How Does Fitzgerald Present Wealth In The Great Gatsby

When you think of the East what comes to mind? Is it its rich culture? Or is it the scientific advancements? Or maybe your mind explores a heavenly romanticized locale. Whichever it is, you can agree that the East is a place of wealth. F Scott Fitzgerald exerts this idea in The Great Gatsby by contrasting East Egg and West Egg. Families that inherited and consumed money, as if it was a prize, settled in East Egg. Their White Georgian mansions “glittered along the water,” to flaunt the fashionable statement of affluence. On the surface, East Egg is seen to portray a traditional and formal lifestyle. The people of East Egg appear to be living a fantasy. However, it is not as exotic as it looks. The troubles that lurk underneath are disregarded

Nick becomes submerged into the lifestyle shared by Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Jay Gatsby. The lifestyle of wealthy living. Although Nick is still a resident of West Egg, he becomes “particularly aware of the beauty” when surrounded by the enchantment of East Egg. As if being there opens him up to a whole new society and light. One where happiness comes from just being in East Egg. One where happiness comes from attaining items. One where social normalities and human decencies mean very little when pinned against money and possessions. Tom and Daisy believe that by securing their wealth and living in the East, they will mask their problems and reach happiness. This idea that materialistic items lead to contentment is a common theme Fitzgerald addresses. Something he utilized from James Joyce’s Araby. The East In Araby is romanticized to fit the expectations of a young western boy. With the idea that obtaining a gift and crossing into the mystical land of Arabia, would bring light into the boy’s life, the East is seen as a passage into