Can Money Buy Happiness In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby is about Nick Carraway, a man from Minnesota who has moved to New York to learn about the bond business. Nick bought a house in the West Egg district which was the less fashionable of two upper class districts, with the East Egg being the more wealthy of the two. He discovers he has a strange neighbor by the name of Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish parties every Saturday night. Nick also has a cousin named Daisy who lives in the East Egg district with her husband Tom. The Great Gatsby describes in detail how many people living with great wealth, whether old or new money, discover that money cannot buy happiness.
The theme that money cannot buy happiness is prevelant through out the novel. The 1920’s on Long Island was a time when the divide between the rich and poor was huge. The rich lived in opulance while the poor lived in a places such as the Valley of Ashes. The rich would not associate with the poor. Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, has old money and has no remorse for how much money he spends or how he treats people. His wealth entitled him to have a mistress and treat her in any way he chose. His love of money was more than his love for his wife or his mistress. Tom kept an apartment in New York City in which to house Myrtle and keep her away from his wife. He treated her …show more content…

Daisy was wealthy ad well cared for. He wanted to possess not only Daisy, but also the wealth. He committed many illegal acts to aquire money. Gatsby hosted lavish parties where the guests had a lot of fun. Although all of the parties had Gastsby surrounded by people he considered his friends, he was never happy. Gatsby ended up being killed all due to his search for happiness through money. Gatsby, even though independently wealthy, was never fully accepted into the class of people he wished to be associated with. His desire to be with Daisy ultimately led to both his death and the death of Myrtle