The roaring 20s was all about celebrating great prosperity and having fun with big, wild parties. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the story is taken place in the 1920s where people are constantly surrounded by greed and wealth. Though it appears that Jay Gatsby is the most materialistic character in the novel because of his obsession with becoming wealthy and his flashy parties, it is really Daisy Buchanan who is the most materialistic because her wealth exemplifies her lifestyle, superiority and her happiness.
One might argue that Jay Gatsby is the most materialistic character in the novel. Gatsby has always admired the upper class and has aspired to become wealthy from a young age. He was ashamed of where he came …show more content…
Growing up Daisy has always been extremely wealthy, which means that she is accustomed to an acquisitive lifestyle and prestigious reputation. In the novel, Gatsby stated that “her voice is full of money,” which means that there’s something about Daisy’s voice that denotes wealth and reminds people of her social status (Fitzgerald 120). Her voice has a sound that represents never knowing the meaning of desire because she has always been given exactly what she wants. This is a huge difference between Daisy and Gatsby because Gatsby has had to work hard for what he has while Daisy has never had to work. Comparing the sound of her voice to riches exhibits how arrogance and greed show through her personality. Money is very important to Daisy and she is not afraid to flaunt it. Another example of Daisy showing materialism is when Daisy saw Gatsby 's shirts and she began to cry and say “they’re such beautiful shirts” (Fitzgerald 92). Daisy got emotional at the shirts because she was overwhelmed by all of Gatsby’s expensive possessions. To Daisy, the expensive shirts represented wealth and success. She was astonished at Gatsby’s over the top mansion and she couldn’t keep in her emotions. This reveals that Daisy was more interested in Gatsby’s acquired wealth than reconnecting with him. Furthermore, Daisy looks down upon people who aren’t from old money. When Daisy attended one of Gatsby’s parties “she was appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented ‘place’ that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village” (107). She thinks of herself as superior and more sophisticated than the people who weren’t born with money. The East and West Egg represent how even the upper class is divided into different social classes. Daisy is reluctant to accept people from a lower social class because of her contemptuous and shallow personality.
One might argue that Jay Gatsby is the most materialistic character in the novel. Gatsby has always admired the upper class and has aspired to become wealthy from a young age. He was ashamed of where he came …show more content…
Growing up Daisy has always been extremely wealthy, which means that she is accustomed to an acquisitive lifestyle and prestigious reputation. In the novel, Gatsby stated that “her voice is full of money,” which means that there’s something about Daisy’s voice that denotes wealth and reminds people of her social status (Fitzgerald 120). Her voice has a sound that represents never knowing the meaning of desire because she has always been given exactly what she wants. This is a huge difference between Daisy and Gatsby because Gatsby has had to work hard for what he has while Daisy has never had to work. Comparing the sound of her voice to riches exhibits how arrogance and greed show through her personality. Money is very important to Daisy and she is not afraid to flaunt it. Another example of Daisy showing materialism is when Daisy saw Gatsby 's shirts and she began to cry and say “they’re such beautiful shirts” (Fitzgerald 92). Daisy got emotional at the shirts because she was overwhelmed by all of Gatsby’s expensive possessions. To Daisy, the expensive shirts represented wealth and success. She was astonished at Gatsby’s over the top mansion and she couldn’t keep in her emotions. This reveals that Daisy was more interested in Gatsby’s acquired wealth than reconnecting with him. Furthermore, Daisy looks down upon people who aren’t from old money. When Daisy attended one of Gatsby’s parties “she was appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented ‘place’ that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village” (107). She thinks of herself as superior and more sophisticated than the people who weren’t born with money. The East and West Egg represent how even the upper class is divided into different social classes. Daisy is reluctant to accept people from a lower social class because of her contemptuous and shallow personality.