Social commentary can be defined as the act of using pretentious means to comment on issues in a society. F. Scott Fitzgerald used The Great Gatsby as social commentary to criticize the ethical issues related to the wealthy. Although published 100 years ago in the "Roaring Twenties", Fitzgerald’s use of social commentary in The Great Gatsby relates to today’s atmosphere by stressing the significance of money and material things.
Moral decay, the act of losing positive virtues, and the decline of decent individual ethics often go hand and hand in society, with an example being adultery. A modern example of adultery is the Tiger Woods scandal, where Tiger reportedly “confessed to cheating with as many as 120 women behind his wife’s back” …show more content…
The American dream can be defined by some as growing up with nothing, but dying with everything. Others simply put it as chasing the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, with great success. Many celebrities in the spotlight are doing just that, such as the famous hip-hop artist, Jay Z, born Shawn Carter. Carter grew up in a crime-ridden neighborhood, with “beginnings as a street kid peddling drugs in New York’s Bed-Stuy district” (----- ). Now, Carter has amassed a fortune and has shown the significance of crass materialism by purchasing many expensive cars, one being the Maybach Exelero, valued at $8,000,000. Instead of purchasing a car that will get him to the places he needs to be, he buys as many cars as he would like, each with a hefty price tag attached, for the reason of "showing off" the fortune he has amassed. Born James Gatz, Gatsby also has a similar story, and started life with no money on a poor farm in North Dakota. After moving away from the Midwest, Gatsby amassed a fortune in many aspects, including petroleum and pharmaceutical based businesses. Gatsby shows crass materialism by spending a fortune on his house, which Nick Carraway described as, “a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy” (Fitzgerald 5). Instead of buying a home that provides the basic necessity of shelter, he bought an awe-inspiring home to impress his long lost …show more content…
This concept is seen in today’s society, with many wealthy individuals donating some of their fortune and time into charities they start, such as the wife of Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell. Ms. Powell is a humanitarian, and even “started an after school program called College Track to help low-income students attend college” (Blumenthal 233). Although it is not a requirement, many feel as it is their duty to look after the people who find themselves in a position they were once in. Noblesse Oblige also relates to the novel, when Gatsby helps Wolfsheim’s friends to get a job, even though they were terrible workers. Gatsby was giving the poor a place to live and money to spend, even though they weren 't great at what they did, displaying noblesse oblige. Although he was generous, Gatsby didn’t make it a goal to help those in need. Readers could argue that Gatsby didn 't display noblesse oblige in that instance because he could have just done the favor for his friend, without thinking to help the others. Gatsby also arguably displayed noblesse oblige when helping Nick, because he allowed him to ride in his plane and gave him the gift of his time, but others may argue that it was for Gatsby’s benefit, to once again see his long lost love. Money is a key factor in noblesse oblige, because the lack of it causes the wealthy to form this concept of needing to assist the less
Moral decay, the act of losing positive virtues, and the decline of decent individual ethics often go hand and hand in society, with an example being adultery. A modern example of adultery is the Tiger Woods scandal, where Tiger reportedly “confessed to cheating with as many as 120 women behind his wife’s back” …show more content…
The American dream can be defined by some as growing up with nothing, but dying with everything. Others simply put it as chasing the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, with great success. Many celebrities in the spotlight are doing just that, such as the famous hip-hop artist, Jay Z, born Shawn Carter. Carter grew up in a crime-ridden neighborhood, with “beginnings as a street kid peddling drugs in New York’s Bed-Stuy district” (----- ). Now, Carter has amassed a fortune and has shown the significance of crass materialism by purchasing many expensive cars, one being the Maybach Exelero, valued at $8,000,000. Instead of purchasing a car that will get him to the places he needs to be, he buys as many cars as he would like, each with a hefty price tag attached, for the reason of "showing off" the fortune he has amassed. Born James Gatz, Gatsby also has a similar story, and started life with no money on a poor farm in North Dakota. After moving away from the Midwest, Gatsby amassed a fortune in many aspects, including petroleum and pharmaceutical based businesses. Gatsby shows crass materialism by spending a fortune on his house, which Nick Carraway described as, “a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy” (Fitzgerald 5). Instead of buying a home that provides the basic necessity of shelter, he bought an awe-inspiring home to impress his long lost …show more content…
This concept is seen in today’s society, with many wealthy individuals donating some of their fortune and time into charities they start, such as the wife of Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell. Ms. Powell is a humanitarian, and even “started an after school program called College Track to help low-income students attend college” (Blumenthal 233). Although it is not a requirement, many feel as it is their duty to look after the people who find themselves in a position they were once in. Noblesse Oblige also relates to the novel, when Gatsby helps Wolfsheim’s friends to get a job, even though they were terrible workers. Gatsby was giving the poor a place to live and money to spend, even though they weren 't great at what they did, displaying noblesse oblige. Although he was generous, Gatsby didn’t make it a goal to help those in need. Readers could argue that Gatsby didn 't display noblesse oblige in that instance because he could have just done the favor for his friend, without thinking to help the others. Gatsby also arguably displayed noblesse oblige when helping Nick, because he allowed him to ride in his plane and gave him the gift of his time, but others may argue that it was for Gatsby’s benefit, to once again see his long lost love. Money is a key factor in noblesse oblige, because the lack of it causes the wealthy to form this concept of needing to assist the less