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How Is Money Presented In The Great Gatsby

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The World of New Money While the newly wealthy indulge in a lavish lifestyle, they are disingenuous and hollow. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald uses imagery & descriptions of the superficial party to portray the yearning to be great in the world of new money. Throughout the novel, Gatsby obtains a persona to be “safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor” (Fitzgerald 11). Meanwhile, passage 4 thoroughly explains the significance of Gatsby’s party and his guests. These different interpretations of Gatsby reveal the foundation of his class based on status. Gatsby wants his events to be flawless, because that is how he can showcase his power. This world focuses on materialistic wealth, when they get a chance to display their earnings, …show more content…

They are not trying to build connections; they just want to enjoy what the party has to offer. Fitzgerald builds on superficial relationships by using imagery. The phrase that describes the “casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot” followed by “enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s name” shows the inconvenience of a mere introduction (Fitzgerald 4). These women go from group to group throughout the party. The way these women are described suggests this class is selfish. Fitzgerald’s use of imagery & dialogue reveals the world of the new money is more than “rich people”. The imagery used to represent material wealth shows it can only go so far. After showcasing their wealth, what is next? This is how their void is formed, everyone feels they need to be great, but barely put any effort towards it. Gatsby throwing parties lead to nothing but superficial connections, which were forgotten in an instance and his ultimate persona of “Jay Gatsby”. Through literary elements, Fitzgerald uses wealth to boost status while taking away self-awareness &

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