnificent parties, hoping that it’ll attract Daisy one day but instead it only leads him to being used by people. Money is Gatsby’s means to obtain the American dream. It meant that he’ll finally have a chance at getting Daisy yet, it turned out to be an obstacle. Gatsby gained wealth to impress Daisy he had what was considered "new money" and he tried to hide his wealth from people so that Daisy would not find out. The "new money" was money that was earned through an occupation or some operation. Gatsby earned his money through illegal actions with the mob and bootlegging alcohol. People who had "old money" received their money through their family as it was passed from generation to generation. These people came from East Egg and included in this group was Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is continually searching for happiness outside of herself because she has a lack of inner values and true confidence. The effect money has upon her is that she’s married to a wealthy man in which she says she loves but her love for Tom is influenced by his wealth, which is considered as “old money”. It is ironic that Tom’s scorn for Gatsby is based on his background – Gatsby’s lack of money, education, and class – and not the fact that Gatsby has been sleeping with his wife. Tom and Daisy flirt from here to there without a care in the world. That’s what their money allows. While it’s easy to see why most people would envy them, they seem to have no purpose in their lives beyond cultivating their reputations and spending money. Unlike the rest of the characters in the story, George is not wealthy or corrupted by his money and greed. However, unfortunately the wealth and greed of other people is his
Daisy's dependence on men with wealth and status, and Gatsby's underhanded attempts at gaining it illustrate America's belief that money and extravagance are the easiest means of finding success and happiness. The following statement from page 149 strongly illustrates Gatsby's belief that his only means of captivating Daisy would be through deception. "He might have despised himself, for he had certainly taken her in under false pretenses. I don't mean that he had traded in his phantom millions, but he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe he was a person from much the same stratum as herselfthat he was fully able to take care of her. As a matter of fact, he had no such facilitieshe had no comfortable family standing behind him, and he was liable at the whim of an impersonal government to blow anywhere about the world (p. 149, paragraph 2)."
In conclusion, The Great Gatsby reveals the carelessness and shallowness of the characters in the upper class. Society is totally corrupted and the character’s lives revolve around the money and extravagant lifestyles. All of the characters are surrounded with expensive and unnecessary itms, which in turn, dulls their dream of actual success. Scott F. Fitzgerald provides a powerful and everlasting message of a corrupt, materialistic society and the effects that it has on the idea of the American dream.
At first glance, The Great Gatsby is merely a classic American tragedy, portraying the story of a man's obsession with a fantasy, and his resulting downfall. However, Fitzgerald seems to weave much more than that into the intricate web of emotional interactions he creates for the reader. One interesting element is the concepts of greatness each has. For Daisy, it lies in material wealth, and in the comfort and security associated with it. Daisy seems to be easily impressed by material success, as when she is touring Gatsby's mansion and seems deeply moved by his collection of fine, tailored shirts. It would seem that Tom's relative wealth, also, had at one time impressed her enough to win her in marriage. In contrast to that, Gatsby seems to not care a bit about money itself, but rather only about the possibility that it can win over Daisy. In fact, Gatsby's extreme generosity gives the reader the impression that Gatsby would otherwise have never even worked at attaining wealth had it not been for Daisy. For Gatsby, the only thing of real importance was his pursuit of Daisy. It would seem that these elements are combined, too in the character Myrtle.