The Great Gatsby: An Analysis. It finally hits Nick at the end that men have always been dreamers. The idea of America as a land of infinite possibilities was so magnificent then, that man was “face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder” (189). F. Scott Ftizgerald writes his best novels during the 1920’s, in which he examines the evils of the time; he recognizes the consequences that accompany the actions of the characters who act on such vices, and wrote about them. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in and never even told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out” (2.35). Daisy’s decisions are influenced by her desire for money rather than by her love for Gatsby, who makes her truly happy, and as a result, her life becomes chaotic. What was once for Thomas Jefferson-a belief in self-reliance and hard work, has become what Nick Carraway calls “The service of a cast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (180). Fitzgerald contrasts Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway to display how the materialistic attitude of the 1920’s leads many to hopeless depression and how materialism never constitutes happiness. Fitzgerald underlines and evidently shows us that money, along with external pleasures and materialistic values, only decays everyone to the core by ruining the morality inside the people’s souls. He is now rid of Tom and the world Tom represents, and can return to a world of principles and traditions in the Midwest. This famous line in one of Madonna's songs entitled "Material Girl" will never outgrow itself. This dumping ground is half way between West Egg and New York. The “Great Gatsby” was published in 1925 and was set in the ‘Roaring Twenties’. “Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction—Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn” (1.4). This material is available only on Freebooksummary, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material … The characters in the novel do not work, and live solely for the purpose of amassing their wealth, reck The author F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the flourish of success, as well as the sudden rise of materialism through the lives of Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan in his novel The Great Gatsby. . This state of mind is known as "The American Dream." Achieving the American dream actually means becoming wealthy and flaunting your possessions. It is Nick’s last night in West Egg and he has walked over to Gatsby’s mansion, letting the houses melt away in his imagination, he thinks of what this island must have looked like to the Dutch sailors seeing it for the first time in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: as a new world-pure, and unspoiled. This energy might have gone into the pursuit of morale and self worth, rather than materialism and shallow fortunes. Everybody had seen it. Fitzgerald’s characterization of Daisy and Tom Buchanan as a couple who represent moral decline shows us the consequences of the selfishness that materialism perpetuates. GradesFixer. It was full of money – that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals song of it…”(7.120). This is a very special moment where Nick reveals to the reader that although he disapproves of Gatsby’s materialism, his tasteless pink suits, his love of a woman as shallow as Daisy, and his pathetic efforts to win her back by showing off what he has rather than who he is? In the 1920s, America became very prosperous as the country recovered from World War I. Indeed, a second example of the Buchanan family’s morality resignation is vividly shown after the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, dies: ”I called up Daisy half an hour after we found him, called her instinctively and without hesitation. Thanks "Though the Jazz Age continues it When he buys his fantastic house, he thinks he is buying a dream, not simply purchasing property (Lewis 51). Right before Gatsby is killed, Nick says goodbye to him, turns to walk away, then pauses, turns back and shouts “. The land? Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby. Despite not being as wealthy as Tom and Daisy, his second cousin, they see him as enough of a peer to invite him to their home in Chapter 1. They do not have spiritual values or compassion. famously known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of great economic and social growth in America. The Roaring 20s is considered as one of America’s most prosperous eras, however, Fitzgerald denounces the loss of moral values, the loss of identity, and the deception about achieving a person’s American Dream in addition … We can custom edit this essay into an original, 100% plagiarism free essay. 2021 © gradesfixer.com. America, the land of opportunity, has unfortunately turned into an economic battle. His state of reality is so greatly altered that he cannot believe she is not the absolute perfect woman he so desired five years ago. Materialism in the Great Gatsby America has been labeled "The land of opportunity," a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. Not only she blindly conforms to the tyrannical rule of the society, but also seems to enjoy it: “ Her voice is full of money… That was it. . In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby the characters are all engulfed in the world of materialism, and believe that that is what makes them happy. Daisy’s decisions are influenced by her desire for money rather than by her love for Gatsby, who makes her truly happy, and as a result, her life becomes chaotic. Lost in his idealistic world, he molds his images of her into a perfect specimen. Placing Nick as an observer, Fitzgerald is able to successfully show the reader how foolish it is to value material items over spirituality. Although “The American Dream” can be thought of as a positive motivation, it often causes people to strive for material perfection, rather than a spiritual one. Abstract : The Great Gatsby reflects the mood of glamour and wild ecstasy of the times of the 1920s in the American society up to a level which apparently, will never be realized again. Evocative example of a moral decay, the distorted reality, along with indications of plutomaniac nature of human beings — all implies to the central theme that Fitzgerald is trying to show to us. He went to her house? ?You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together’ ” (162). freebooksummary.com © 2016 - 2021 All Rights Reserved. Myrtle, unlike Daisy and Tom, was not born into money, and instead is relying on her little tricks to achieve obsessively wealthy lifestyle. Materialism America has been labeled “The land of opportunity,” a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. Spirituality is sensitivity or attachment to religious values. For although this novel captures the romance and glitter of “The Jazz Age”, it is more fundamentally a sad story? To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below: Sorry, copying is not allowed on our website. Jay Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy gives him a false illusion of her, much like the illusion of the American dream, both representing inevitable disaster. Throughout the story, Fitzgerald emphasizes that wealth and money define the reality for the characters in the story, at the same time bringing the illusionary norms into existence: “And I hope she’ll be a fool – That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (1.17). In fact, The Great Gatsby’s central theme tells us that materialism is the main source of moral downfall, distorted reality, and the society’s plutomania. Fitzgerald reveals it by illustrating the weak moral code, the distorted reality, and the plutomaniac nature of human beings that money elaborates on. were worthy of the dream. I knew right away I made a mistake. In the opening pages, Nick establishes himself as someone who has had many advantages in life—a wealthy family and an Ivy League education to name just two. Fitzgerald ses the word grail to suggest that for Gatsby, marrying Daisy is a type of a religious quest. “Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air “ (2.56). In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby the characters are all engulfed in the world of materialism, and believe that that is what makes them happy. How about getting full access immediately? Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-theme-of-materialism-in-the-great-gatsby-a-novel-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/, Recieve 100% plagiarism-Free paper just for 4.99$ on email, *Public papers are open and may contain not unique content. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our, The whole doc is available only for registered users, The American Dream as Shown in The Novels The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby, The Corruption of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”. All of these things are the reasons Gatsby “commit[s] himself to the following of a grail” (156). But she and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them.”. By 1924, when Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby, he seems to have already foreseen the lasting consequences of America’s heady romance with capitalism and materialism. But there is a danger for Gatsby in this redeeming purposefulness. The excess of Read more about materialism in The Great Gatsby[…] Fitzgerald’s employment of a materialistic society vividly reveals to us the plutomaniac nature of average human beings. Society is so worried about being the best, people surpass pure happiness. Fitzgerald contrasts Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway to display how the materialistic attitude of the 1920’s leads many to hopeless depression and how materialism never constitutes happiness. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. Her lack of shame regarding her materialism is what the flapper lifestyle is all about. Fitzgerald uses this slum as an example of the failure of the American Dream. The American dream is about buying items that display wealth. Nick will also always know the importance of human beings in his life; and not material things. The grail symbolizes a quest for perfection, the perfection of himself in others’ eyes. The very definition of materialism implies unhappiness because without spiritual values there cannot be true and lasting fulfillment. Gatsby becomes wealthy so he can buy items (such as a mansion, car, and large … But the more important question that faces us through our sense of the immediate tragedy is where (these deficiencies) have brought America”. Daisy captured a strong, and incurable disease that the society is willing to spread — craving for wealth . Daisy, perhaps, is not a fool, but her environment requires her to play that role; most of the time she pretends to be imbecilic, in order to fit into this cruel and unequal world. Similarly, Tom is portrayed as unfaithful, discourteous, and self-interested, fully complementing the Daisy’s unscrupulous personality. materialism in The Great Gatsby essaysThe Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald chronicles the vapid, materialistic lives of the upper class of Long Island during the booming times of the Jazz Age. At night her moonlit figure is seen on the shore by the fisherman across the waters. “There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way, and not to give others absurd maddening claims upon it. If you fit this description, you can use our free essay samples to generate ideas, get inspired and figure out a title or outline for your paper. Luckily, FreeBookSummary offers study guides on over 1000 top books from students’ curricula! The Great Gatsby demonstrates the way the materialistic desire for wealth negatively affects both Daisy and Gatsby, which warns Fitzgerald’s audience of the dangers of materialism. While Jay Gatsby's intentions were pure, he compromised his morals, which were corrupted by wealth and materialism. Having trouble finding the perfect essay? We’ve got you covered. . “I’d seen it. Fitzgerald creates many parallels between the lives of those … When Gatsby returns from the war, his pursuit of Daisy’s love reveals his materialism and he eventually becomes rich for Daisy and believes that he can win her back because he now has money. His “incorruptible dream” has something pure and noble about it, which sets him apart from the others. Daisy is portrayed as a materialistic, ignorant, and somewhat selfish human being, aiming to satisfy her mercantile desires by concentrating on the external pleasures. Ever since the beginnings of monetary means, the main focus of living is getting more money and to be as successful as possible. Money and Materialism In the Great Gatsby. Materialism in the Great Gatsby The rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war led to a sudden, sustained increase in the national wealth and a new found materialism, as people began to spend and consume at unprecedented levels. It excited him too that many men had already loved Daisy? The description of Gatsby's parties at the beginning of Chapter 3 is long and incredibly detailed, and thus highlights the extraordinary extent of Gatsby's wealth and materialism. All rights reserved Gradesfixer ™, “The Theme of Materialism in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.”, The Theme of Materialism in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald [Internet]. The Valley of Ashes is a symbol of the empty existence of a low society. Want us to write one just for you? Nick realizes that Gatsby is better than them because of his total dedication to a dream. The Great Gatsby demonstrates the way the materialistic desire for wealth negatively affects both Daisy and Gatsby, which warns Fitzgerald’s audience of the dangers of materialism. ”, it is to value material items over spirituality you can get 100 % plagiarism FREE essay however. 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