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How money and class play a part in the great gatsby
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Title One would think being wealthy would be an uncomplicated and satisfying life. In the book, The Great Gatsby, by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, proves that living the high-life is not all that blissful. Being wealthy can corrupt one’s life. An example of this is the main character in the book, Gatsby, who is one of the top wealthiest person in New York. Since he has done criminal acts in the pass to earn his money, he cannot win the love of his life, Daisy. One being wealthy can live a corrupt life because high-class people are not always happy, society views them as someone who is formal, which leads to one living a false life, and believing one’s whole life that the world revolves around oneself and that money can do anything they want it to do. Just because affluent people can have almost anything they want, does not mean they are living a jubilant life. According to the text, “...his dream must seemed so close that he could hardly fail to An example of this is “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 78). It does not matter that Gatsby wasted his money on an extravagant house, if he does not have Daisy, he has nothing to live for. Gatsby thought by possessing a rich lifestyle, he can do whatever he wants and get whatever he needs, but ultimately, he cannot do those things. Another example is when Fitzgerald describes Myrtles living space as “...a small living room, a small dining room, a small bedroom, and a bath” (Fitzgerald 29). Like Myrtle, people tend to act phony when they feel wealthy because they believe the public will care about their wealthiness and want to be like or with them. People only want to be rich because of the glamour and the title of being high-class. With that being said, wealthy individuals believe they can do anything they want as long as they have the
The thought of having an immense sum of money or wealth bring certain people to believe that money can buy almost anything, even happiness, however in reality, it will only lead to lost 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 'lost.' 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.
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.
During the time in our country's history called the roaring twenties, society had a new obsession, money. Just shortly after the great depression, people's focus now fell on wealth and success in the economic realm. Many Americans would stop at nothing to become rich and money was the new factor in separation of classes within society. Wealth was a direct reflection of how successful a person really was and now became what many people strived to be, to be rich. Wealth became the new stable in the "American dream" that people yearned and chased after all their lives. In the novel entitled the great Gatsby, the ideals of the so called American dream became skewed, as a result of the greediness and desires of the main characters to become rich and wealthy. These character placed throughout the novel emphasize the true value money has on a persons place in society making wealth a state of mind.
To begin with, social class has always been of great importance in society, more money means more power and more respect. Friendship and acquaintances are based purely on whom someone is in contact with and how much fame and money they have. In the “Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald presents two distinct types of wealthy people. First, there are people like the Buchanan’s and Jordan Baker who were born into wealth. Their families have had money for many generations; hence they are "old money”. The “old money” people, Daisy, Tom, Jordan and their social class, are considered the elite group; the societies highest. They are judgmental and superficial failing to look at the emotions of the people around them and sometimes them selves. “It’s a b****’, said Tom decisively. ‘Here’s your money. Go and buy ten more dogs with it”(Fitzgerald, 30). Tom is very aggressive verbally and nonverbally, he thinks he’s always right and likes bossing people around, to show them that he has power over them. All the “elite” are superior and never questioned as with their influence they can do anything. Second there are people like Gatsby who are from a l...
The novel The Great Gatsby shows many different aspects of the upper class. From corruption to being uncaring many characters never change personalities and don't even try to change. Daisy stayed the same careless, materialistic woman throughout the book and Tom stayed hypocritical and angry. Eventually both run away never accepting responsibility for the damage that they caused. They thought that because they have money they would never have any problems and if they did money would get them out. Money was everything to them and Daisy loved money more than she loved her own daughter. Tom thought that because he had money he could cheat on his wife and that love meant buying his wife a necklace which to his wife was love because it cost a lot of money. Both characters never realized what money couldn't buy them. Between Daisy and Tom money can buy love. To them money equals happiness.
In an attempt to fulfill their lives with meaning and happiness Jay Gatsby and Mr. Shiftlet strive to obtain more possessions or more wealth than what is needed. Due to their greed and careless lifestyles, they cannot achieve happiness or fulfillment; instead, their actions lead to dissatisfaction, destruction, and unhappiness. Both F. Scott Fitzgerald and Flannery O’Connor use the literary devices of motifs, foreshadowing, and symbolism to cause their readers to become disenchanted with the idea of being wealthy for fear of being associated with evil and corruption like the characters in The Great Gastby and “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.”
In the Novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the corrupting nature of wealth and greed in his novel, “the Great Gatsby”.
Unfortunately for most, these dreams go unanswered as the monstrous world of the wealthy can only accept those of a certain “respectable” nature. It is these people, such as those I have known, The Buchanans, for example, who are intricate parts of the grotesque world that they choose to indulge themselves in. Tom Buchanan, a man whose arrogance emanates from his very core, was raised in a society that values wealth over the love of family, intelligence, and respectability. They instead believe that class and venerance comes with achieving wealth, not earning it through talent. As Mr. Lapham states, the Europeans of yesterday and today, see us Americans as irrational and insane for holding the wealthy onto a pedestal as prized possessions, without putting much thought into their actual beliefs and talents. This can be most connected to the mystery surrounded by an old friend, Jay Gatsby. For a whole summer in West Egg, people swarmed his extravagant and garish house, making it seem like it was the 4th of July everyday. Instead of asking why, these uninvited attendees instead generated respect for Gatsby solely based on his extreme and illustrious nature. For Gatsby, his self-worth was not generated in money but his ability to dream that it would get him to what he so greatly wanted: Daisy. But, agreeing with Mr. Lapham, the
Consequently we can all see that in The Great Gatsby, all characters besides Nick Carraway and Mr. Wilson are in favor of wealth. Having everything their way, being careless and repugnant not caring who they hurt. The American dream is not always about power and wealth, of who is better or
Thesis: Through the flawed characteristics of Tom and Daisy as well as the irresponsible actions of Jordan in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, it is evident that the theme “wealth can breed carelessness” causes certain characters to forget about their responsibilities and minimizes any potential forethought.
Wealth inequality is the unequal distribution of wealth among people of the lower, middle, and upper classes. During the 1920s, the top one percent owned about 50% of America’s wealth, whereas today it decreased to about 40% (Anderson). That being said, geography can also impact the way wealth is distributed. For example, Coronado can be considered as a wealthy neighborhood, but across the bridge in cities like Barrio Logan, the level of wealth is not nearly the same as it is in Coronado. Wealth inequality along with geography plays a major role in the novel, The Great Gatsby. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald distinctively creates three specific groups, “the old money”, “the new money”, and people with no money to further emphasize how American society in the 1920s revolved around the idea of elitism. For instance, people who live in
Much like in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, society treats views and treats people with money differently than those without it. For example, Tom and Daisy get away with the death of Tom’s mistress because of their wealth “His family was enormously wealthy – even in collage his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (Fitzgerald,23). Further the reason that Daisy had not married Gatsby all those years ago was because he was poor, it was not until he had an enormous house and lots of money “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me” (Fitzgerald ,367). It was not until Gatsby became wealthy did Daisy want to marry him “After she was free, they were to go back to Louisville and be married from her house” (Fitzgerald, 311). Moreover, Gatsby’s own personal success was based on how Daisy perceived his house “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well loved eyes.” (Fitzgerald, 260). Critic Karielle Stephanie Gam agrees with this view of success “His wealth is never cloaked; from the mansion, to the weekly parties, to the countless dress shirts and expensive cars, it is evident that Gatsby is rich as sin and is initially, though his inclusion in the nouveau riche, the epitome of the American dream.” (Karielle Stephanie
“Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we get become; and the same is true of fame.” This profound statement by Arthur Schopenhauer denotes humanity’s desire for wealth, and the never ending descent into an ocean of heedless thinking. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel that shines light on the enticing lives of the wealthy and the pitiful lives of the poor. Fitzgerald demonstrates both the lengths that people are willing to go for money and the dastardly consequences that go along with those questionable decisions. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, wealth and the desire for more wealth perpetuate careless and neglectful actions. The character Jordan Baker is facetious and a fraud, while Myrtle Wilson
“Money is the root of all evil”(Levit). Man and his love of money has destroyed lives since the beginning of time. Men have fought in wars over money, given up family relationships for money and done things they would have never thought that they would be capable of doing because of money. In the movie, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the author demonstrates how the love and worship of money and all of the trappings that come with it can destroy lives. In the novel Jay Gatsby has lavish parties, wears expensive gaudy clothes, drives fancy cars and tries to show his former love how important and wealthy he has become. He believes a lie, that by achieving the status that most Americans, in th...
Class distinctions often determine actions. People who believe themselves as better than others will strive to garner, or even just associate themselves with, wealth in order to feel omnipotent. Through the classic novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, film Washington Square, based off the novel by Henry James and cover of the October 12th, 2009 issue of The New Yorker, the authors show that money will result in perversion. Because some people have delusions of superiority, they are more likely to be corrupted by money as its power appeals to them. It is only those who are humble and do not desire the power money bestows, who can remain uncorrupted.