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Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby: A Critique of the Excess and Illusions of the American Dream
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic novel set in the Jazz Age, is not only a timeless love story but also a social commentary on the excesses, inequalities, and illusions of the American Dream. The novel centres on Jay Gatsby, a typical 1920s man pursuing the American Dream, F. Scott Fitzgerald employs Gatsby to expose the disillusionment of this dream, while Daisy and Tom Buchanan personify the wealthy elite of the Jazz Age, of which Fitzgerald was a member, both Daisy and Tom are portrayed as shallow self-centred, and superficial. This paper examines the theme of the Jazz Age's excess and materialism through characters such as Gatsby and Daisy, exploring …show more content…

Gatsby’s excessive parties and materialistic pursuits have left him lonely and empty, as it is all in the hopes of winning Daisy back. In a conversation between Nick and Jordan about Gatsby and Daisy, Jordan says, "‘It was a strange coincidence,’ I said. ‘But it wasn’t a coincidence at all. ’ ‘Why not?’ ‘Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay" (83). The novel is a critique of the American Dream and Fitzgerald’s interpretation of the false ideology: "It portrays the doomed passion of rich Jay Gatsby for Daisy Buchanan and evokes the sophistication and squalor of New York. The book is remarkable for describing the glamour and the dream of Gatsby, showing the hollowness of this vision as it turns to dust" (Bobek 36). Even with all his material success and his pursuit of the American Dream, Gatsby is empty and still in search of fulfillment, while he has achieved the American Dream by all standards of being a self-made man with a rags-to-riches story, he lacks substance and connection to others. Similarly to Gatsby, Tom has achieved everything the American Dream is about in his materialistic success and marriage, yet he is still unfulfilled and wants to regain the thrill and climax he experienced in his youth. During the opening of the book, Nick describes Tom and his successes: "Her husband, among various physical accomplishments, had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven—a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterwards saviours of anti-climax" (10). Tom is the embodiment of the American Dream with his

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Through the empty lives of three characters from this novel Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan Fitzgerald shows that chasing shallow dreams leads only to misery. When World War I ended, America seemed to promise unlimited financial and social opportunities for anyone willing to work hard for an American Dream. The prosperous acquired wealth only to pursue pleasure. For some, striving for wealth only made them realize that the dream crudely corrupted them. Though the characters in The Great Gatsby seem to like the freedom of the 1920s, their lives exhibit the emptiness that results when wealth and pleasure become a terror they could never imagine.

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In his book, The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald shines a blinding light on the lifestyle of Americans living on the East Coast during the Jazz Age. He uses the story and the characters to show the ways in which the “American Dream” have been perverted. Specifically he uses the character of Jay Gatsby to illustrate the greed for material things that permeated the era. Jay Gatsby thinks he can buy happiness.

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Nick comments that it is a coincidence that they live so close now after all that time, but Jordan refutes him by claiming “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay”(Fitzgerald 78). In the years since their time together five years ago, Gatsby has bought a huge mansion, for the single purpose of being right across the bay from his love. He spends so much money throwing these extravagant parties in hope that maybe, just maybe, Daisy will show

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The Tarnished American Dream The last statement from The Great Gatsby novel stated by Nick shows how Gatsby thought that is how life was supposed to be. Gatsby believed in trying to relive the past with much excitement especially from Daisy Buchanan. People back then, were trying to relive their glorious past. Fitzgerald shows how the American Dream had become materialistic.

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With Tom, Daisy had built an even more lavish lifestyle where she lived in a big house and they had a daughter together showing that she had built a life without Gatsby. When Gatsby came back from the War he went back to Lousiville where Daisy had lived, to only find out that she and Tom were away on their honeymoon. But throughout the years Gatsby never lost hope that he and Daisy would be back together someday, and he let this desire guide many of his actions. A great illustration of this is when Jordan Baker tells Nick, ”’ Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay”’

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While at sea, sailors make use of anchors to secure their ships to a fixed location. These anchors lock into the seabed and prevent the ship from shifting from strong winds and waves. But when an anchor becomes stuck in the wrong place, it weighs down the ship it was meant to ground. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s initial infatuation with his own moral advancement morphs into a dream diluted by materialism and status, which causes Gatsby’s eventual descent into obsession and instability. Early in life, Gatsby strived for moral betterment over all else.

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If we take a non-fiction book that was written in 1922, we might ask ourselves whether the book is relevant in this day and age. One such book was written by the author F. Scott Fitzgerald and it goes by; “The Great Gatsby”. The contents of the novel actually hold pretty valuable and relatable materials regarding materialism in today’s society. It also touches on the idea that people are not what they seem to be even if they say they are. This in and of itself is highly relevant because human behavior stays fairly comprehensible throughout history.

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The importance of a good mindset can not be underestimated, its presence leaves a lingering positive impression on the future. In Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the extremely wealthy and motivated protagonist, Jay Gatsby, proves different from the rest of his fellow neighbors in New York. Money seems the most desired asset to claim as characters constantly demonstrate their obsession with materialism. Many become blinded by the fixation on finance, social status, and drama. Jay Gatsby is truly great due to his morals beyond abundance, ability for hope, and determination.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby contains the typical American Dream. All luxury, partying until the day turns to dusk, and relying on money to be the answer to everything. Chasing any woman that wasn't fast enough, hoping your immense wealth will win her over. Seems like paradise, right? The underlying problem is the fact that all of this “Dream” is built on the foundation of materialism.

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Fantasies, Materialism, and Lack of Purpose: The Absence of Direction in The Great Gatsby In his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald exposes themes of human nature, desire, delusion, materialism, and purposelessness. Writing during the modernist period, Fitzgerald explores the lives of characters who fit the description of those whom Gertrude Stein calls “a lost generation”. In the materialistic, superficial post-war society Fitzgerald explores, each character has a hard time finding direction and meaning. The Great Gatsby is a portrait of an age where the young people don’t have any real purpose – they are weary of everything, useless and miserable. With a sense of failure and lack of direction, characters Nick, Gatsby and

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, as Jay Gatsby delves into his pursuit of wealth and need for materialism, his hopes and aspirations become shattered in a world of unobtainable and unreachable possibilities. While Jay Gatsby confidently believes that material excess will ultimately bring about love, admiration, and prosperity, the audience understands that the possession of material objects does not always lead to the possession of these intangible virtues. The richest and happiest man is the one who sets the joy and happiness of others in the center of his wealth. As Jay Gatsby dedicates himself to winning over Daisy Buchanan and falls in love with her aura of luxury, Gatsby becomes overwhelmed with an unremitting desire for money and pleasure that eventually triggers his downfall. He has one purpose in life: to attract Daisy with his ornate house on West Egg and with his overflowing sum of money.

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Through the early to mid 1900s, the concept of striving to attain more than one is originally born with became predominant in most American societies. During this era, many authors, through literature, began expressing their concern with the rise in materialistic ideals and its effect on society and the individuals living within it, one being F. Scott Fitzgerald. Two of Fitzgerald’s widely-known works of literature, The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams”, both heavily elaborate on the effects of the increase in materialism and the ultimate effects of attempting to achieve the American Dream; this is conveyed through the unhappiness of the Dexter and Gatsby despite their perseverance to acquire women of higher social statuses. These texts both reach the conclusion that the American Dream is not within reach of anyone. Fitzgerald’s representation of the unattainable American Dream is demonstrated in The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams” through his portrayal of the materialistic nature of society as well as the characters’ failure to possess the women they love.

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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.

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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.

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The American dream today is nothing but an insignificant belief that has been forgotten. But in The Great Gatsby, it is definitely something worth fighting for. Fitzgerald portrays Jay Gatsby as one of the only characters who truly attempts to grasp his dream of success. In this peculiar novel, Gatsby’s intention to fulfill his dream is distinct to no other. His motivation to win back Daisy, the continuous progress of his social status, and his obsession for excessive luxury will all guarantee him attaining his American dream, but most importantly, attaining Daisy.

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