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Why Is Money Important In The Great Gatsby

919 Words4 Pages

Money can't buy you happiness is a saying some live by and others ignore, in the novel The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates two different types of people: those with new money and those with old money. The novel revolves around Jay Gatsby's life and his desire to be reunited with his first love Daisy Buchanan. Unwinding the struggles he undergoes to win over her admiration, going from broke to filthy rich. Fitzgerald highlights the importance money has on others, and how it negatively affects their relationships with those around them. Starting with Daisy marrying Tom for his wealth, Myrtle cheating on her husband to improve her status, and Gatsby trying to win over Daisy's love with money. There are those fortunate enough …show more content…

Myrtle thrives in the power of money and will do anything to achieve what she wants disregarding the outcome. Her husband, George Wilson isn't wealthy but still tries his best to give her everything. However, he doesn't satisfy her want for power; so she finds someone else. Tom cheats on Daisy with Myrtle for his entertainment, overlooking either Daisy's or Georges's feelings. “Walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye” (26). Tom and Myrtle had been seeing each other and everyone knew, but they all turned a blind eye. Myrtle uses Tom for his image and money to improve her demeanor, she's careless about hurting others through her actions. She didn't marry for love but rather the idea that love could get her out of poverty and improve her status. Believing George could get her out of the Valley of Ashes and into a better place like East Egg. “I married him because I thought he was a gentleman,” she said finally. “I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn't fit to lick my shoe” (34). But after seeing that he couldn't give her the lifestyle she's always dreamed of, she took matters into her own hands overlooking the trouble she was causing in both her marriage and …show more content…

Confident that money can buy him everything he loves, without listening to his head and not his heart, to think about the consequences. Convinced he can win over Daisy's love with money, Gatsby confesses his love but gets rejected when she marries another man. Devastated by the news Gatsby devotes himself to working harder every day to become the wealthy man Daisy wants, although deep down he knows he could never be. “He knew that Daisy was extraordinary, but he didn't realize just how extraordinary a “nice” girl could be. She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby- nothing. He felt married to her, that was all'' (149). With time, he made something of himself and became the wealthy man he always wanted. Meeting up with Daisy he took it upon himself to show her his mansion and new lavishing lifestyle; “He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes'' (91). Gatsby was too caught up in the moment to stop and realize that this was all a lie, Daisy was a married woman, and he knew she would never choose him because he didn't come from the same background as

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