Materialism In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

In the novel, “The Great Gatsby” author Scott F. Fitzgerald continuously critiques the effect of materialism on the classes of old money and new money, as well as the working class. Fitzgerald also simultaneously conveys the immense attraction that correspond to materialism. This is done throughout the first four chapters through Fitzgerald's use or narrator's perspective, plot and numerous literary devices. Fitzgerald uses his critiques of materialism to also compare the three classes, which he uses to develop the plot in the novel.

This need for wealth and objects is within almost all the main characters of each novel. In Tender is the Night, the characters are living their lives in a fancy hotel on the French Riviera with no clue on what to do with their life. Dick brags about his "work" to make himself more appealing and respected to others. He does not know the way of the high society since he was married into being rich and not born. In the Great Gatsby, the theme of materialism is more apparent in which the main character, Gatsby, uses his wealth to throw these magnificent parties and to buy unnecessary things, only to obtain his life goal of reliving the past by making Daisy to fall in love with him again. Gatsby, just like Dick, was not born into being rich, so he does not fit in with the upper

material items and they think money can solve anything. Nick described them as "careless people, Tom, and Daisy, they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” (Fitzgerald 170). Fitzgerald portrayed what money could do to a person, like make them selfish. Daisy knew that she was this kind of person especially when she went to visit Gatsby's house and saw all of his clothes. Fitzgerald represented her love for material things when Daisy said, "They're such beautiful shirts, she sobbed, her muffled in the folds. It makes me sad because I've never seen such beautiful shirts." (Fitzgerald 92). Daisy is crying of the fact that she could have been with Gatsby but she would rather have the security of money and material things than be with him. The shirt is a material symbol of Gatsby's success a new rich man. Fitzgerald set out Daisy to be a sweet innocent girl who is Gatsby's long lost love but she's a girl who is corrupted by the fact that she needs money to be secure.

The concept of conspicuous consumption is greatly exemplified in The Great Gatsby, by all of the characters being in possession of excessive amounts of property and money. Money is the get-all give-all in Gatsby's version of the American dream. If one can obtain lots of money to impress the women, then he must have it made; Realists disagree with this mindset. ‘"[Gatsby] wants her to see his

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

The world is full of powerful forces that control people from all corners of the globe, but one of the most powerful and far-reaching force is money. Money is something that controls multiple people's lives and their decisions, sometimes people revolve their lives around money. Just like in the real world, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, money is a large concept in the book and is a motivator for multiple characters. The Great Gatsby is about Nick as he follows the story of Jay Gatsby and his quest to gain money and uses theses riches to win over his past lover, Daisy. Gatsby is not the only character that uses money to get his way or is materialistic, as multiple

" 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

The concept of the great Gatsby really describes the 1920s life. The characters, the descriptions, all describe what the united states and what the American dream was supposed to be. Most of Gatsby’s pursuit for money and fame is driven by Daisy. Money is a huge motivator in the characters’ relationships, motivations, and outcomes.

“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

“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

This is not necessarily applicable to modern day society anymore, as there is no longer any major presence of rich aristocracies in America. Instead society, as transformed as a class structure where a majority of the population is in the middle class, a small percentage in the upper class, and a reasonable percentage being in the lower class. Furthermore, the upper class is no longer divided between, “new money” and “old money”, just people who have a great amount of wealth, a major difference from the 1920s society of the Great Gatsby. All in all, the Great Gatsby is no longer relevant to modern day society, as it's central themes of racism, sexism, the American Dream, and the division between “New Money” and “Old Money” has faded away either to a shell of it's former self, or completely

     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

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.

In his song “All Falls Down,” mildly talented musician Kanye West emotionally raps, “We buy our way out of jail, but we can’t buy freedom.” Criticizing how those that are wealthy are able to control the world around them with their money, able to use it to get even “out of jail,” West asserts that such a reliance on wealth is ultimately restricting, as it cannot buy intangible things such as “freedom.” In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the titular character, Jay Gatsby surrounds himself with wealth and extravagance in order to leave his previous life of dullness and banality and pursue an unrealistic and fragile love with Daisy. Though he is able to assume a new, affluent identity, he is ultimately unsuccessful in love, as his wealth disconnects him from reality, preventing him from realizing the impossibility of his goal. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, maintains a sort of obsession with Gatsby, becoming sucked into his extravagant and wealthy lifestyle. However, by doing so, he begins to see the world in a new yet almost fantastical light, where even he is unable to comprehend the consequences of his actions and mannerisms. Under this, Fitzgerald contends that wealth and materialism are crutches that ultimately serve to skew and misrepresent surrounding reality.

Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, which cynically depicts the American Dream and highlights some truths that still apply—for example, the false equation of wealth to happiness and satisfaction, as well as the illusion of equal opportunity. Analyzing The Great Gatsby is useful in clarifying essential traits of the American Dream, which we can later use in our evaluation contemporary articulations of it. The novel is about Jay Gatsby, a man who has risen to wealth and is well-known for his extravagant parties. Though the novel, published in 1925, took place before modern media and advertising, it still depicts characters that have fallen for what Diane Kendall, in “Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption,” calls a “socially constructed reality that is not necessarily an accurate reflection of the United States.” The “socially constructed reality” in which the cast of The Great Gatsby lives—geographically, New York in the 1920’s—is characterized by an obsession with wealth and success despite an immense poverty gap that was steadily widening. Though often referred to as the “gilded age” in American history, the 20’s