The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby: Did Money Kill the Great?

Many people claim that The Great Gatsby is the quintessential American novel. This is due to the reoccurring theme of the book of the rise and fall of the American dream. The book is very significant because of its relation to the time period in which it was written and the actual events that were taking place in the world in and around the 1920's. This period was called the "Roaring 20's" because of the economy at the time was through the roof and people were taking advantage of the overall wealth, both independently and as a whole. (Gevaert, 2) New York City was a symbol of what America has become in the 1920's: a place where anything goes, where money is made and bootleggers flourish. In the 1920's money was very abundant, also known as the "Golden Age." (Taylor) People were very materialistic at this time and this is evident in the book for the Gatsby's and the Buchanans were always trying to impress people rather than being themselves. Gatsby's use of the wealth and the way he sees it as being

his only way to attain his one true dream- stealing Daisy away from Tom eventually leads to his demise. As they say, "For the love of money is the root of all evil." (Timothy, 6:10) and this novel certainly could support that. I plan on supporting this statement through the use of various examples throughout the book and how the main character's love of money ultimately leads to his death.

Jay Gatsby grows up not a part of the old money society, rather works his way up to becoming one of the richest men at this time. He is part of the "new money" society and therefore lives on West Egg, a section of Long Island where those who did not inherit their money reside. On the other side are the Buchanans, Tom and Daisy, who represent the "old money society" and reside in East Egg, along with other who have been fortunate enough to be born into money. Although these characters have been brought into money in complete opposite ways, they all give into the notion that money is all that matters in life. (Trask, 213) Although I was very eager for Gatsby to attain his wish of having Daisy all to his self, his materialistic view of life consequently lead to his unhappiness and ultimately his death. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby as a way to express his fascination of the spectacle of what had become of the American Dream and how it had become corrupted by greed and materialistic possessions. (Bellmore) The simple story of rags to riches and a classic love story make this book appealing to so many people.

To be able to examine Jay Gatsby and how he relates to the American Dream it is necessary to know what the American Dream is. It is a dream that is interwoven and completely rooted in the foundation of American life and associated with individualism and enthusiasm. (Chubb) It celebrates the pursuit of success, fame, power and glory, including the domination of class and social privilege. William Fahey in his book F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Dream defined the "dream" as involving "a rise from rags to riches, of amassing a great fortune that will assure a life of luxuriant ease, power, and beauty in an ideal world untroubled by care and devoted to everlasting pleasure with nothing to intervene between wish and fulfillment" (Fahey,70). Later, Fahey points out that "it is a naпve dream based on the fallacious assumption that material possessions are synonymous with happiness, harmony, and beauty" (Fahey, 70) This notion of obtaining materials goods to achieve a higher status in life is the exact essence of what Fitzgerald is very critical of. The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic examination of 1920s and America as a whole, in particular the collapse of the American dream in an era of extreme wealth and material excess.

Although many of the characters seem different, they all fall into the category of self-centered people. In Gatsby, we see a man who was raised with nothing, who went on to achieve great things. Gatsby was not of a wealthy family, and therefore Daisy would not marry him. In return, Gatsby devoted his life to getting what he needed to win Daisy. Before he joined the service, Daisy was his unattainable object that he lusted for, and through her he sought to make all of this dreams come true. After the war, Gatsby became a bootlegger. It isn't clear how he made all of his money, but it is obvious that it was through illegal dealings in organized crime. The idealism evident in Gatsby's constant aspirations helps define what Fitzgerald saw as the basis for the American character. Gatsby is a firm believer in the American Dream of self-made success. (Trask) He has, after all, created and self-promoted a whole new persona for himself and has succeeded both financially and socially. Through Nick Carraway, we see someone who holds himself in higher esteem than the other characters in the novel. Nick, could be considered different from all the other characters because he is not "rolling in dough" like the rest of them. He left the Midwest to be a stockbroker in New York but didn't get rich, yet everywhere he looks these amoral people are rolling in their wealth. All he sees are people who are immoral having the luxury of living the high life. Throughout the novel, Nick finds himself surrounded by lavish mansions, fancy cars, and an endless supply of material possessions. Nick exclaims his disdains he says,

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed

up things and creatures and then retreated back into their

money, or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that

kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess

they had made." (188)

Daisy and Tom Buchanan both represent old money and are the epitome of materialism at its best. Daisy is in love with money, ease, and material luxury. Daisy represents the amoral values of the aristocratic East Egg inhabitants. Gatsby's attraction to Daisy seems to be from the financial stability that is always associated with her.

The best description of this is how her voice '"'is full of money" to Gatsby (Fitzgerald, 147). Daisy is the most important part of Gatsby's dream and for Gatsby; Daisy embodies everything that the American Dream is. If Daisy is the American Dream the validity of this dream should be questioned. The affair between Daisy and Gatsby ultimately fails and ends with Gatsby being shot and killed. The reason that this was inevitable

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