Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald depicts 1920’s America as an age of decline in traditional social and moral values; primarily evidenced by the cynicism, greed and the relentless yet empty pursuit of prosperity and pleasure that various characters in The Great Gatsby exhibit. He presents a society in which uninhibited consumerism, materialism and an all-pervading desire for wealth have perverted the previously righteous qualities of the American Dream, corrupting it in the process.

“‘I’m glad it’s a girl and I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool’”. This is a very vivid quote written by F. Scott Fitzgerald that helps identify one of the many themes in his book The Great Gatsby. This specific quote speaks of the topic I will be addressing which is money and materialism. This theme takes shape and form in many different ways and through different people throughout the book, and is shown through Fitzgerald’s characters Myrtle, Daisy, and Tom.

Jay Gatsby’s dream was to spend his life with Daisy Buchanan, but the only way he could ever be with her was if he had money. He knew that if he did not have money Daisy would not even consider him. Gatsby obtained great wealth through illegal activities such as bootlegging. “He and this Wolfsheim bought and sold grain alcohol over the counter” (133). Gatsby also lied about how he obtained his wealth because he knew that Daisy would not approve of his life style. He said, “My family all died and I came into a good deal of money” (65). He would throw lavish parties to attract Daisy’s attention. He thought that if she saw his wealth she would fall in love with him again and leave her husband Tom. Gatsby had a purpose for living and he moved right

In the period of the 1920’s, there was a certain status of wealth that was difficult to achieve. There were two societal classes consisting of those with wealth from prior generations, and those who worked to earn it themselves. Tom, Daisy, and Nick, who represented the old money society did not have to work hard, unlike Gatsby which he represented the new money and they had to work to earn money. People like Gatsby, who gained their wealth on their own often fought for the approval from the upper class who inherited their wealth. Rather than having new money and old money, people who tried achieving the American Dream and ended up in failure usually they end up like George and Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the notion that social norms in the upper class depict the idea that being apart of it was impossible unless they were born in it was expressed through Daisy’s rejection of Gatsby because of the corrupt way in which he gained his wealth, making his American Dream unattainable.

Jay Gatsby rose from the ashes of poverty and into wealth. Although his prosperity wasn’t achieved through honest means, the motive itself was pure. Love. Love has strength beyond comprehension, and with it, others can achieve wonderful things. Gatsby’s love for Daisy influenced him to take extreme risks to acquire the benefits and security of being in the lap of

Jay’s relationship with wealth changes drastically from being a poor farm boy struggling to pay his tuition to becoming a respected multimillionaire. Although it was rumored that the manner in which Gatsby earned his millions involved methods of supposedly bootlegging by owning his own chain of drugstores, Gatsby was rich nonetheless. When he was poor, money meant he had an escape route however once he attained it, wealth meant something else; Daisy. All of what Gatsby did was to attract Daisy back into his life. The luxurious mansion, elaborate parties, and fine possessions were all for her. He thought that if he could just impress her and show her he can take care of her, she would be in his arms. What separated Gatsby from other wealthy families in the novel is how he viewed money and its value. He didn’t feel a sense of superiority over those less fortunate than he. Gatsby didn’t get anything out of his riches like they did. His ambition was fueled by love and not

" We are living in a material world." This famous line in one of Madonna's songs entitled "Material Girl" will never outgrow itself. Ever since the beginnings of monetary means, the main focus of living is getting more money and to be as successful as possible. This became a huge issue during the 1920's. In this era, people made money from the stock market, illegal bootlegging and so forth. With these people hitting the jackpot, this then created a new rank called `new money'. This rank, however, never overpowered `old money' the most wealthiest, well-known and respected class. The possession of material wealth however, can't bring true happiness. Love is an important factor in this equation; when you don't have love, it is hard to say

Jay Gatsby is a man of his heart, he is self determined from a young age to the gain wealth he possess. He comes from a family of poverty and hardship which is where his motivation to gain wealth resonates from. Gatsby exemplifies the success of the American Dream, but he has more fundamental personal dream and that is to get Daisy back. Ever since Gatsby had returned from the war he has wanted to reconcile with daisy and make up for the time lost. One of the weaknesses that Gatsby withholds is that he is unable to balance his romantic life with work responsibilities, he repeatedly leaves conversations with Daisy unfinished to pick up a call or speak to his accomplices, which leads the audience to believe that he may never be able to gain the

The social hierarchy is influenced by the amount of money one owns which determines whether one can attain their dream. By creating apparent social classes within ‘The Great Gatsby’ – old money, new money and no money, Fitzgerald strongly suggests that American society is intensely stigmatised. Daisy, Tom and Jordan represent the elite social class of society where despite their problems and failures they are always protected and immune by their wealth. Tom refers to Gatsby as ‘Mr Nobody from nowhere” and a “common swindler who would have to steal the ring he put on her finger” as he boasts about his hereditary wealth compared to the other distinct elite group of society who acquire their wealth through business deals, which are sometimes corrupt. Although Fitzgerald mainly attacks the rich, by making them look judgemental, superior and selfish, evidently the lower class of society are vulnerable within American society. This is shown where so many, like Myrtle,

“Money Changes Everything” by Cyndi Lauper illustrates the way people center their desires on material things such as money. The speaker in the song leaves the poor man, solely because he does not have money, for the affluent one: “I’m leaving you tonight…There was one thing we weren’t really thinking of and that’s money” (Lauper 1, 6-7). Like Cyndi Lauper, F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates the way people often center their desires on material things such as money in The Great Gatsby. Daisy falls in love with Gatsby, who is a poor man at the time, and when Gatsby leaves for the war, Daisy marries Tom Buchanan, who is a rich man, because he is “old money,” meaning he will always have the money and status to support Daisy. When Gatsby returns

“The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything.” Chuck Palahniuk. This quote fits what most people think of materials or things. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, materialism is shown as an obstacle to achieving true happiness, and eventually, the American Dream Just because it seems like someone has everything they ever wanted, it doesn’t always mean they’re the happiest person. This is shown many times throughout the novel, with many different characters close to Jay Gatsby. While reading The Great Gatsby, the reader is inclined to the fact that most of the characters are wealthy and can have whatever they want. Almost every character is missing something fundamental

In “The Great Gatsby” F. Scott Fitzgerald paints a portrait of America that we still see today. The materialism that each character is addicted to is a large flaw that Fitzgerald strongly disagreed with, due to the fact that when this book was wrote materialism was growing stronger and this completely annoyed Fitzgerald. The pursuit of wealth is what led Gatsby to his death, while the Industrialization of New York destroyed the beautiful city that was turned into a wasteland known as the “Valley of Ashes” Fitzgerald also points out the common notion that money cannot buy happiness or love in this world.

     America has been labeled "The land of opportunity," a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as "The American Dream." The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisition of material has been tied together with happiness in America. Although "The American Dream" can be thought of as a positive motivation, it often causes people to strive for material perfection, rather than a spiritual one. This has

Only you can make the most admirable choices to living a long and fulfilled life, however, you can also make some unfavorable choices in which might lead to a short life or possibly death. The Great Gatsby is a novel pertaining to the history of the Roaring 20’s, the Jazz Age, and a time when everyone seemed to have money, and act carelessly. Main character and protagonist of the story, Jay Gatsby, was a self-made millionaire and lived in a mansion, positioned adjacent to Nick Carraway’s (another protagonist) unpretentious home. It was a blur to the people of East and West Egg, as to how Jay Gatsby made or obtained his money in general, and in addition, who he really was as a person in society. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby,

The unappealing truth behind the glamorous façade of the American Dream is revealed in the corruption of the hopes and dreams of the green light, thus caused by flagrant materialism and desire which is shown through Gatsby’s yellow car and lavish parties.