Consumerism In The Great Gatsby

Wealth has often consumed the lives people in the past, corrupting them and causing people to make bad decisions due to this greed. Wealth and greed will continue to take over others’ lives for as long as the human race still exists. The desire for wealth and greed as shown in the The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald by some characters’ intense obsession with money, lavish lifestyles, and their sense of entitlement, ultimately putting other characters in harm’s way.

Consumerism is defined as the increase in the consumption of goods. It is the theory that buying more goods will ultimately lead to economic advantages. Consumerism has destroyed the concept of the idealistic nuclear family in America, in favor of materialistic chaos. American society used to be content with the little things in life, up until the rise of consumerism, starting during the industrial revolution, but reaching its peak after World War II. Americans have become more occupied with the quantity of materials, rather than the quality of materials they already possess. In a way, consumerism has become a type of “social disease” (Etzioni 1), resulting in the destruction of the nuclear family stereotype. It has taken over the lives of members of the American society and brainwashed them into continuously buying more goods and thinking that spending money is the best way to show appreciation for their family. Literary works, such as Black Boy, The Great Gatsby, and “Harrison Bergeron,” provide insight to how American consumerism has changed over the years and the outcome of this consumerist society.

The woman portrayed in the painting is the famous movie star Marilyn Monroe. The photograph that Warhol used for this piece is a publicity still from the 1953 movie Niagra.(Museum of Modern Art) Marilyn Monroe has always been known, and always will be known as our nations most famous sex symbol. Her personal life was even more interesting and exciting to the public than her films. She was married several times, and the mysterious events surrounding her death were rumored to be the result of an affair with President John F. Kennedy. Warhol chose the year of Monroe's death, declared a suicide, to create this piece. Her troubled personal life and untimely death only made Warhol's painting more powerful. He displays Monroe at her best. She is young and beautiful with styled hair and a made up face-yet inside she was empty. By glorifying her, Warhol shows her vulnerability. She was an icon to millions, yet the constant demands from fans and the media drove her into the downward spiral which ultimately ended her life.

In real life, a situation such as this would be extremely damaging to a marriage, friendship, or other relationship, because it is born of the notion that money can buy people’s hearts instead of spending time with them and forming lasting bonds. Gatsby’s attempt to usurp Tom and steal Daisy from him showed a total lack of respect for their relationship, which he was wrong to encroached upon, regardless of his benevolent intentions. Consequently, the damaging effects of their affair were used by Fitzgerald to illustrate the idea that the American dream is not meant to be vainglorious or selfish, because the relationships from which true happiness is derived will suffer as a result of such carelessness. Rather than the superficial lifestyles and endless revelry that

Materialistic possessions became the center of popularity in the 1920’s, life became all about who could get the most Women and throw the biggest party. These materialistic items were used to acquire other non materialistic things such as love and social status. These goals were often unattainable, specifically for three characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's’, The Great Gatsby. Love and social status were the unattainable dreams of Myrtle, the status driven cheater; Wilson, the shooter; and Gatsby; the Daisy craving self-made millionaire.

Life proves to be an elipses, constantly revolving through periods of excessive success and luck before dropping into periods of depression and chaos. This is extremely evident during the 1920’s when the roaring twenties became the great depression in less than a couple of years. The luxuriously blinded people of the twenties, aided in the demise of the United States during the roughest time period in American history. As a nation, the people were hiding from the cold reality by throughing extravegent parties while the stock markets brought in continuous sucess, not realizing that what goes up must always come down. This is prominent in the book “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a man whose own life rose and fell as quickly as the

Money, wealth and prestige were constantly on the minds of people during the Roaring Twenties. Not everyone during this time was able to achieve the wealth and status that they aspired to, including Jay Gatsby. Many people of the upper class inherited their wealth, and oftentimes lived on the rich peninsula of East Egg. On the other hand, those who had to make their own way in the world lived on the less wealthy peninsula of West Egg. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby to portray the corrupt mindset of the 1920’s. Starting off as a poor boy, Gatsby aspires to become as wealthy as the aristocracy, and becomes obsessed with this aspiration; his American Dream. Through illicit means, Jay Gatsby makes his way up the social ladder, but stalls prior to reaching the peak. Gatsby, although known for his extravagant parties and expensive belongings, lives in West Egg, showing that he is not part of the aristocracy. Throughout The Great Gatsby, a classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby attempts to capture the American Dream, but his corrupt view of it only leads him to become materialistic, ending his life with few personal relationships, thus proving that during the Roaring Twenties people were more concerned with superfluous objects, as opposed to their own well being.

“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" is one of the most influential and famous phrases in the United State’s Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence encapsulates the original conception of the American Dream – the notion that every individual, regardless of their social upbringing, could have the opportunity to reach their full potential and live a comfortable lifestyle. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby takes place during the early 1920s--a time period that demonstrates the pursuit of happiness, opportunity, freedom, equality and finally the American Dream. Myrtle Wilson, a significant character in The Great Gatsby, tries to pursue

Fitzgerald very geniously associates Gatsby with great wealth, however he does a very good job of showing us that Gatsby’s money is not for the purpose he leads the public to believe; his wealth is a facade. While Nick and Jordan are conversing about why Gatsby lives where he does we find out a lot about Gatsby’s character, “‘ Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.”’ (83). This quote tells us the motivation behind all of the wealth and the lavish lifestyle. Gatsby doesn’t throw the enormous parties and put up with the rude people because he enjoys it, he wants to draw Daisy in!

There was not another, more beloved comedian than Robin Williams. Though he had a very successful career, his American dream unfortunately ended in tragedy. Robin Williams had passed away from taking his own life. There is a big misconception when it comes to being rich and famous. People think that just because you have all of these lavish things, (cars, houses, and money) that you are truly happy inside.

Do you have dreams and aspiration? Do you find it hard to achieve your dreams? People are born dreamers but people must learn to overcome struggles to achieve their dreams. In his novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), Fitzgerald F. Scott explores how his character’s desires are influenced by materialism and wealth which results in a conflict between reality and illusion. The author concentrates on the character’s flaws and optimism.

Fitzgerald uses the broken relationship between Gatsby and Daisy which consequently creates the delusional mindset of Gatsby himself. Therefore as a result challenges the social perceptions of the importance of wealth. This is stated as given the context of New York in 1920s where world war I ended, This was a time period where glamorous parties and conspicuous celebration started to emerge. As the story takes place in a time period where a big leisure class started appear, wealth and consumption was highly prominent. This was clearly exemplified through the character of Gatsby.

The twentieth century saw great changes in American society due to industrial capitalism. Although capitalism brought about the lowering of wages, the mass production of articles for necessity and luxury played an important role in shaping America. As many people began to strike it rich, the gap between social classes became all the more evident. The writings of various people such as Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Frederick Winslow Taylor, Eugene Debs, and Andrew Carnegie provide great insight on how industrial capitalism impacted American society. Each author held differing opinions on how capitalism affected the masses, but these differences show how industrial capitalism shaped America.

The misfortune of Walter Benjamin becomes the blessing of Warhol, in the times and the manners of an eternal recurrence, a sort of multiplication of every material and immaterial object, beautiful or ugly, that on occasion is disqualified as a very shoddy image, or, at its best, is legitimated by the poetics of the pop art. A sort of increasing degradation of an insanity that devours itself and any new rising, present or surviving language, to turn it into a Babele syndrome, where everybody speaks its own universal language, because the universe matches Narciso in the mirror, and the lucid madness of billboards which are inviting us to consume in order to be.

The 1920’s were roaring. Throughout this time period, wealth in the United States doubled, leaving room for growth in an economic forum. This caused many Americans to move into the uncharted territory of the city, and make the transition into a prosperous and foreign “consumer society” (History.com). In addition, the traits of greed and materialism are ubiquitous in The Great Gatsby, as well as in the flashy 1920’s. These two characteristics give one confidence, but as demonstrated in the novel, it brings nothing but short-term satisfaction. After that, feelings of desperation to childish behaviors can accompany it. These two features have the power to seem favorable, as they serve as a temporary distraction, bringing an