Analytical Exposition in Response to Literature: Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby

In book, “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts how the American was corrupted through wealth. Fitzgerald provides many examples. The most common example shown was Jay Gatsby. Gatsby’s idea that to achieve his American Dream must be to acquire wealth. In order to show this, Fitzgerald uses various literary elements. Two of those being imagery and foreshadowing, these played a critical role in describing the theme, and specific moods to show what was to come and as well as describe the story as a whole. These play a vital role in representing Gatsby’s life and journey to acquiring Daisy, his version of the American Dream.

Gatsby displays his new money by throwing large, extravagant parties. The old money establishment of East Egg think Gatsby does this to show off his new money, but his motif is different. Jordan

Money, just like anything else, can be new and old. Some people in our country have been wealthy for centuries, and the wealth of their bloodline can go extremely far back in time. However, the attitude of people who have what is considered “Old Money” in contrast to the people who have “New Money” can be quite different. This is shown in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In TGG Tom and Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker all reside in East Egg, New York and are considered “Old Money” while Jay Gatsby who lives in West Egg, New York is considered “New Money”. The people who are depicted as “new money” are materialistic and egotistical; while people who are labeled “old money” are

In the beginning of the novel, Gatsby is shrouded in mystery and all that is known about him is simple gossip. He appeared to be this complicated individual who threw glamorous parties and drowned in wealth and women. In reality, however, he is a lovesick young man who grew up in poverty, and became fabulously rich through organized crime, like selling

Jay Gatsby, a man of many trade. An extremely wealthy, well, no one knows his job exactly. All we know is that he throws amazing parties with his wealth.

In the end, even the greatest of the characters in the Great Gatsby are conformed by their appearance. They may appear to live in such perfection and wealth but in reality money can’t buy

“I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is seen as a mysterious character that’s not called great or bad. The Great Gatsby takes place in the 1920’s during the “roaring twenties” or called as the “Jazz Age”, a period ending the Great Depression and an era where jazz and dancing become trendy. Gatsby does not seem to be fit to be called “great”, instead he is fit for being called a determined man. Some may not call Gatsby “great” because of his lies and some will call him “great” because he is a man who is determined to get Daisy back from Tom or because Gatsby is a nice man who does not have much ignorance like Tom. An example why Gatsby do not deserve to be called a “great” man is because he is a liar and a “great” man does not

Gatsby has attempted to pull a facade of him having always been wealthy, thus allowing him to be part of Daisy's circle. Gatsby claims to have inherited his vast sum, hiding that he had actually self accumulated it over the years. By

Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth. Ever since meeting Dan Cody, his fascination for wealth has increased dramatically. He even uses illegal unmoral methods to obtain hefty amounts of wealth to spend on buying a house with “ Marie Antoinette music-rooms, Restoration Salons, dressing rooms and poolrooms, and bath rooms with sunken baths.”

Throughout the book Gatsby continually throws outlandish parties where scores of people, whether invited or not, attend and revel in his hospitality; he later reveals his purpose in throwing these overly grandiose festivals, when Nick and he are talking after a party which Daisy has just attended. “'She didn't like it {Gatsby} said immediately...She didn't have a good time'” (Fitzgerald 116) fully expresses that his entire life at West Egg has been spent in pursuit of a woman who could never possibly fulfill his dream. The 1999 “Gatsby project” discussed the portrayal of wealth in The Great Gatsby by talking about Gatsby’s car as a symbol.

In The Great Gatsby, wealth can be distinguished from class; it is possible to achieve great wealth without being accepted into the élite class, as evidenced by Jay Gatsby’s experience. Jay Gatsby was part of the new rich, the millionaires that popped up over night in the 1920s. His money could not buy him into the society of old money, the aristocratic money. The life of ease and luxury that Tom and others enjoy is contrasted sharply with the stranglehold of poverty containing Myrtle and George Wilson or the life from which Jay Gatsby emerges. Wealth is what separates Gatsby from his love, as he notes of Daisy that "her voice is full of money."(Fitzgerald 127).

This is evidence that he is newly rich because one of the main reasons he acts like this is because he is not accustomed to having such a large amount of money. This is not who Gatsby really is. This is a person who has been created out of money and the freedom to do whatever he wants with it.

First, the community’s attitude toward money and obsession with money was prominent. Throughout the book, “One of the main themes of The Great Gatsby is the attitude of its characters- . . . -toward money” (Gross 149). The book highlighted the amount of money each character had and their social status in the community because of their wealth or lack of wealth. Many characters and the entire community dreamed of becoming rich to make themselves worthy of higher social statuses. Palladino once said, “The idea was that anyone could become a millionaire regardless of one's background” (Palladino 31). The community’s interest in wealth and what was believed about money was depicted many times. For example, “Most of these fellas will cheat you every time. All they think of is money. . . ” (Fitzgerald 31). This quote shows that many people were focused on the amount of money they could

Money destroys people as much as wars do. People run frantically towards wealth, without realizing what they have to compromise in order to pursue such prosperity. This theme of reckless attempt to gain wealth is echoed through time both in the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The play, written after the destruction of the Great Depression in 1930s, tells the story of the financially challenged Loman family through the recollection of Willy Loman. The book was written after the First World War, revolving around Jay Gatsby who changed his identity to attain wealth to get Daisy Buchanan. Despite the difference in time frame and wealth, Willy Loman is an echoing image of Jay Gatsby, resonating with the clinging aspiration to the past, the disillusion of the dream, and the tragic ending due to that ideal.