Greed In The Great Gatsby

From the way one lives to the way one dresses, money seems to be a very important factor in the way people lead their lives. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, aspirations of unobtainable goals lead to unhappiness. The settings of Gatsby in West Egg, Daisy in East Egg, and Myrtle in Valley of Ashes all have different effects on the characters’ morals and values.
Scott Fitzgerald paints a picture of West Egg as a place where greed runs prevalent, which in turn shapes Jay Gatsby’s covetous personality. From the start of the novel, Gatsby throws extravagant parties in order to establish numerous social ties. Gatsby goes as far as buying a woman a new evening gown for two hundred sixty five dollars because she “tore [her] gown on a chair” …show more content…
Due to Daisy living in East Egg, she tries to maintain her social status by marrying Tom instead of waiting for Gatsby. She accuses her husband that their love “[n]ever matter[ed] to him” while in the hotel room (143). Daisy upholds her affluent East Egg image but at the cost of landing herself in an unhappy marriage. Suffocated by her wealthy lifestyle, Daisy looks for fun outside of her matrimony by associating herself with Gatsby. She has an affair with Gatsby because of the money he has and what he can provide for her. Once again Daisy’s upbringing in East Egg plays a role in her actions as she chooses rich bachelors to pass the time with but stills tries to hang on to her relationship with Tom to preserve her East Egg image. Daisy abuses her power and wealth in order to avoid the consequences that soon followed Myrtle’s death. After Daisy accidentally kills Myrtle, she leaves with Tom and becomes untraceable with “no return address” (164). Daisy’s East Egg mentality leads her to believe that her actions have no consequences as she uses unmoral tactics to remove the cause of her husband’s unfaithfulness, with the wistful idea that Tom will later be loyal to her. Being situated in a place known for their financial status from an early age, Daisy yearns for more than is plausible leading to consequences not only for herself but others who cares for her, …show more content…
Myrtle desperately looks for a way to improve her financial situation because of her poor environment, out of greed for materialistic objects leading to dreadful consequences. Myrtle believes that to get the life she yearns for she needs to have an affair with Tom, who treats her as a mere object of his desire. Myrtle continues to say Daisy’s name, causing Tom to lash out with his open hand and break Myrtle’s nose in one “short deft movement” (52). Myrtle is sorrowful about Tom being with another woman but continues to want him because of the gifts he is able to give her and the life she has always dreamed of. Her love for Tom persists, which causes her to not like her husband because of the luxury he is unable to provide for her. Myrtle maliciously talked about Mr. Wilson as a “good for nothing” to Tom when recalling how “he could not even buy his own suit” (50). Being involved with Tom feeds her short-term happiness, but her bitterness is taken out on the poor environment she comes home to and her husband, expecting him to fulfill the materialistic goods he cannot afford. The affair with Tom eventually leads to her death. She rushes in front of the yellow car thinking it is Tom’s wife, Daisy, resulting in Myrtle getting run over by the car (160). Myrtle’s desire in being Tom’s only love causes her death. She strives to present