Examples Of Old Money In The Great Gatsby

Money is the driving factor in the world. The impact that money can have on people is shown throughout Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. His characters are part of many different social classes, but money is not the only thing that impacts their lives, how they receive it is also critical. The means people use to obtain their wealth has a large impact on how they conduct themselves. Having old money refers to money that has been in a family for generations even though that generation may have not done anything to earn the wealth. Two examples of people that have old money from the book The Great Gatsby are Tom and Daisy Buchanan. The couple perfectly embody the concept of old money. People that have old money typically are very proper in their actions but do not get concerned with how they may impact others. They are very used to being wealthy enough to get whatever they want. “Tom and Daisy were careless people. They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up their mess they had made.” (Fitzgerald 39) This quote shows that even if they make

Those who have no money are often much more conservative. They can not afford the privileges of those with wealth. Nick, the narrator of the story, is a prime example of having no money. He has struck out on his own in the bond business and worked hard for what he has, even though it does not amount to much. Though Nick does not have much himself, he would give what he has to help his friends. “I took him into the pantry, where he looked a little reproachfully at the Finn. Together we scrutinized the twelve lemon cakes from the delicatessen shop. ‘Will they do?’ I asked.” (Fitzgerald 84) Nick is willing to give what little he has to help out his friend