Happiness In The Great Gatsby

Sometimes in life we just wish we could have more money to make our problems go away. The book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald contains a deep story about the fictional writer Nick’s experiences moving into a wealth ridden town in New York. Through the novel Nick encounters many characters thoroughly corrupted by upper class living and the deep seeded problems of the gilded age. These characters, specifically Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom, have a compelling love story full of themes and life lessons that can be applied to the real world. I will specifically be using the story of these characters to prove that money cannot buy happiness. The first character in the novel that proves that money can’t buy happiness is Jay Gatsby. In the book right before his intense confrontation with Tom over who Daisy loves Gatsby expresses concern about Daisy saying “Her voice is full of money” (120). This shows how even

When Nick observed Tom and Daisy after they remained together and ended Gatsby’s dream he commented “They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness...” (179). This shows how their rich lifestyle and lack of empathy due to their vast amounts of money cause their own life to be turbulent and drama filled while also messing with others. On the final pages of the book Nick decides he has had enough of these people and the upper class drama and decides to leave town in spite of the money opportunities for him there. This shows that he is the one character in the book who is willing to put his own happiness ahead of the pursuit of wealth after watching these people destroy their lives when they had already attained it. Nick is the only example of a character in the book who manages to see past the lure of money and prioritize his own happiness instead of believing money will solve all his