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Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

605 Words3 Pages

Drama, affairs, murder, lies, and crimes; these aspects and more in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Throughout the story Fitzgerald will drag you along in a story full of twists and turns. Though his characters are realistic they show some of the darker qualities in people. The American Dream is based upon materialism, violence, and social class. Materialism: devotion to material wealth and possessions at the expense of spiritual or intellectual values. Gatsby owns many things, an ignoramus house, two boats, aquaplanes, his own private beach, a gigantic garden, many servants, gardeners, and a Rolls-Royce. Many parties occur at his mansion. “Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrive from a fruiterer – At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree – On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d’oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys – By seven o’clock the orchestra arrived, a whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos, and low and high drums.” He over does everything in his attempt to appeal to the wants and needs of everybody. Tom and Daisy Buchanan weren’t much different, many objects and belongings that they couldn’t possibly ever use. …show more content…

“Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward – It was a body capable of enormous leverage a cruel body.” During Tom and Myrtle’s affair he seems shorter tempered than usual. Just at the mention of Tom’s wife’s name he broke Myrtle’s nose. He thinks of his wife as property just another trophy to add to his shelf, she is his and that’s

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In the novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are some characters that are preoccupied with wealth, money and materialism. Set in the early 1920’s, The Great Gatsby, is in the gilded age of history. Throughout the story, the narrator describes several instances where various characters are consumed by money, wealth and materialism. With these instances, Fitzgerald gives a glimpse of his belief of the effect of money and materialism on people and society. Therefore, in the novel The Great Gatsby, characters are preoccupied with wealth and materialism, there is a negative effect on the characters in the book, and Fitzgerald seems to believe money and materialism has a negative effect on people and society in general.

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