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Literary Analysis Essay On The Great Gatsby

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Joshua Goulding Period 6 Ms. Coleman English III The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Essay In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald the characters live lavish lifestyles in New York City in the 1920s. Money plays a large and important role in the novel, throughout the novel the difference of “old money” and “new money” are made. Fitzgerald is making the point that at its core old and new money are the same. The only difference between the two is the status that comes with them. Money in the novel can buy many things, a mansion, custom Rolls Royce, and the social status that comes with being wealthy. Money buys Gatsby a huge mansion in West Egg, the land of new money. The novels narrator Nick describes Gatsby's mansion as “it …show more content…

This old money is the same as new money but it comes with a different status. If you have old money you are seen as higher up and better than the people with new money. Tom feels superior to Gatsby because he feels that he his better than him and his new money. During chapter 7 the characters go to a hotel to cool off from the heat, during this a fight breaks out between Tom and Gatsby. Tom exclaims, ““I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that’s the idea you can count me out” Tom feels that he is better than Gatsby because Gatsby earned his money and came from nowhere. Tom also says this “I know I’m not very popular. I don’t give big parties. I suppose you’ve got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have any friends — in the modern world.” Tom admits he's not as popular as Gatsby but he still feels as if he is better than him. There is no difference between the two forms of wealth other than the fact that one is earned and one is …show more content…

The people in New York are living lavish lifestyles, partying and drinking their lives away while the people in the Valley of Ashes live lives in squalor and disrepair. Nick recalls the living conditions of the Valley while riding the train through it, “This is a valley of ashes — a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight.” The valley of ashes is a desolate and filthy place in between the wealthy of East and West Egg and the city of New

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The difference between “old money” and “new money” was simply a contrast of different classes. Throughout the novel the author conveys how old money, money that was passed down, is superior to new money, in which is worked for and obtained. The people of the old money were more pure of class than those of new money. “A sense of fundamental decencies

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Tom got his money from a dead relative and he had “old money”. Gatsby wanting to have his life lies about how he gets his money because he knew he got his money by himself. He had “new money” but wanted to inherit it from a

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In the book The Great Gatsby, Gatsby went through a-lot of flaws. Money was one of Gatsby flaws. Money was a lend toward Gatsby, he didn’t seem to strive to be wealthy because money made him greedy. He won Daisy so that what made gatsby seem that money was only on his mind, because he thinks if he has money that would be the only way he would be able to win daisy back. Although money can’t buy happiness Gatsby thinks that Daisy would bring happiness to him.

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Old Money is money that has been passed on through generations and what the majority of the characters have in The Great Gatsby. On the contrary, an example of New Money is Jay Gatsby, who had to work for his wealth and came from an impecunious background. The differences between these two opposing lifestyles could be the root of nearly all the problems in the book. Ivy Style states that The Great Gatsby is “a cautionary tale” because it deals with “the idea of money solving any or all of one’s problems” and “the harsh reality of having your dreams come true” (Ivy Style. 10/4/15).

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Money is divided into two types: Old money and New money. Characters like Gatsby have new money, because they have made their fortunes themselves. Daisy and Tom inherited some money which they own today. This money is called old money.

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“‘She’s not leaving me!’ Tom’s words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby. ‘Certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on his finger” (Fitzgerald 133). He thinks he is better than Gatsby because he is from old money and Gatsby is from new money. However, Tom is on the same level as Gatsby because he cheated on Daisy and never worked for his money, whereas Gatsby is having an affair with Daisy and created his own wealth.

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Even though the Sloans invited Gatsby, they only did so for external validation and never fully welcomed him. Gatsby lacks social acceptance by the ultra rich because of his attempts to appease those around him instead of remaining steadfast in his character. During one excursion, Tom, the embodiment of old money virtues, hurls accusations towards Gatsby after discovering Gatsby’s affair with Daisy. During his argument with Tom, Gatsby began “defending his name against accusations that had not been

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In the novel Nick describes the home of Gatsby, “a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy with a tower on one side, ” (5) and later the Buchanan’s, “a cheerful red-and-white Georgian colonial mansion overlooking the bay” (6). Gatsby’s mansion is much more extravagant as it represents the values of new money, showing off and taking risks. Tom and his home represent old money, being more reserved and careful, not needing to take so many risks. The more risks someone takes, the more likely they are to fail. If Gatsby keeps taking risks he could likely fail and potentially lose a lot of money.

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