Success In The Great Gatsby Is A Matter Of Money

‘Success in ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a matter of money’- To what extent do you agree with this statement?
There are remarkable correlations between the levels of prosperity achieved by the characters within ‘The Great Gatsby’ and the degree of wealth that they possess. Differences in jobs, habits, homes and friends are all illustrated with remarkable clarity, and make evident a character’s place on the spectrum of success. At one extreme, there is the unfortunate Wilson, living an ‘unprosperous’ and dusty life; on the other extreme are Tom and Daisy Buchanan, who float around the world, flaunting their money in a flurry of ‘white’, followed by a parade of polo ponies. It would seem that within the society presented in ‘The Great Gatsby’- and indeed within the American society which it has come to represent- money is the tool that buys everything, from happiness, to freedom, to success.
Representing the

According to Maslow, self-actualization is the path to happiness. Myrtle, much like Tom and Daisy, attempts to buy this happiness, using her money to fulfil the hierarchy of needs. Her basic physiological needs are taken care of easily; she somewhat fulfils the need for safety by purchasing a ‘dog’ with characteristics similar to that of a ‘police dog’. In her relationship with Tom, she fulfils the need for love. However, the need for esteem is only partially resolved. When at her apartment she transforms, from a ‘soft’ speaking wife to an example of haughty royalty, and although she spends money on objects of wealth, such as dresses and ‘cute little ash-trays’ and sophisticated ‘wreaths’, she cannot buy respect- as such can never buy happiness. She, much like the other characters within this novel, is unsuccessful in her pursuit, and despite the escape she often makes with Tom, ends up locked up and detained by her husband later on in the