Matt Bradley Mr. Rutigliano English 10 1/12/17 How Does Money Impact Personality? Will Smith once said, “Money and Success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there.” Similarly, In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan have different personalities although they are both in similar social class, and these similarities in social class ultimately show that money does not affect someone's personality; it is what someone chooses to do with the situation that they are in which determines one’s personality. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are in the same Social Class. Tom Buchanan and Gatsby have plenty of cash to throw around, and one place they spend their money is on luxury cars. F. Scott Fitzgerald …show more content…
Tom insist that he takes Gatsby’s car to town and Gatsby takes his car and both of their cars are very luxurious as the coupé during this time period is the equivalent to a modern Lamborghini, a car only the extremely wealthy can afford to own. Asking to share cars is Tom’s way of flexing his wealth, he is implying that him and Gatsby have enough money to share cars like kids share their toys. Ultimately, Tom and Gatsby are clearly in great situations regarding money and they both choose to live luxuriously and that makes them both resourceful, adventurous. Although Tom and Gatsby are on the same step in the Social Hierarchy, they are both extremely different in personality. Fitzgerald writes, “Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch … sturdy, straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face, and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward … you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage—a cruel body”(9) Fitzgerald immediately made a point to describe Tom Buchanan