Wealth In Chapter 2 Of The Great Gatsby
Fabiana Pinto 11/28/15 First introduced in Chapter 2, the valley of ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of desolate land created by the dumping of industrial ashes. It represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who lives among the dirty ashes and lost his vitality as a result. Nick Carraway made the decision to move to the East and learn "the bond business" because "everybody I knew was in the bond business, so I supposed it could support one more single man." One of the prime goals of young men returning from fighting in World War I was to become rich, so Nick was following the pattern of most of his peers in attempting to secure a position that would allow him to …show more content…
Fitzgerald wanted to make the characters in The Great Gatsby very representative of the lifestyles and attitudes of that age group in that time. The drive for wealth went along with the search for the good life as demonstrated by conspicuous consumption of alcohol, lavish parties, and hesitation to become entangled in deep and lasting relationships. The American Dream, and the search for how to achieve it, involved the pursuit of wealth. In this chapter we learn that he doesn't hold his liquor well, and that he is capable of objectivity. The Nick we met in the first chapter was quick to pass judgment; in Chapter 2 he sits back and takes the part of observer. The Valley of Ashes, and its description at the beginning of Chapter 2, is Fitzgerald's way of describing the poor section of the city. This immediately follows Nick's dinner party with Tom, Daisy and Miss Baker in East Egg, an upper class area. There is a stark contrast between Gatsby, Tom and Daisy's world of East Egg and George and Myrtle Wilson's poorer world, dubbed by
Old Wealth In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
298 Words | 2 PagesThe 1920s was the age of major social change. From women’s suffrage to the emergence of flappers, many people saw the 1920s as a new age and wanted to join societal changes. Everyone seemed to be chasing after one dream, often called “The American Dream” of being wealthy and careless. Not only did people want to become wealthy, but they wanted to live the lifestyle of “Old Wealth”, which were people who had inherited their money and lived like royalty. Many people worked towards this, trying so hard to become old wealth, but no matter how hard they tried, they could never become that.
Subconscious Lens In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
886 Words | 4 PagesThink of a triangle divided into four sections with old money at the top. New money follows old money, then middle class, with lower class at the bottom. Nick symbolizes the middle class, and acts as middle ground between lower class and new/old money. After a dinner event, Tom urges Nick to accompany him to the Valley of Ashes, a rugged and worn down town. Tom lugs his travel companion around town and ends up at a party with Nick, George's wife Myrtle, and two others.
What Does The Green Light Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
430 Words | 2 Pages26) The Valley of Ashes is a "fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges, hills, and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. "(pg. 26) The Valley of Ashes in an industrial wasteland covered in ash and soot were the poor people get caught between beautiful New York and the West Egg.
Examples Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
800 Words | 4 Pages“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…” (179). F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the overwhelming of wealth and the sense of higher social status through many character relationships in The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby represents the wealthiest man in Long Island, who fell in love with the more affluent, Daisy Buchanan. Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, also depicts a wealthy man, but less classy as he has an affair with the unprosperous Myrtle Wilson, George Wilson’s wife. “Money is the root of all evil.”
Wealth In The Great Gatsby
2065 Words | 9 PagesThe Connection of Wealth and Personality in Fitzgerald’s Works In our society, money is seen as the most important factor in decision making and in our overall lives. This is shown throughout all of Fitzgerald’s works and in many of his characters. His stories continually mention the effect that money has on the community. In one of her criticisms, Mary Jo Tate explains that “[Fitzgerald] was not a simple worshiper of wealth or the wealthy, but rather he valued wealth for the freedom and possibilities it provided, and he criticized the rich primarily for wasting those opportunities.
Examples Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
437 Words | 2 PagesAmelia Cieslik Ms. Phelps English III May 26th, 2023 Wealth vs. Love In Chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, Daisy’s lack of responsibility and characterized as reckless and carefree to foreshadow the lack of responsibility and self control the characters have in this novel. In Chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, Daisy's carelessness and stupidity eventually leads to the death of Myrtle Wilson. She lets Gatsby take the blame for her unintentional manslaughter, after saying he would reveal to Nick that Daisy was the one driving the vehicle, declaring that “She ran over Myrtle like you'd run over a dog and never even stopped his car”(Fitzgerald 143).
Wilson's Atmosphere In 'Chapter 2 Of The Great Gatsby'
853 Words | 4 PagesBilal Jaffry ¬ Mrs. Gallagher ENG4U1 26 October 2015 In Chapter II of the Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, the scene as Nick arrives at Wilson’s garage during the chapter describes a strange atmosphere, sporting a mood with an unsettling vibe to it. Fitzgerald description of the areas as he approaches it on the train creates a gloomy outlook of the area. “This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (23). This description gives off a weird sense, having an unhealthy and even monstrous
Negative Effects Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
854 Words | 4 PagesThe Negative Influence of Wealth Wealth and prosperity are the core of living a lavish lifestyle and having a successful life. However, money can influence people into debauchery. In the book, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces to us to some of the dangers of being rich. Most people in the Great Gatsby were very privileged, and they lived a lavish lifestyle.
The Great Gatsby Wealth Analysis
751 Words | 4 PagesIn many literary works, the wealthy are generally depicted as pretentious or cruel and authors tend to portray their personalities through various methods. In his work The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses literary techniques to distinctly characterize the wealthy. Doing so helps him communicate the work’s theme on the soulless nature of the affluent. Fitzgerald conveys his message by incorporating juxtaposition, effective diction, and suiting moods with his characters.
The Role Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
747 Words | 3 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby describes the life of Jay Gatsby in the 1920’s. The novel shares his love story and his loneliness. A major question the author raises is how does wealth impact class structure and society? Fitzgerald answers this question through the distinction between “New rich” and “Old rich” and the significance of East and West Egg.
Material Wealth In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
876 Words | 4 PagesThroughout The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, material wealth is a major topic that works to convey the theme of class. There are three main classes in The Great Gatsby: old money, applying to characters like Tom and Daisy Buchanan, new money, applying to characters like Jay Gatsby, and no money, applying to characters like George and Myrtle Wilson. The no money class is overlooked in society, where the main focus in society is the rivalry between old and new money. Old money has many connections in society and their fortunes date to past ventures made by their families, whereas new money has almost no connections, and their fortunes are tied to success in 20th century America. Both look down upon each other, as old money views new money as having no taste with its lavish display of wealth whereas new money looks down to old money as being snotty.
Does Wealth Encourage Carelessness In The Great Gatsby
733 Words | 3 PagesWealth is often described as happiness, the more you have the happier you will be. But wealth is often described as the thing that makes people careless too. Does wealth encourage carelessness?. Yes, wealth does encourage carelessness as we can see by the actions of Tom and Daisy in The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald. And also from my own experience on SJR.
What Is The Pursuit Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
1439 Words | 6 PagesWhen Gatsby loses everything, we see that wealth not only fails as a means of fulfillment but actively participates in the destruction of this goal. Fitzgerald suggests that wealth cannot lead to happiness, rather it undermines the existing and potential good in life. It should therefore should not be used as means of attaining fulfillment. The first mentions of Gatsby’s character reveal a personality who has sacrificed morality to achieve a
What Does The Valley Of Ashes Represent In The Great Gatsby
453 Words | 2 PagesNick gives a description, “This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens… of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.” This description gives a hopeless feeling and it helps picture a strange unhealthy place. The valley of ashes is a big ground of emptiness where the poor live, living under that condition must make these people feel hopeless and
Economic Status In The Great Gatsby
522 Words | 3 PagesTo begin, economic status affected the characters in The Great Gatsby. The characters are distinguished by their wealth and where they live. East Egg reflects high class society or “old money”, and the people of West Egg are wealthy and refer to “new money”. Social status and wealth defines a character and their happiness. F. Scott Fitzgerald, showed women trying to burst out from high class or low class organization.
More about Wealth In Chapter 2 Of The Great Gatsby
Old Wealth In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
298 Words | 2 PagesSubconscious Lens In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
886 Words | 4 PagesWhat Does The Green Light Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
430 Words | 2 PagesExamples Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
800 Words | 4 PagesWealth In The Great Gatsby
2065 Words | 9 PagesExamples Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
437 Words | 2 PagesWilson's Atmosphere In 'Chapter 2 Of The Great Gatsby'
853 Words | 4 PagesNegative Effects Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
854 Words | 4 PagesThe Great Gatsby Wealth Analysis
751 Words | 4 PagesThe Role Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
747 Words | 3 PagesMaterial Wealth In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
876 Words | 4 PagesDoes Wealth Encourage Carelessness In The Great Gatsby
733 Words | 3 PagesWhat Is The Pursuit Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
1439 Words | 6 PagesWhat Does The Valley Of Ashes Represent In The Great Gatsby
453 Words | 2 PagesEconomic Status In The Great Gatsby
522 Words | 3 Pages