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How Is Wealth Portrayed In The Great Gatsby

1489 Words6 Pages

ESSAY
The Immorality of Wealth
The timeless effect of wealth represented throughout The Great Gatsby and Crazy Rich Asians.

Mitchell Reid
MONEY MAKES THE world go round. A saying that encapsulates how society deems wealth and consumption as fundamental elements of life. Today the type of car someone drives is as relevant as their name. The wealthy desire new cars, clothes and planes as this constant conspicuous consumption validates and displays their wealth. Despite this lifestyle being idealised by billions, various texts represent wealth as a prison sentence speckled with gold and million-dollar assets. While being generations apart, the novel The Great Gatsby (1925), written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the feature film Crazy Rich Asians …show more content…

Fitzgerald makes Gatsby’s agenda transparent to the reader, demonstrating his character lacks morals. Nick Carraway is a character Gatsby takes a great interest in solely because of his connections to former lover Daisy. "He wants to know… if you'll invite Daisy to your house…and then let him come over." (page 76). Fitzgerald strategically characterises Nick to be passive and easily manipulated to clearly illustrate how Gatsby is unphased by manipulating him. The character Tom acts in a similar manner. His love affair with Myrtle exemplifies how he constantly manipulates and abuses her. "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." (page 39). This disgusting behaviour is reflective of the Jazz Age culture and how the wealthy characters had a sense of superiority towards those who are not wealthy. This mentality encapsulates the wealthy’s lack of morals. The way the lower-class characters are manipulated and abused throughout The Great Gatsby amplifies how the wealthy lack basic morals and human …show more content…

Chu strategically surrounds Rachel with wealthy characters who dehumanise her to emphasise their lack of morals. "Hey Cinderella. What's wrong? You gotta return your dress before midnight?" Eddie’s comments towards Rachel evokes imagery within the audience and reduces her character to that of a filthy peasant chasing a fairy-tale ending who does not belong in upper-class Singapore. This emphasise how the upper class lack basic respect. Chu ensures that various characters treat Rachel similarly to emphasise this. Amanda is a character who is envious of Rachel’s relationship with Nick and befriends her to slander and diminish her. "... Hook, line, and SINK HER." Amanda utilises her cunning charisma to destroy Rachel's confidence and position her to feel unwanted. Chu utilises this to emphasise how most wealthy characters intend to manipulate and harm Rachel emotionally. Crazy Rich Asians encapsulates how the characters constantly abuse their wealth to mistreat

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