ipl-logo

Wealth And Money In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

1287 Words6 Pages

As human beings, we tend to search for happiness in material wealth and money because it is often portrayed that the more belongings we have, the happier we will be. However, wealth is not the most important thing in our lives and with too much power and money, it can lead to extreme carelessness and greed. This obsession with wealth will not only have a negative impact on one’s life, but the others around them. The dependency on wealth and status is greatly seen throughout the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, as Daisy Buchanan, a self-absorbed prosperous young women, revolves her life around power and materialistic relationships in order to maintain her high social standing. Her actions are solely driven based on what is best …show more content…

This manipulation was greatly seen with Jay Gatsby as she lured him along, taking all he had in him, and then practically, “throwing him away”(Anderson). On top of using Gatsby, she still remains to go back to Tom, even after he openly cheated on her. Yet again, Nick Carraway describes the truth he sees about Daisy when he explains how she “lures men in with her throaty, mysterious voice, a voice containing the promise of infinite riches” (Fitzgerald 115). It is this flirtatious behavior that led to Gatsby’s death as he was mesmerized by Daisy and would do anything for her. Daisy knew all along that her behavior was making men crazy, but she did it anyway. Gatsby stood no chance against her and her “siren” of a voice (Fitzgerald 114). Towards the very end of the novel, Daisy is in a room with three men-- Gatsby, Tom, and Nick. There, Gatsby demands that she tells Tom that she never loved him and that she must run away with him. At first, Daisy agrees with him but then she goes on to say that she did love Tom. It is exposed here that Daisy “was never planning on ending up with Gatsby after all” (Mack). This made Gatsby extremely upset because he had been led on by Daisy, and now she changed her feelings towards him. It is this rage that led to Myrtle's death, as Daisy was recklessly driving the car. Clearly, one can see that it was Daisy’s devilish and manipulative behavior that caused Gatsby’s and Myrtle's

Show More
Related
518 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald depicts the theme of “wealth can breed carelessness” using the literary devices and/or techniques of irony, irony, and point of view. From Nick 's perspective, the wealthy characters of this story tend to act ignorantly and care nothing else besides themselves, which would impact others, including the actions shown by Gatsby, Tom, Daisy, and Jordan. First of all, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the theme of “Wealth can breed carelessness” using irony. In the text, a conversation between Jordan and Nick, “‘They’ll keep out of my way,’ she insisted.

Read More
830 Words | 4 Pages

“‘Even that’s a lie,’ said Tom savagely. She didn’t know you were alive. Why- there’re things between Daisy and me that you’ll never know, things that neither of us can ever forget.” (Fitzgerald 132). Even when Tom knows that Daisy is cheating on him with Jay Gatsby, he contends his marriage and fights for her.

Read More
826 Words | 4 Pages

Fitzgerald in the novel, uses careless individuals who would destroy everything and everyone and yet still manage to retreat back to their money. Daisy Buchanan, the ‘golden girl’ is rather dishonest and deceitful throughout the novel. As she starts having her affair with Gatsby, she creates unrealistic expectations in Gatsby head about their future together. As Gatsby is having drinks at the Buchanan’s, Tom leaves the room and Daisy kisses Gatsby and declares, ‘I don’t care!’ At this point, the audience realizes that Daisy is and always was in love with Gatsby and that she was prepared to leave Tom.

Read More
1077 Words | 5 Pages

It has long been said that money can’t buy happiness, but still people continue to use it’s acquisition to try to make themselves happy. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the title character struggles with this realization. The book is set in New York during the ‘Roaring 20’s’, a time famous for its parties and lavishness. The book examines the attitudes toward money within the upper particularly through the lense of the new-money title character, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby dedicated his life to the acquisition of money with the goal of eventually acquiring the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan.

Read More
854 Words | 4 Pages

The Negative Influence of Wealth Wealth and prosperity are the core of living a lavish lifestyle and having a successful life. However, money can influence people into debauchery. In the book, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces to us to some of the dangers of being rich. Most people in the Great Gatsby were very privileged, and they lived a lavish lifestyle.

Read More
1317 Words | 6 Pages

Scott Fitzgerald shows many points in Gatsby’s actions and words that the reader can decide how he really felt for Daisy. It’s up to the reader’s imagination to see what mindset Gatsby has and whether his love for Daisy was either obsession, affection, or objectification. The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of how love and lust can drive a man crazy, whether it’s Tom, Gatsby, or Wilson. When Nick ends with, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (189). Showed that no matter how hard Gatsby fought for Daisy’s heart and his American Dream, he was pushed back and had to start over, getting closer and closer, but he never got to fulfill his dream, and that’s the way life goes for many

Read More
1266 Words | 6 Pages

The desire for love impairs the moral judgment of the individuals, especially Gatsby in the novel. As much as the readers of 1984 wish to cast Gatsby as a great man for his love for Daisy, his attachment to Daisy is actually nothing more than an illusion as he cannot distinguish his feeling as desire or love. True love is a deep attachment to someone in an unconditional and a sacrificial manner where one is selfless to put the other before oneself and is understanding of the other’s flaws. Yet, Gatsby possesses none of the characteristics. Although Gatsby knows that Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, he hosts dazzling parties and even “[buys] the [mansion] so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald, 78).

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby describes the life of Jay Gatsby in the 1920’s. The novel shares his love story and his loneliness. A major question the author raises is how does wealth impact class structure and society? Fitzgerald answers this question through the distinction between “New rich” and “Old rich” and the significance of East and West Egg.

Read More
2065 Words | 9 Pages

The Connection of Wealth and Personality in Fitzgerald’s Works In our society, money is seen as the most important factor in decision making and in our overall lives. This is shown throughout all of Fitzgerald’s works and in many of his characters. His stories continually mention the effect that money has on the community. In one of her criticisms, Mary Jo Tate explains that “[Fitzgerald] was not a simple worshiper of wealth or the wealthy, but rather he valued wealth for the freedom and possibilities it provided, and he criticized the rich primarily for wasting those opportunities.

Read More
275 Words | 2 Pages

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald speaks very stridently of “class”. He permeates clues and different sayings about how the bourgeois people talk and how they act among themselves. For example, “What’ll we plan?; What do people plan?.” Daisy had said this as a innuendo to her surroundings that the “rich” people that had so much money, have no idea what to do with their fortunes.

Read More
833 Words | 4 Pages

What is more valuable, love or money? In the novel the ¨The Great Gatsby¨ written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is old and new money, Gatsby who is the main character in the novel comes from the side of new money. Gatsby finds out that his money can buy: a beautiful home, nice cars, friends, however; his wealth cannot buy the one thing that he wants most. Fitzgerald is conveying that money cannot buy certain things. Gatsby's rise and fall throughout the novel show that money isn't what makes a person happy.

Read More
831 Words | 4 Pages

Money has a powerful influence on the perception of people. Motivation can bring good things to those who have a lot of fortune. Riches is what makes the American Dream come true because it can either buy materials, love or even identity. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, makes a direct relationship between money and the pursuit of the American Dream. In the novel, money plays the role of motivation and changes in people.

Read More
1149 Words | 5 Pages

How does the desire to pursue money and power negatively impact the characters' moral sense of right or wrong? Many people allow their social class and wealth to determine their belonging in life. In The Great Gatsby people with "old money" are more respected and superior than those with "new money". The characters' actions are driven by their desire for wealth and power.

Read More
773 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby Greed can ruin a person’s life. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows this in his classic novel, The Great Gatsby, a sad love story about the rich title character, Jay Gatsby, and his obsession to win back the love of the now married Daisy Buchanan, his former girlfriend. The extravagant lifestyles of Gatsby and the wealthy socialites who attend his parties lead to lost dreams and wasted lives. These men and women are absorbed by material pursuits. In Jay Gatsby’s case, all the money in the world could not replace what he truly desires, Daisy.

Read More
780 Words | 4 Pages

(99) In this moment, Gatsby makes it clear to Daisy that he could easily provide her with the same lifestyle she shares with Tom. Once Gatsby captures Daisy’s affection, he becomes full of greed and doesn’t want to believe she ever gave any of her love to Tom. “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’” (118) When Daisy states “‘Even alone I can’t say I never loved Tom,’ (142), Gatsby begins to feel a “touch of panic” (142). All of his parties, stories, and entire persona were all fabricated to win Daisy back.

Read More

More about Wealth And Money In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Related Topics

Open Document