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How Does Fitzgerald Use Materialism In The Great Gatsby

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Both Fitzgerald and Mary Balcazar, my mother, believe that the idea of the American Dream corrupts people in only wanting materialistic items. In The Great Gatsby, Mr.Wilson and Michaelis are both reminiscing what had happened before Myrtle's death, “And I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!....Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg.”(Fitzgerald 159). Mr.Wilson tells Myrtle how she “can't fool God”, Fitzgerald uses the symbol of the eyes of T.J Eckleburg to represent it as “God” and this billboard sign is watching everything that happens to the characters. This billboard sign or “God” is watching the American people lose their morality over owning materialistic items. …show more content…

In search of the American Dream, Myrtle has an affair with Tom. She saw what Tom was able to give her and she was immediately corrupted with the idea of owning materialistic items. T.J Eckleburg is an eye doctor and this sign is posted in the Valley of Ashes for people who are blinded about the American Dream. Americans have chosen wealth and materials over happiness, so Fitzgerald believes God is beginning to give up on America. Similarly, my mother Mary Balcazar grew up that values come over money, “For me, society portrays the American Dream as having the nicest car, the nicest house, and nicest clothes. It's all about having materialistic things and I wish it was different”(Balcazar). Mary Balcazar grew up in an old-fashioned home where traditional family values come first over materials. For her, it was important that she passed on this to her kids and she continued to live this way. When she came to America, she was told that the American Dream is to buy a big house and have a family. She supports Fitzgerald that America is corrupted by only wanting

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