ipl-logo

The Great Gatsby Wealth Analysis

755 Words4 Pages
The Contrasting Forms of Wealth The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story of the emptiness and recklessness of the 1920s. His condemnation of the period reverberates through the novel as he explores and displays insufficiencies of the time. The 1920s were a period of sloth and moral despondency, as shown often, but by using the character Jay Gatz (a.k.a. Mr. Gatsby), we see a true shift in the ‘American dream’ and what wealth means. Fitzgerald contrasts Gatsby’s original wishes with his dreams after meeting his true love using wasteland imagery, symbolism, and metaphor to show the ever-changing definition of wealth. At first, wealth is seen to be in its material form. It’s the ‘20s, and men are seen striving to make more money in any way possible. The difference between “old money” and “new money” is prevalent. If you’re not born into a wealthy, upper-class family like Nick was, you most dedicate yourself to making “new money”. Gatsby is even shown to gamble and illegally make cash in different ways, but when he passes the Valley of Ashes, we see the illusory nature of the American Dream and how it can destroy lives. The valley of ashes is “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys-”. (23)The sharp contrast between rich and poor show the corruptness of wealth, which is how it is first portrayed. The reader feels a sense of compassion for those who are unable
Open Document