C. Baymon Stephenson
Ms. Greenlee
Honors English III
28 August 2015
The Corruption of Love By the Desire of Materialism Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants (Benjamin Franklin). Thought of as the root of all evil, money and materialism in general has been seen as an object of value, potentially able to create grief and sin for its holder, while love is considered to be the greatest joy in this world. Two American classics, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (about a love hoping to be rekindled) and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God (about a woman searching for love), compare these two desires to display the corruption …show more content…
When recollecting Daisy’s marriage to Tom Buchanan, Daisy remembers thinking how, “She wanted her life shaped now, immediately –and the decision must be made by some force-of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality-that was close at hand. That force took shape in the middle of spring with the arrival of Tom Buchanan” (Fitzgerald 151). Though their love is incredibly askew, because of Tom’s misconduct, the bond between Daisy and Tom Buchanan is admissible and can be further proven by Daisy’s wealth that originally created the mutuality between the two, and Tom’s loyalty to Daisy’s honor. In a much opposite manor, Daisy begins to worry towards the whereabouts of Tea Cake and her two hundred dollars but he eventually comes back to her saying, “You doubted me ‘bout de money. Thought Ah had done took it and gone”… “Ah told yo’ before dat you got de keys tuh de kingdom. You can depend on dat” (Hurston 121). With Tea Cake’s return and his attestation for his love for Janie the reader can see that Tea Cake has feelings for her, though he is a reckless person, he also chooses to remain loyal to Janie despite having already obtained her money and the age difference Tea Cake decides not to …show more content…
After Nick Carraway leaves his dinner party with the Buchanans he sees Mr. Gatsby for the first time across his lawn and recalls how he, “…stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling”… “I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been at the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 21). With his outstretched arms Gatsby hoped to reach his long lost love, Daisy, but could only be as close to the green light at the end of her dock (which the audience discovers) which he seemed to show more value towards than any of his riches (as displayed by the trembling). Then, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie recalls her first days with Joe as mayor, when he didn’t allow Janie to make a speech to the townspeople and she said, “…she went down the road behind him that night feeling cold. He strode along invested with his new dignity, thought and planned out loud, unconscious of her thoughts” (Hurston 43). Having recently obtained his powers as mayor, Joe Starks begins his search for power or (as he says) to “make a name for himself”, however this power slowly corrupts
Ms. Greenlee
Honors English III
28 August 2015
The Corruption of Love By the Desire of Materialism Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants (Benjamin Franklin). Thought of as the root of all evil, money and materialism in general has been seen as an object of value, potentially able to create grief and sin for its holder, while love is considered to be the greatest joy in this world. Two American classics, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (about a love hoping to be rekindled) and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God (about a woman searching for love), compare these two desires to display the corruption …show more content…
When recollecting Daisy’s marriage to Tom Buchanan, Daisy remembers thinking how, “She wanted her life shaped now, immediately –and the decision must be made by some force-of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality-that was close at hand. That force took shape in the middle of spring with the arrival of Tom Buchanan” (Fitzgerald 151). Though their love is incredibly askew, because of Tom’s misconduct, the bond between Daisy and Tom Buchanan is admissible and can be further proven by Daisy’s wealth that originally created the mutuality between the two, and Tom’s loyalty to Daisy’s honor. In a much opposite manor, Daisy begins to worry towards the whereabouts of Tea Cake and her two hundred dollars but he eventually comes back to her saying, “You doubted me ‘bout de money. Thought Ah had done took it and gone”… “Ah told yo’ before dat you got de keys tuh de kingdom. You can depend on dat” (Hurston 121). With Tea Cake’s return and his attestation for his love for Janie the reader can see that Tea Cake has feelings for her, though he is a reckless person, he also chooses to remain loyal to Janie despite having already obtained her money and the age difference Tea Cake decides not to …show more content…
After Nick Carraway leaves his dinner party with the Buchanans he sees Mr. Gatsby for the first time across his lawn and recalls how he, “…stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling”… “I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been at the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 21). With his outstretched arms Gatsby hoped to reach his long lost love, Daisy, but could only be as close to the green light at the end of her dock (which the audience discovers) which he seemed to show more value towards than any of his riches (as displayed by the trembling). Then, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie recalls her first days with Joe as mayor, when he didn’t allow Janie to make a speech to the townspeople and she said, “…she went down the road behind him that night feeling cold. He strode along invested with his new dignity, thought and planned out loud, unconscious of her thoughts” (Hurston 43). Having recently obtained his powers as mayor, Joe Starks begins his search for power or (as he says) to “make a name for himself”, however this power slowly corrupts