ipl-logo

Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

439 Words2 Pages

The superficial and excitable attitude of the 1920’s didn’t just appear. Coming out of WW1 marked the end of the single minded focus on surviving and transitioned to pleasure the entertainment industry. Increase in wealth from the war, stabilized the economy and made it possible for the general attitude to change. Along creation with prohibition speakeasies and bootleggers rose in popularity because of their opportunities for excitement. Yet, such an extravagant and vapid lifestyle founded on materialism was unsustainable. Fitzgerald criticized the nationwide obsession on achieving the American Dream. The valley of ashes is an industrial dumping ground and by-product of the corrupt capitalism. The residents are empty and described as Ash Men. They work as wage slaves to the high class, which Nick notices when he remarks that, “Americans, while occasionally willing to work as serfs, refuse peasantry.” They live as slaves but pretend to be high class, like Myrtle. She symbolizes the desperation and empty hope of being something she’s not, with …show more content…

They seek wealth in all forms. Each person wants to be the happiest, the richest, and the prettiest. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is just another example of chasing an impossible dream. He goes to extreme lengths to prove his worth over Tom’s, and attempts to push away what he knows to be true, that they will never be together. Daisy and Tom are the epitome of superficial because neither act with any depth, and they do everything just for appearances. A quote by Criss Jami describes the attitude of the upper class, “Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something that is when we start walking all over others to get it.” The rich believe they are entitled to anything they want and are willing to destroy anything that stands in the

Show More
Related

Examples Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby

1677 Words | 7 Pages

Tom and Daisy were displayed as a vision of wealth in The Great Gatsby. Daisy grew up in an affluent family and wanted for nothing. She never knew of a different lifestyle. Daisy knew of large, fancy homes and enjoyed life’s finer pleasures. Daisy’s “rich life and her rich home is another factor that makes her desirable to a young man without a past” (Tate 94).

Read More

Examples Of Poverty In The Great Gatsby

945 Words | 4 Pages

To begin, Fitzgerald uses imagery to demonstrate the economic decay of the valley. This passage introduces the valley of ashes. This passage is describing the valley as Nick and Tom pass by in a train. “Ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling

Read More

The Great Gatsby Selfish Analysis

539 Words | 3 Pages

Although Gatsby does not seem to be a selfish man on the surface, his intentions and success may. He builds a ginormous mansion and throws extravagant parties all to get Daisy and her love back. Gatsby does all this for his good since all it consists of is having Daisy all to himself. The corruption and obsession of wealth is displayed through the characters Daisy, Tom and Gatsby as they live their lives in

Read More

Examples Of Extravagance In The Great Gatsby

786 Words | 4 Pages

Society at the time was highly ostentatious, with desires that were extremely materialistic. Materialism is still a highly prevalent facet of society today; a person’s worth is often judged by the size of their house, or the size of their car. Furthermore, the sin and decadence that accompanied the new generation was seen as a worrisome problem for the previous generation at the time, and that same criticism be seen in current society as well. The previous generation criticizes the new generation’s immorality and transitioning lifestyle. However, with the unfavorable economy today, parties are not thrown with the same pompousness as they were in the 1920s; that era was special for its enormous boost in the economy which was reflected in societal life.

Read More

What Does The Valley Of Ashes Represent In The Great Gatsby

453 Words | 2 Pages

We also learn about Nick from his descriptions. To conclude the feel of this novel, Fitzgerald introduces the theme of the pursuit of wealth so early in the story because it’s important to understand how it connects with the American Dream. The valley of ashes is a desolate land between West Egg and New York City that consists of dumping of industrial ashes. This place is literal and symbolic in one, it symbolizes poverty and hopelesness in such a way. These characters are helpless, they are suffering just like the environmental is.

Read More

Caraway's Use Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

719 Words | 3 Pages

(27). Fitzgerald uses Nick Caraway to show how their city is a valley of ashes where even farms are unnaturally growing death,

Read More

Examples Of Naturalism In The Great Gatsby

1414 Words | 6 Pages

The novel makes a naturalism argument with the idea that one’s social status cannot be changed from the level set by the laws of nature. Fitzgerald effectively characterizes this theme of naturalism by the use of the geography of the Valley of Ashes,

Read More

Materialistic Society In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

1330 Words | 6 Pages

Literature is a reflection of society, comprising of its flaws and beauty, as authors explore aspects which are often overlooked and ignored. In literature, characters are bound by the adversities that society has generated. Society is the foundation for challenging adversities because individuals are molded by the environment that raises them and aim to conform/ fit in with social norms even when they do not meet the needs of those individuals. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts Tom Buchanan as a product of a materialistic society, where his self-indulgence creates a constraint on the formation of fulfilling relationships that provide happiness. He is ignorant of the fact that physical comforts will never satisfy

Read More

Material Things In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

1536 Words | 7 Pages

According to Saint Lucian poet Derek Walcott, “The discontent that lies in the human condition is not satisfied simply by material things.” Throughout history, it has been proven time and time again, that those who rely on material objects such as money, stature, and fortune, often find themselves in a place of dissatisfaction and envy. Such unfavorable feelings occur for no good reason other than the fact that these “material things” have no real meaning, and lack the emotional significance that can be found in real relationships with sincere people. Concepts like meaningful relationships and empathy are concepts that people who focus solely on status and riches often fail to understand. The idea of what happens when one has an intense dependence on “material things” is further explored in the novel, The Great Gatsby.

Read More

Theme Of Decay In The Great Gatsby

994 Words | 4 Pages

To begin, Fitzgerald uses imagery to demonstrate the economic decay of the valley. This passage first introduces the valley of ashes. He writes, “Ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”(Fitzgerald, 27). This quote gives the reader a

Read More

Materialism In The Great Gatsby Analysis

1558 Words | 7 Pages

The American dream states that any individual can achieve success regardless of family history, race, and/or religion simply by working hard. The 1920’s were a time of corruption and demise of moral values in society. The first World War had passed, and people were reveling in the materialism that came at the end of it, such as advanced technology and innovative inventions. The novel The Great Gatsby exploits the theme of the American Dream as it takes place in a corrupt period in history. Although the American Dream seemed more attainable than ever in the 1920’s, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby demonstrates how materialism and the demise of moral values in society leads to the corruption and impossibility of the American Dream.

Read More

The Theme Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby

1341 Words | 6 Pages

Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, represents a major theme of the novel, the corruption of the wealthy people in society and how money expresses a person’s feelings and actions. Starting off with Daisy, a woman who shows her corruption in society when she marries Tom Buchanan, a wealthy man, even though she promised to marry gatsby after he came home from war. She is very careless about the ways in which she spends her money and how she acts around people. She doesn’t care that people see that she owns very fancy dresses, fancy cars, and lives in a giant house in East Egg. Gatsby, the main character, is in love with Daisy throughout the novel.

Read More

Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

880 Words | 4 Pages

Spending Life One of the impersonations readers obtains from The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald is how lavish the lifestyle is back in the roaring 20’s. People in the upper class are living in luxury and are exceptionally materialistic. Nevertheless, over the decades, materialism hasn’t changed much. People are still relatively materialistic. I, Michael Song Kleiber strongly agrees with this.

Read More

Materialism In Gatsby

708 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, social class is a key theme, as seen by every character having their own distinct class. Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and even Nick are old money, Gatsby is new money, and the Wilson 's are no money. In short, the more money you have, the better off you will be. In the epigraph of the novel, there is a poem by Thomas Parke D 'Invilliers, who is a fictional character created by Fitzgerald himself. This poem is about using materialism to win over the affection of someone, which is exactly what Gatsby tries to do.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Cultural Analysis

939 Words | 4 Pages

The novel, The Great Gatsby, is a display of moral values. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, 1896. Fitzgerald was a romanticist from the day he was born and was obsessed with achieving wealth due to his upbringing in his lavish childhood neighborhood. He grew up in one of the richest neighborhoods in the country, but he lived in a fairly small house unlike the others. He always tried to fit in with the wealthiest people and stereotypical attitudes they possessed.

Read More

More about Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

Related Topics

Open Document