Role Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream offers a person the opportunity to escape the predestination associated with one’s birthplace or background. The power to choose one’s own destiny is commonly abused as a result of blindness to the unethical truths of reality. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s American dream is corrupted by materialism and the illusion that the past can be recreated to renew his relationship with Daisy. Gatsby’s desire to improve his morality is disclosed by the establishment of his original dream and signifies that he is insecure about his character. Also, he willingly changes his dream to satisfy his obsession with his past with Daisy which reveals his blindness. His absent-minded character remains evident because

At Gatsby’s funeral, Nick finds Mr. Gatz, Gatsby’s father, and they have a conversation that reflects on the past. Mr. Gatz shows Nick the schedule that Gatsby had written in the back cover of a book that clearly evidences the innocent motives of his original dream. Mr. Gatz claims that, “[Gatsby] was bound to get ahead[...]about improving his mind,” which reveals that his son’s original dream exists because of his want to become a better person, ultimately demonstrating its innocence (Fitzgerald 173). Gatsby’s uncorrupted dream represents his purity and drive to achieve an individual goal without any influence. The schedule that he wrote includes tasks such as behaving better towards his parents, reading everyday, and saving money, which identifies his capability of managing individuality. It is clear that Gatsby imagines his dream to result in the growth of his morality and, thus, change his character. Because he maintains the desire to assume a different identity, it is acceptable to characterize Gatsby as insecure. Therefore, Gatsby’s dream to become a better person is driven by his self-doubt. Despite the insecurities he has about his personality, he longs for the opportunity to fix them, and Dan Cody offers him that chance. Gatsby’s relationship with Dan Cody symbolizes the transition between an adolescent dream and one that has the

Before going to town, Daisy and Jordan get themselves ready while Tom, Nick and Gatsby are downstairs. Nick begins to make a comment about Daisy’s voice but hesitates, so Gatsby finishes his thought and says, “ ‘her voice is full of money,’ ” and Nick identifies that, “[money] was the inexhaustible charm[...]the golden girl”(Fitzgerald 120). Clearly, Gatsby’s American Dream is personified as Daisy which suggests that her obsession with materialism now appeals to his ambitions. In this instance, Nick creates the illusion of Daisy’s innocence and it disguises the reality of material corruption. It can then be determined that because of materialism, Gatsby’s dream fails and Daisy is only a fabrication of his imagination. Daisy assumes the identity of a prize or trophy that Gatsby is determined to win which makes her role in his life of nothing more than material value. Therefore, because Daisy embodies Gatsby’s new ideal of his American Dream, her connection to materialism is blamed for its downfall. Daisy signifies the ultimate destruction of Gatsby’s dream in that she is what changed it for the worse. After the funeral, Nick visits Gatsby's house and describes its emptiness while flashing back to to remember the parties, people, and relationships. He continues by speaking of the green light at the end of