Money for Money's Sake in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

It was the last days of summer. The atmosphere began to change, leaves falling, and the sky the perfect crisp blue like a never ending ocean. Gatsby decided it was the perfect day to take a dip in the pool, since he hadn’t used it all summer. But, that dream was unfortunately brought to a fatal end. Do you know what it’s like to be shot? Do you know what it’s like to drown in your own pool of blood? Your body sinking to the bottom as the water engulfs you. Your lungs now only filled with blood, and only thing you can do is lie in the abyss of your death. This is Gatsby’s story as he was killed in his own home.

For so many years, he has been invading my thoughts and quiet moments in the garden, at breakfast, while resting… even during the thick of a fantastic plot of an astounding book. For so many years, I’ve been trying to make Gatsby disappear from my mind. But in fact, I can’t just can’t keep him out of my thoughts… I just had to write this entry in my diary for I needed an outlet to express my thoughts.

Fitzgerald employs the extended metaphor of the “new world” to illustrate the total collapse of Gatsby’s reality(169). After Gatsby realizes he has lost the one dream of his life, he enters a world “where poor ghosts breath[] dreams like air”(169). Though Gatsby is in his own backyard, he is looking up at “an unfamiliar sky”(169). Before, this yard gave view to the green light near Daisy’s house, a symbol of hope and love and promise for Gatsby, but with his dream evaporated he finds himself vacantly looking out on his empty wealth. Once Gatsby has lost hope, he himself becomes a “poor ghost” with no conceivable aim, drive, or purpose(169). This shift in reality aligns with the change from summer to autumn as Gatsby felt “he had lost the old warm world,” instead “disappear[ing] among the yellowing trees”(169). Gatsby’s dream to reunite with Daisy depended on a disregard for the passage of time, and this metaphor reiterates that his life has crumbled because of that disregard. The transition from summer to fall parallels Gatsby’s transition from his old world full of hope to the new world devoid of meaning. As the leaves and trees and grass lose their vitality, so do Gatsby and his dream. Furthermore, Fitzgerald draws a connection between Wilson and Gastby as “poor ghosts...like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding towards him through the amorphous trees”(169). This comparison further sheds light on Gatsby’s state: Wilson just had the one thing he loved snatched from him, exiling him into the world of ghosts and driving him to murder. The utter hopelessness more overtly seen in Wilson is extended to Gatsby as they are thrust together in the new world and, soon after, death. Finally, the futility of Gatsby’s new life is displayed by the lack of a

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

The color green represents wealth, which was a reoccurring obsession with Gatsby. The body of water between them both represents the rift between Gatsby and Daisy’s different lives and backgrounds. Additionally, this is the first instance when Gatsby is reaching out to his hopes and dreams. Gatsby’s dream involves wealth and future marriage with Daisy. It is duly noted that at the end of the first chapter, Nick saw Gatsby and, “could have sworn he was trembling…Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light”(Gatsby 20-21). This personal action represents the longing for economic and material success, almost becoming and obsession. However the readers are able to understand that individuals constantly believe that there is always something better in the world. This green light is also symbolic as nicks observation at the end of the novel “tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther”(Gatsby 171), showing that this dream is all encompassing. Gatsby looking across the water to see the green light has drove himself to high status and astonishing success. The green light not only represents wealth but also the model of the American

In chapter 8, Nick visits Gatsby in the morning chats with him about last night when Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby were together. Gatsby tells Nick the story about him loving Daisy for her youth and vitality. Gatsby also stated that he lied about his social status in order to impress Daisy and show her that he is worthy in marrying her. In the end, Daisy marries Tom because of their parents’ approval and also because of their social statuses. Later, Gatsby’s gardener asks Gatsby if he wanted his pool drained or not because autumn is coming and if the pool isn’t drained the fallen leaves can clog up the pool. Gatsby refuses to have his pool drained because he never used his pool before and wants to use it for once. Since George Wilson’s wife Myrtle

The purchase of his mansion felt necessary to him because it was all part of his American Dream. Although, he found himself unhappy because it was not what he expected. In a conversation between Gatsby and Nick, Gatsby said, “You know, old sport, I’ve never used that pool all summer?” (Fitzgerald 146) The summer that he bought his house, he did not use his pool once, showing that he was not happy with what he had. Jay did not find use for his pool, but let everyone else who came for his parties use it. Part of living the American Dream is happiness, but Gatsby’s overindulgence in material things did not make him any happier, but caused him to live with the burden of him owning something that he did not

In the beginning, a hearse passes Gatsby’s extravagant car. Just as Gatsby’s car symbolizes wealth, the hearse represents that wealth could lead to death. The scene of Gatsby’s eventual murder by a vengeful Wilson takes place in the pool. After he waits devotedly for Daisy to no avail, Gatsby decides to go into the pool in autumn, which is unorthodox as the pool is typically used in summer. The unwillingness to accept the change of seasons is reminiscent of Gatsby’s denial that five years had passed since he last saw

Money is generally presented as a symbol for stability and happiness, however The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald contradicts this idea. Throughout the novel, Jay Gatsby is known for his unimaginable formation of wealth and has the innate capability to achieve his dreams, however he does not realize that his dreams are above him due to the heavy corruption present in the 1920’s. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald presents money as an antagonist since wealth is the primary stimulant in the characters’ motivations, relationships, and happiness.

    Ex-President Jimmy Carter knows both the power and the limitations of money. He is also aware that the acquisition of money or material wealth is not a worthwhile goal. This was made clear in his speech to the American people when he stated:  "Our great cities and our mighty buildings will avail us not if we lack spiritual strength to subdue mere objects to the higher purposes of humanity" (Harnsberger 14). In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, the author clearly illustrates that Jay Gatsby does not understand the limitations of the power of money. Gatsby believes that money can recreate the past, buy him happiness, and allow him to climb the social ladder in the prominent East

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

Gatsby has many issues of repeating his past instead of living in the present. A common

Initially, Gatsby's actions on Lake Superior highlight both his assertion of control over his life and his endeavor to escape his roots. When a young James Gatz, lounging on the sandy beach of Lake Superior, witnesses Dan Cody's yacht “drop anchor,” he “borrow[s] a row-boat” and “pull[s] out” to the yacht, “inform[ing]” Cody of an imminent storm (Fitzgerald 98).

This passage located at the falling action of Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, after Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan’s argument (page 128-129) focuses on Gatsby recounting his initial courting of Daisy Buchanan. It contributes to the development of the novel, for it is the first time that Gatsby confronts his past and reveals his desperation to preserve his dream of attaining Daisy, which, the reader senses through Fitzgerald’s ominous tone, is coming to a hopeless end. Through Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship and Gatsby’s unconscious illusions, the passage addresses the themes regarding the arrogance of the rich, and the illusionary nature of the American Dream.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is by far one of the most interesting yet congested books I have ever read. I feel as if the story is shifting as soon as I was able to tell what was happening. One idea that was constant was the themes, symbols and motifs used throughout. Love and the seduction of money, to me, were the most influential themes that I noticed in the book.