The Role Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

On April 10, 1912, thousands of people lined the streets of Southampton UK to watch the launching of the Titanic. They watched enviously as 2,224 passengers and crew climbed aboard, anxious to be a part of her maiden voyage. As her propellers began to spin and the water beneath her began stirring, not a soul on board was worried they were in any danger. Who could have known a simple piece of ice would sink the unsinkable ship? In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, a similar question comes to mind. Who could have guessed that something as beautiful as a dream could break an unbreakable man? The dream that broke this man was the American dream, and its power is often underestimated. A simplified version of this dream is comprised of money, and a girl, but it is this exact dream that forces him over the edge, eventually meeting his untimely demise. There is a hidden meaning behind this story. Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby are three obvious characters that hold different truths about what it means to be an American.
Daisy Buchanan embraces American ideals such as wealth and materialism …show more content…
It challenges everything its readers know about love and materialism, because a reader cannot help but root for an underdog, but in this case, the underdog doesn’t get the girl. Fitzgerald’s unyielding criticism of each character and their moral structure is a blatant acknowledgement of the issues belonging to this country and the priorities shared by every American. Any person who reads this story can relate to the pain and heartache that accompanies loving another person, but they are also able to see their own demons within Daisy. What Daisy’s decision says about America is clear and incontestable. America is a materialistic place that does not truly celebrate what is actually important. The truths held within the pages expose the greedy and unsatisfied American people for who they really