The Great Gatsby

Materialism Drove It

In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, money and materialism play an important role. Money and materialism are the driving forces that affect people's decisions. People's relationships, emotions, successes and pride all revolve around money.

Many relationships that occurred in The Great Gatsby are created because of the influence of money. Daisy, a young woman, searches for the answers to many aspects in her life. She wants to be married and money drives her decision on a husband. "And all that time something within her was crying for a decision. She wanted her life shaped now, immediately--and the decision must be made by some force--of love, of money..." That spring Tom Buchanan arrived and the force of money made Daisy's decision. Daisy and Tom were married. Money also influenced the affair between Myrtle, married to Mr. Wilson, and Tom, married to Daisy. Materialism drove Myrtle to seek what her husband could not provide for her within their relationship. "There was not enough of him (Mr. Wilson) for his wife." Even though Mr. Wilson worked long hours he still wasn't able to provide the life style Myrtle longed for. Tom Buchanan, on the other hand, had what Myrtle sought after; money. '"I want to get on of those dogs,' she said earnestly... 'Here's your money. Go and buy ten more dogs with it."' Myrtle gets whatever she desires with Tom and that keeps her content. Many characters in The Great Gatsby are money-hungry. Their materialistic ways drive infidelity and marriage.

Also because of the materialistic ways of many characters, emotions and opinions are made towards one another. Daisy becomes very emotional when she sees the beautiful and expensive clothing of Gatsby's.

"He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them one by one before us, shirts of sheer line and thick silk and fine flannel which lost their folds as the fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray. While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher-- suddenly with a strained sound Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.

'They're such beautiful shirts,' she sobbed."

Daisy is overwhelmed by the expensive shirts. She is drawn to Gatsby's wealth. Opinions t hat many characters have of Gatsby are made because of his money. At the time and era people with "old money" are highly respected because they come from generations of wealth. Gatsby has made his own money so many people are distrusting. At one of Gatsby's extravagant parties one guest goes into his library and snoops around. Nick and Jordan enter the library and the man expresses his surprise about the books. "'They're real... Absolutely real--have pages and everything. I thought they'd be