Materialism In The Great Gatsby Analysis

As Bertrand Russell once said, “It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.” Indeed, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, set during the Roaring 20s, displays the materialism of the characters through their concern to obtain more belongings. The Roaring 20s is considered as one of America’s most prosperous eras, however, Fitzgerald denounces the loss of moral values, the loss of identity, and the deception about achieving a person’s American Dream in addition to the hierarchy ruled by the rich. Thus, in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses characterization and symbols to explore the superficial nature of the Roaring 20’s and in doing so exposes the dangers

A materialistic person is someone who only focuses on items, and uses those to judge others' worth. In the category of materialism, Daisy has received an A+. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Daisy shows that she views materials and riches above everything else. When Gatsby first shows Daisy his house, she has a very strong reaction. ‘“That huge place there?’

" 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

Luke Sampers Mrs Groff English III March 8, 2024 “The chief value of money lies in the fact that one lives in a world in which it is overestimated.” H.L. Mencken says that money can not get a person everything they want. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald proves money is not everything. The narrator, Nick Carraway, moves from the East to the West. In the West, Nick observes extreme wealth and materialism.

Alexander Nabinger Ms. Wilson/Ms. Brennecke/Ms. DeGraw English 11 22 April 2024 Materialism in The Great Gatsby Wealth can drive many people to do many things, no matter how immoral and it seems more and more commonplace. This seems to also be the case in The Great Gatsby, a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald that takes place in the roaring twenties. The points that Fitzgerald makes can relate to everyday people in the modern day who know people that will not hesitate to use others to help themselves gain wealth or power. Fitzgerald points out the issue of people who have this strong dependence and need for wealth and status by using the characterization of these people. Fitzgerald uses characterization to show many different examples of

Yet his actions of following and having hope in her would lead him to find her actions not supporting what he wished for. Daisy wants to be a part of his life, yet her actions and decisions would hurt him both physically and mentally. She believed a life with Gatsby would finally fulfill her. When she decides to leave the hotel room after the argument, “Staying with Gatsby she decides to drive the car overwhelmed with anger and realizes her fun with Gatsby has ended”(Samkanashvili 48). All her expectations came to the reality that what she wanted was not going to ever be what she got. Only caring about herself and her issues, after that was when she killed Myrtle. “And as a result of Myrtle’s death Gatsby gets killed for Daisy’s foolish behavior”(Samkanashvili 48). Her unreasonable consciousness was not what could save Daisy now. What she did led to the death of the person we believe she loved, yet what she did for him was not very impressive. When Gatsby’s funeral came “Daisy hadn’t sent a message or a flower”(Fitzgerald 174). She did not want people to know she was caught up in this business. Daisy and Tom went away on a vacation to get away from what had happened. She never cared enough for Gatsby to risk her own appearance of being ruined through her mistakes and misjudgement. But her misstep was accompanied by the physical and

“‘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.

The next theme in the novel is The American Dream. West Egg is where the new rich live, those who have made a lot of money in the years after the war ended. These people are portrayed as being gaudy and showy. It is as if they do not know what to do with their newly earned riches and therefore try to copy what they think are the possessions and manners of the rich. The people become materialistic, which was the result of pursuing the American Dream. East Egg is filled with those who have always had money. While they do look like they have class and manners this does not make them good people. Tom and Daisy both have affairs and Daisy commits murder and lets someone else take the blame, and many of the East Eggers who come to Gatsby's parties are having affairs, and bring their mistresses. The result of the American Dream is negative. In the novel nick says “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” (Fitzgerald 179) Showing that they are careless because of their wealth and

“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

Materialism is a timely, social problem which is evident throughout history and in today’s world. Materialism is one issue where people may blind themselves from their moral values and drift away from family or their true selves. It can run and/or ruin a person’s life. Material parenting and the unhealthy lifestyle of a materialist are just two areas where leading a materialistic life may be fostered or lead. The materialistic world may be filled with joys and riches, however the material objects can not bring true happiness to any one person.

“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

The theme of materialism and the need to have wealth that is present in The Great Gatsby is still relevant in today’s society. In the novel, Jay Gatsby has lots of material goods, but only has them to show his wealth to others, “Well, suppose we take a plunge in the swimming-pool? I haven’t made use of it all summer” (Fitzgerald 82). Gatsby has a swimming pool so he can fit in with the rich society, but does not even use it. Today in society, celebrities have multiple houses to show how wealthy they are, but they do not even go to those houses or if they do they go a few times a year, if even that much. Another example of materialism present in the novel is the shirts that Gatsby receives from a man in England, “While we admired he brought

     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

“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

Reading literary works from the modernist time period in our postmodern age allows us to see the world through a different lens. While reading these literary works we are able to see what it was like to live during this time period; for example, the effects of World War I to characters like Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley (Brett) in The Sun Also Rises. Jake is known to be “sick” (Hemingway 34), which is why his lack of masculinity causes him to have trouble with coming to terms with his love for Brett. Brett loves Jake, but she knows that he will never be able to satisfy her because she “turns to jelly when he touches her” (Hemingway 34). They both are ignoring how the war affects them as individuals. Jake even stated, “You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another” (Hemingway 19), but yet that's exactly how they are living. Neither one of them is willing to face their true problems they either ignore it or find some other means of coping.