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The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby is set in the roaring 20s, a period of excitement, where music, dance, and wealth flourished across the U.S. The energy and exhilaration of the period can most clearly be seen in New York City, where this novel takes place. The individuals in The Great Gatsby seem to take part in this “thrill seeking” attitude of the 1920s and when doing so, they tend to collect things which appeal to them and are suitable for their self enjoyment. These collections are evident with most characters, but seem to be distinct with gender. The characters in The Great Gatsby reveal that the objects one collects are based on society’s social norms; therefore some individuals, specifically women, will want to collect stability and status, while …show more content…

It can also be seen that she is very mature as Jordan states, “She went with a slightly older crowd—when she went with anyone at all” (81). This willingness to go with individuals with more “experience” and therefore, more maturity, show how important collecting status is to her. Her past ultimately reveals that she has always aimed for a sophisticated lifestyle and strived to be a respectable figure in society. When Gatsby is introduced, he threatens the image that Daisy upholds in society as it would have forced her to disregard the three years of marriage and the child that she had with Tom. Therefore, Daisy’s choice to leave Gatsby, both while he was at war and after Tom confronted the two about their love, demonstrates how she is fixated on collecting status for herself. It may seem that Daisy collects men rather than status, but Nick disproves this when he describes Daisy and Tom’s marriage: “They weren’t happy … and yet they weren’t unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture” (155). Although Daisy may not be happy with Tom, he provides her with the proper status that she needs for others to regard her properly. Therefore, Daisy does not collect men specifically as she focuses more on the status and influence that men provide rather than the men themselves. By marrying Tom, she collects both stability and status in order to fulfill her desire for sophistication in society.

Similarly, Myrtle also collects objects that

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