Significance Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

“‘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.

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.

West Eggers are the newly rich; the people who have worked hard and earned their money in a short period of time. Their wealth is epitomized on material possessions. Gatsby, like the West Eggers, lacks the traditions of the East Eggers. He is considered 'new money', in the sense that his wealth came to him more recently through his own success. Although Gatsby is now a part of this class, his faith and belief in the success of his dreams has allowed him to preserve some morality. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, lives in West Egg and exhibits honesty in this place of superficiality. Clearly the West is able to preserve some ethics while the East is not able to grasp any. Although West Egg is the more moral, it is still a place of superficiality and materialism.

He also claims that “geography can also define or even develop character” (Foster). In the Great Gatsby, geography indicates the established differences between the “old” and “new” money as well as delivers messages such as commentary on the cost and quest for success, both economic and social.Throughout the novel, places and settings epitomize the various aspects of the corruption of the American dream during the 1920’s, such as East Egg (old aristocracy), West Egg (nouveau riche), and the Valley of Ashes (moral and social decay). These societal classes develop a social crisis of identity from the very beginning, as stated by Nick Carraway, “I lived at West Egg, the--well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them” (Fitzgerald). While those such as Gatsby and Nick have both worked to earn their wealth, they’ll never fit it with the “old money” stalwarts. They lack the intangible established history possessed by the East Egg nobility. For example, Tom Buchanan valued possessions frequently to distance old and new money to eschew the newfound success of West Egg. Fitzgerald highlights the reluctance of the established wealth to accept other people, while also showing the corruption of those in West Egg. Fitzgerald uses geography to depict the differences

" 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

Additionally the interior yellow can symbolize gold and lavish objects. Moreover an egg is used as the division of the town East egg and West egg. This precious metal is a social status and signifies wealth. The division of these competing areas separates the newly rich from the historically wealthy families. The narrator Nick, comments that he lives in West Egg, being the,” well the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them” (Gatsby 5). By saying this, nick expresses the idea of his egg (West Egg) being less fashionable and desirable than the other more prominent side (East Egg). Even though some might not live in the more fashionable part of town you still can achieve the American Dream. Nick and the west side represent those that have actually worked hard and earned their new status. This part of town houses Nick and Gatsby, which do show that if you put in hard work you, can achieve the American dream.

Rich and wealthy people, throughout the novel, seem to spend their time drawing subtle distinctions between the various kinds of wealth, not just between classes but within each other. This is where Fitzgerald splits the two main types of wealth within the novel: the East Egg and the West Egg. Gatsby and Nick are both residents of West Egg, one of the two wealthy parts of New York. As Nick explains about living in West Egg he describes it as “the less fashionable of the two” in order to distinguish “the bizarre” and “little sinister contrast between them”. He goes on to focus on Gatsby house in particular in the area, as he observes it as a “colossal affair by any standard” and just a “factual imitation” (Fitzgerald 5).

Though it is often shown in different, more thoughtful ways, West Egg still exhibits a strong preference towards the materialistic idealisms of the time in which this novel takes place. Full of the “New Money,” the West tends to be more thoughtful and cautious when it comes to how they spend their wages. Fitzgerald establishes this while talking about Nick’s cottage, juxtaposed between two massive mansions, saying, “He found the house, a weather-beaten cardboard bungalow at eighty a month.”(3). This indicates that, though Nick has the funds necessary to afford a nicer place (though not necessarily in either East or West Egg), the stateliness of his home is not important to him, because the West does not base their success in life on their

“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

Gatsby All throughout The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are significant undertones of social class and wealth. We learn very quickly in the story about the West and East Eggs in which our main characters are residents of. Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby are fro West Egg, which is commonly associated with new money, or people who have recently found themselves wealthy often by working. Our other characters Daisy and Tom Buchanan live in East Egg which is where people with old money, money that was inherited from their families, live. Where the characters live, has a lot to do with how they present themselves and how they act.

An analysis of The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald indicated that the setting of the book contributed to the theme of money by comparing the two classes of people in the West and East egg, giving detailed descriptions of places based on the amount of money that it has, and establishing the feel of the ¨roaring twenties¨. In the first chapter, Nick introduces he is from West egg, calling it ¨ẗhe less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them¨ (Fitzgerald 5). East egg is described as being the most fashionable one, having the nickname ¨old money¨, meaning the inhabitants have achieved their wealth through inheritance, while the West egg is ¨new money¨, meaning

Like East Egg and West Egg, they are both modern and uprising communities of New York. East Egg is where Daisy and Tom live. A place where people that are well educated, have a high status stay. Their origins have also come from the lavish and rich inheritance of American society. This is what is known as ‘Old Money’ people, the kind that defiance the poor. West Egg, is where Nick caraway and Gatsby lives. They are also wealthy people, but with a different background. Jay Gatsby is uneducated, but a rising newcomer in the fireball of wealth. As a comparison to the East Eggers, the west side lacks the polish standards of choice. Although Gatsby is kind hearted in the inside, he will always be an outsider to the high class. Because it wasn’t meant to be, it was a miracle from the roots of where he is from. One of the many themes from this book is presented in the movie from the angles of East Egg and West

The social group West Egg represents the corruption of the American Dream, during the 1920’s. Fitzgerld describes West Egg as a home for the newly rich. This is a place where people who have recently become fortunate live. It is a place that represents new money. New money portrays the image of the corruption of the American Dream by showing how the people strived for acquiring only material goods. It made attaining material goods their goal in life. In addition, people in the 1920’s connected the American Dream to making quick money. In The Great Gatsby many of the residents that lived in West Egg became fortunate through illegal methods, such as bootlegging alcohol or gambling. Fitzgerld shows this through the character Gatsby. Gatsby’s goal was to become wealthy so that he could win Daisy’s love. By selling stolen alcohol Gatsby was able to mange to rise up to the top of the upper class and live in West Egg. The want for money and power to achieve love shows the decay of the American Dream. The parties that were held at West Egg also represent the corruption of the American Dream. The parties that Gatsby threw were huge and glamorous. Everyone from West and East Egg would attend these parties. They had no care for who Gatsby was. Rather, they only cared that he was someone who was extremely

     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

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