F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby offers a vivid portrayal of the characters’ personalities through their homes. From Gatsby’s luxurious mansion to the modest home of George Wilson, each character’s home reveals their status, values, and ambitions. Gatsby’s mansion is a symbol of his wealth and extravagant lifestyle. The house is described as a “colo“cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion, overlooking the bay affair by any standard” (Fitzgerald 6) and is decorated with luxurious items such as “marble swimming pools” and “fountains” (Fitzgerald 5).
Gatsby's house and possessions are both extraordinary and show how much wealth Gatsby has. For example, on page 7 it says, "It was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side." This example shows how luxurious and high status his mansion is because it looks like a fancy hotel from Europe. Additionally, on page 99 it says, "He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk. "
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby deceives everyone around him concerning the legitimacy behind his wealth, claiming that he had become affluent through respectable means. Gatsby’s deception is intended to regain Daisy Buchanan’s love, which he had long-missed ever since before he went to war. However, with this deception, Fitzgerald makes clear the hypocrisy and deceit present in the 1920’s – deceit not only within relationships and interactions but also in the very mantra of the United States, the American dream. Fitzgerald reveals his views with Gatsby’s superfluous luxury, which he prominently displays, whether in the form of lavish parties or a grandiose house. He takes every opportunity to make his wealth known; for example, he often offers a multitude (and often excessive) of favors to Nick, implicitly desperate to make his wealthy reputation spread across the city.
He was a new wealth man who loved to draw attention to himself and please everyone he met. When Nick Carraway moved next door, he compared his bungalow to the house next door, Gatsby’s house, "The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard - it was a factual imitation of some Hȏtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden." (5). The point that his house was an “imitation” of the real thing is showing that his wealth is a cover for his true self. Gatsby wants to be noticed as a man of great wealth who lives a magnificent lifestyle, he wanted attention and to impress everyone he met.
They got into automobiles which bore them out to Long Island and somehow they ended up at Gatcby’s door”(Fitzgerald, 45). This shows a great example of how the Gatsby party caught so many people's attention, hoping that it might catch Daisy’s as well. The desperate attempts on the usage of money to believe that wealth could impress others, and fit into the upper class. The novel “The Great Gatsby” claims that “Gatsby’s party is almost unbelievably luxurious”(Fitzgerald, 41). The quote explains that Gatsby is willing to waste thousands of dollars on the decoration, food, and alcohol.
Wanting to gain status, Gatsby shows his wealth by throwing extravagant parties and purchasing expensive items to display. To announce himself as a man of wealth to the New York upper class, he purchases a “factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (5), his mansion in West Egg. It is here that he chooses to throw parties every weekend, where everyone shows up, though rarely people are actually invited. It is here that he is able to show off the true extent of his wealth to other rich folk. For example, in his library, he has a collection of “absolutely real” books, rather than “durable cardboard” (45), expected by Owl Eye, and attendant of one of Gatsby’s parties.
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”.
As Fitzgerald describes, "It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hatboxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns" (Fitzgerald, 63; ch. 4. The adage of the adage. This description captures the ostentatiousness of Gatsby's lifestyle and his relentless pursuit of material success.
The Allure of Opulence: An Analysis of the Wealth, Disregard, and Superficiality in The Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, an aura of status, wealth, and mystery surrounds Jay Gatsby’s opulent parties, enthralling residents of both West and East Egg. Nevertheless, the lavishness of these events unveils the hidden reality of the New York upper class; specifically, through the recurring motifs of vehicles and empty houses, Nick Carraway’s first experience at Gatsby’s house illustrates the carelessness of the rich and superficiality that underlines their lives. The ubiquitous, free-flowing alcohol, accompanied by the seemingly irrelevant and ignored car crash, demonstrates the arrogance of the rich, which Nick comes to recognize as he reflects upon Tom and Daisy’s complicity in
The data proves that the size of the fins do impact the height of the rocket. When launched with the small fins, the rocket reached a height of 38.35 meters and had a time of 5.54 seconds. The larger fins appeared to make a difference in the height. The height achieved with the larger fins was 48.82 meters and accomplished a time of 6.25 seconds. This data proves that the hypothesis was correct.
Throughout the novel, Gatsby displays his riches through his mansion, expensive car, and many other things. Nick even describes how extravagant Gatsby’s house is, saying, “The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 5). As Nick describes, Gatsby’s house is very large and modern, which shows his affluence. Before he became rich and privileged, Gatsby was James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy who dreamed of becoming wealthy. This dream led Gatsby to do crazy things in order to make money, but it worked out for him in the end.
For instance, Gatsby throws the most lavish parties and throws money around like candy. In East Egg, most of the people live in mansions and have special house features such as “a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of ivy, and a marble swimming pool…” (5). Gatsby also mentioned how he “collect[ed] jewels, chiefly rubies, hunt[ed] big game, painting a little, things only for myself only” (66) which shows that throughout his life he was after material objects. Fitzgerald talks about how Dan Cody was “James Gatz’s destiny” (100) which means that Gatsby has been chasing wealth since he very young. Materialism is ridiculed from beginning to end which shows the novel as satirical.
In many literary works, the wealthy are generally depicted as pretentious or cruel and authors tend to portray their personalities through various methods. In his work The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses literary techniques to distinctly characterize the wealthy. Doing so helps him communicate the work’s theme on the soulless nature of the affluent. Fitzgerald conveys his message by incorporating juxtaposition, effective diction, and suiting moods with his characters.
In order to attract Daisy's interest, Gatsby throws a lot of parties in his mansion, he displays his cars and fancy clothes. This can be related to today’s modern society as many people still show there prosperous side and wealthiness to attract other people’s
The behavior and attitude of the guests at Gatsby’s party shows the moral decline of the wealthy. There’s a lot of disregard for their actions, as they seemingly do not care. As stated in the novel “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy. They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated into their money or their vast carelessness” (108). This quote represents the differences between the upper and lower social classes.
