Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

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and gypsies. And this materialism of the age reflects on the personality of the characters. Daisy`s love for Gatsby for instance does not have the same tragedy that pushed him above his destiny. To her, Gatsby is no dream at all, just a memory. Thus, her alleged love is not the expression of regrets and hopes, but another misjudgment of her superficiality. After life has brought them together once more, she does not cry when she sees him, but at the display of his wealth. It is the sight of his silk and fine flannel shirts what brings down the wall of her indifference. We might as well leave love aside and replace it with aesthetic pleasure to describe Daisy`s feelings. He bought a palace just to be across the bay from where she lives; more shallowly she likes him, he looks cool to her green eyes because he resembles the advertisement of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg on the giant billboard. …show more content…

Alike post-French Revolution Europe, the hollow pursuit of wealth and social status is the real tragedy in The Great Gatsby, at large in American society. Fitzgerald`s wisdom reverses on a pessimistic judgment over his characters, `careless and confused` and his age, split into two classes, the old elite and the self-made man. No matter how shining Gatsby`s wealth is, it will never buy himself a social niche in East Egg. This is why he dies while the Buchanans live on. Each character has their own way of showing off their wealth and status. Fancy cars (Tom`s blue coupe and Gatsby’s Rolls-Royce), lavish mansions, convenient marriage, the American Dream proved itself at the edge of a collapse. Gatsby`s bonds are counterfeit, part of his fortune comes from merchandising illegal liquors, his success is stained by corruption. So it is for Jordan Baker, who won her first golf tournament by cheating in the