Happiness In The Great Gatsby

Money can’t buy you happiness. As much as we like to think that money can fill such a necessary emotion, it can only fill our bank accounts and wallets. F. Scott Fitzgerald discovered this lesson the hard way through his rise to fame and fortune, to his fall into debt and loss of his loved ones. Fitzgerald used these experiences to his advantage as he wrote his stories. His life and his stories show that happiness is more than just the size of your wallet. Fitzgerald was born in September 24, 1896, in St. Paul Minnesota. His mother had a large inheritance allowing he and his family to live in an upper middle class life. As Fitzgerald went through school, he expressed his interest and time in writing. His school newspaper allowed him to publish his detective stories furthering his interest. Fitzgerald dropped out of a University and joined the army. This allowed him to focus more on his writing and less on his academics (Willett). Fitzgerald hoped for publication for his first novel with Charles Scribner's Sons. They rejected his story, but he continued with his passion for writing.

These stories were a reflection of Fitzgerald’s new experiences with wealth and hardship. He and his new family lived an extravagant life spending much of their money. Fitzgerald became an alcoholic and his wife, Zelda, developed mental illnesses. During this time, Fitzgerald faced many misfortunes of feeling separated from his family, alcoholism, not being able write, debt, and health issues. He later lost his wife in a hospital fire. Through all of his despair, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Fitzgerald gained a new contract to write for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Hollywood. His passion for writing was filled once again. He began to write a new Novel, but soon died at age 44 from a heart attack in 1940