preview

Theme Of Money In The Great Gatsby

Good Essays

The Great Gatsby is such a prominent novel of the 1920s. Many authors and critics have written on the impact of the novel even up until today. Fitzgerald expresses multiple themes to show the time and its importance. F. Scott Fitzgerald, in The Great Gatsby, reveals wealth, hope, and the demise of the American dream as major themes of his novel. Fitzgerald, interestingly enough, brings the importance of money into this novel early and refocuses on it often. Nick starts off the novel saying, " 'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had' "(Fitzgerald 3). He remembers his father noting this to him at a young age and has been mulling …show more content…

The life Gatsby lived is so well expressed in the words spoken about the 1920s, "F. Scott Fitzgerald would later describe as 'the greatest, gaudiest spree in history' "(Avey). Not only was the time extravagant, but so were those in lived in it and liked to show off their wealth. Gatsby, extravagant as it gets on the outside, used his wealth to try impress his one true love. Yet, this luxurious life style seemed to never live up to its hopes and dreams. All the money in the world couldn't buy Gatsby the one thing he wanted, Daisy. Hope is the the desire for something specific to happen. For the characters in The Great Gatsby, it seems that hope has been lost. The post World War I society was full of disillusioned and uncertain beings, many of which are resembled in the novel (San Jose State University). Gatsby is the poster child for disillusioned and uncertainty. Gatsby's entire life revolves around his hope in Daisy. The famous green light symbolizes Daisy, but more importantly Gatsby's hopes and dreams of what they could be. We see Gatsby's hope throughout the novel being revealed through the green light. The first time Nick actually sees Gatsby it is when Gatsby is on the end of his dock reaching towards the green light. This shows how far off Gatsby is from reaching his beloved. Later on in he novel we come across the light again where Daisy and Gatsby are on the dock, and Fitzgerald says, "Daisy put her arm

Get Access