Why Is Wealth Important In The Great Gatsby

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Wealth played an essential role in the 1920s, and individuals used it to their advantage regarding connections with friends and lovers. F. Scott Fitzgerald captures his idea of love and wealth and how they intertwine within his novel. The Great Gatsby uses complex characters to prove wealth is the key to love. Fitzgerald proves an individual's inability to express themselves without flaunting success. The Great Gatsby captures relationships between people and how wealth has played an essential role. Gatsby lacked a social connection with the woman he loved, so his first impression was unrealistic and captured success. The narrator states, “Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie, hurried in" (Fitzgerald 84). His …show more content…

Fitzgerald proved that without the substantiation of money, you were bound to doubt relationships. While the narrator describes the connection between Gatsby and Daisy five years back, he explains that Gatsby was pushing himself to unrealistic expectations. He states, "He let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself-- that he was fully able to take care of her" (Fitzgerald 149). While Gatsby carried nurturing traits, he knew that wasn’t enough. He was flawed in terms of wealth and knew he couldn’t live up to those expectations at that time. This causes him to leave and come back rich due to faulty behaviors. To further decipher this, Gatsby describes his presence in front of Daisy Buchanan as a colossal accident. He knew he loved and cared for her, but she wanted a rich man. The narrator states, "He knew that he was in Daisy's house by a colossal accident. However glorious might be Jay Gatsby, he was at present a penniless young man" (Fitzgerald 149). Gatsby knew that no matter how much gratification she received from him, he was not wealthy enough to have her. Prosperity was essential in love because it created …show more content…

Following Tom’s adulterous acts, he decides to validate Daisy’s feelings using money. Instead of apologizing or having an emotionally driven conversation with Daisy, he uses his wealth to preserve their relationship. Following their argument, he states, "Of course it matters, I'm going to take better care of you from now on" (Fitzgerald 133). Instead of Tom promising to take care of Daisy by having a conversation, he insists on using wealth to mend their relationship. Moving forward, Tom attempts to drive Daisy away from Gatsby through an argument regarding wealth. He doubts it and claims he knows what faulty business Gatsby is involved in. He states Gatsby’s probable inability to afford Daisy’s ring to prove that Gatsby is not all that he makes himself to be. He states, "She's not leaving me!" … Certainly not for a common swindler who'd have to steal the ring he put on her finger" " (Fitzgerald 133). This point is Tom’s attempt to prove to Daisy that Gatsby does not have what it takes to care for her, which is money. Overall, money mended relationships and caused others to fail because women were more influenced by money because it described love more than