Examples Of Hedonism In The Great Gatsby

This Hedonistic lifestyle, which is so prominent and driving within the plot, stems from the basis of all knowledge and origin on the hedonistic lifestyle itself, hedonism. Hedonism categorizes into two parts one being ethical and the other psychological. Ethical hedonism is the black and white interpretation of hedonism through pleasures and displeasures. Moreover, one clear figure of ethical Hedonism is none other than the novel’s main antagonist, Tom Buchanan, as he goes for everything he wants. Tom sees something he wants and he goes for it regardless of the fact he is married or if whom he wants is married as well. Tom only sees only pleasures and displeasures and considers nothing else. Next, Psychological hedonism relies on a much deeper

In fact, some do not even see Gatsby at all, those people being the attenders of his weekly parties. Furthermore, all those people know are his image which is an astute learned man unless they look closer like one attendee, the owl-eyed man, does: ““See!” he cried triumphantly. “It’s a bono-fide piece of printed paper. … But what do you want? What do you expect?” (Fitzgerald, 45-46). From this quote by the owl-eyed man we see what others see of him if they are to look close enough, a man who has the fame but not the real class to back it up. Ultimately, this paid image improver does not work at all. Yes, his hedonistic lifestyle gets him what he wants to the core, Daisy, but Daisy and everyone still see him as he is with or without money. The money does nothing to change his image around others only Daisy, because money is actually what made her decide against Gatsby originally. Basically, the side-effects to his hedonistic lifestyle is an improve view but only as someone who would throw parties, but not as a person in

There still stands the question of how Gatsby even funds his hedonistic lifestyle to woo Daisy especially since he has no real job except for his job with Meyer Wolfsheim, which is bootlegging. This sole action and cooperation with Wolfsheim is what funds Gatsby. At first it may seem to be not enough to pay for the weekly parties and the shirts upon shirts, but when one takes into account there time and how at the time the Eighteenth Amendment had just passed. Moreover, while alcohol was banned it did not stop consumption. In fact, “While the reduction in drinking had some positive effects on public health, the Eighteenth amendment fueled the development of a black market in bootlegging alcohol” (“Twenty-First Amendment (1933)”). Additionally, because of the fact you could not buy it anywhere else but the local black market, it was also easier to capitalize and over price alcohol. So, considering that one, the booze bought could be overpriced, and two, Gatsby works with Wolfshiem, one can truly see how Gatsby is actually able to afford his hedonistic lifestyle; however, one can also see his downfall within the novel and thus this method, he has to commit to to have the hedonistic life for the goal of his pleasure, Daisy, is also a negative side effect of the life he lives as it costs him his love and almost his entire reputation