Importance Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

We have all been guilty of wanting more, when we already have plenty. Whether it’s another piece of cake, a fourth pair of converse, or a few extra phone covers, we don’t consciously think about everything we’ve accumulated in the short span of our lives. Instead, we think ‘why not?’ and add it into our collection of stuff. But does buying more, owning more, and having more, necessarily guarantee happiness? Are we believing something that’s dripping with superficiality? Is the world of materialism just a big, blatant, façade? The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald brings up whether materialism and happiness are linked and how this fallacy isn’t all that it seems. Through the simple and observant eyes of Nick Carraway, one gets to experience

The American dream states that any individual can achieve success regardless of family history, race, and/or religion simply by working hard. The 1920’s were a time of corruption and demise of moral values in society. The first World War had passed, and people were reveling in the materialism that came at the end of it, such as advanced technology and innovative inventions. The novel The Great Gatsby exploits the theme of the American Dream as it takes place in a corrupt period in history. Although the American Dream seemed more attainable than ever in the 1920’s, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby demonstrates how materialism and the demise of moral values in society leads to the corruption and impossibility of the American Dream. This is accomplished through the use of symbols such as the Valley of Ashes, The Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, and The Green Light. These 3 symbols play a huge roll in the novel for each of them are massively important in their own ways.

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, social class is a key theme, as seen by every character having their own distinct class. Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and even Nick are old money, Gatsby is new money, and the Wilson 's are no money. In short, the more money you have, the better off you will be. In the epigraph of the novel, there is a poem by Thomas Parke D 'Invilliers, who is a fictional character created by Fitzgerald himself. This poem is about using materialism to win over the affection of someone, which is exactly what Gatsby tries to do.

In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses many differnt retorical devices to add a personal flare to his work. He uses diction, symbolism, and irony to adress many different themes. These themes include Materialism, The American Dream, and includes a sharp and biting ridicule on American society in the 1920’s.

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald represents all sorts of different lifestyles in the roaring twenties. From rags to riches, there is a character for each category. Throughout the 1920s, America went through drastic changes. Just as some of the characters experienced transformations throughout the novel.

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald is very meticulous on how the novel is shown as more satirical rather than romantic. The visionary of the American Dream is the most coveted life during this time period, so Fitzgerald used this lifestyle to mock and expose the vices of others. Fitzgerald uses certain aspects of this lifestyle to show characters satirical impulsiveness or materialism, which ridicules them and the ideals of the 1920s.

Society has been setting unrealistic standards for individuals for several years. During the 1920’s, when F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his novel, The Great Gatsby, society had specific social classes and standards. Social classes still exist today, but in a more obscure way than in Fitzgerald’s era. Social classes today are more based upon where an individual lives, but also include how much money that person earns. One thing that is shared between now and the era of Fitzgerald’s novel is that individuals are often judged by the size and glamour of the house the live in, and what area the house is located in. In modern times, society has a large effect on every choice a person makes and that is also true in the case of Gatsby. Individuals do things to satisfy what society says is “normal” for a fear of rejection. The things that are affecting individuals most harshly today,

The website wordpress made an article about the social classes in the Great Gatsby, talking about the differences and similarities that both social classes in the book have with each other, from the good things, to all their flaws. “All the characters do not suffer due to lack of funds in life, but from key dimensions within themselves”(wordpress, Poverty in Great Gatsby). All of the characters in the Great Gatsby have some form of funds in their life, but each of them are devoid of certain key aspects of their personality. One of them could have a lack of social wealth, such as Jay Gatsby. Everyone is wealthy and poor, and when this was brought out to the public when this novel was published, this redefined poverty, and wealth as a whole. In the novel itself, Gatsby in the end is poor, just as he was when he was born. “Gatsby’s house was still empty when I left- the grass on his lawn had grown as long as mine”(Fitzgerald, pg 179). Jay Gatsby was born a poor man, and even though he rose up in his social class to be one with the rich, powerful people of the time, he was still a poor man. There is a big difference in the social class in the 1920’s, that nobody could escape

Arguably one of the most complex works of American Literature, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald displays a satirical United States taking place in the early twenties in New York. The roaring twenties often portrayed a happy time immediately following World War 1 however, it gave off a false feeling of joy and many people were truly unhappy. Even though Nick Carraway shows a realistic image of himself, The Great Gatsby encompasses an illusion created in this time period and portrays this image through the atmosphere surrounding the actions of its characters; it ultimately shows a conflict against reality, identical to that to the early 20th century.

In the 1920s many people changed their ways, girls started to wear less clothes, men started drinking and started to be unfaithful to their wives. Although there are many aspects that reflect the 1920s three similarities are disillusionment and people with poor manners, people getting rich quickly and also people lost faith in god and business became their new religion.

Teens, in the United States, are constantly pressured by parents to do well academically, so they can make it in life, It had gotten to the point that the grade of a student is the ambition and not the learning material and grasping it. Every student wants to make a bug in life, but not everyone knows the ways to success. Jay Gatsby is the embodiment of the American Dream. He went from a poor Midwestern farmer to a wealthy businessman running large extravagant parties. His lifestyle: however, shows how materialism takes over one's mind when gaining wealth.

The Great Gatsby was F. Scott Fitzgeralds 's perspective on the degenerating society of America along with the concept of the American Dream in the 1920s. Today in our society, one problem that has always piqued my interest is greed. Greed has been a problem in society since mankind has started, and it continues to grow and take different shape and form. The Great Gatsby is a book where greed is the root of the story 's conflict and how it is the bane of America’s morals existence.

People in the 1920s looked for excuses to flaunt their affluence, and many of them often did so to cover up a possibly devastating secret. The Great Gatsby is one great example of the opulence present in the post-World War I era, as the main character throws grand parties, representing the excess of the era, but he also has an ulterior motive behind doing so. The novel reveals the mindset of the wealthy during that time and discloses their feeling of invincibility after suddenly being projected into a state of financial security. The era of glamour and grandiosity has taught the people today to be practical regarding moments of

In society it seems like all people care about is how much money they have and how many things they own. People don't seem to get that there is more to life than money and materialism. Money and Materialism represents two things, money being how wealthy you were and materialism shows how many things that you own. Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald Nick, Tom, and Gatsby are representation of different types of money. Tom is the representation of someone with so much money that he thinks nobody is better than him. Nick is the representation of someone who has wealth, but is still confused on what to do with his life. Finally Gatsby is the representation of someone who has a lot of money, but is a very mysterious

Society’s evolution has abolished many social issues, but not all. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays several themes that were applicable to the 1920s, and are still apparent today. Fitzgerald refers to issues from before the publication of the book, as they are universal problems and will relate to generations to come. In conclusion, although published in 1925, The Great Gatsby does make profound comments concerning the basic problems of the 21st