Wealth in The Great Gatsby Essay

Honore de Balzac, a French novelist, once said that “Behind every great fortune is a crime.” This is true in both the new rich and old money in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The newly rich must work outside the law to ascend to wealth, and the old money, born rich, are criminal in their abuse of the newly rich, middle, and lower class. Gatsby’s story of failure to assimilate himself amongst the newly rich demonstrates this inescapable distinction. Fitzgerald’s representation of the disparity between classes is present in the life and failure of Gatsby and in the behaviour of old money throughout the novel, providing an insight into the inequality that those beneath the old money faced in the early 20th century. Gatsby’s attempt…

lyrical, colorful, witty style evoked the emotions associated with the time and place.”1 This is particularly made evident through his depiction of the empty lives of Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan and George Wilson, as he demonstrates how chasing dreams of wealth only leads to misery. This is important as it helps to perpetuate the idea that there is no hope for fulfillment in “The Great Gatsby”. The three characters all hold different positions in the social strata. Daisy originates from the…

Jay Gatsby is a dedicated man who will go to extreme measures to achieve his desires. From a young age he despised his poor upbringings, and set high expectations to be rich. He learns early on how to disguise himself as something he’s not. Even when he’s older -and now has money- Gatsby’s feigned wealth gives off the appearance of higher status. This mask is mistaken by most people as content, only his friend Nick is able to see through it, affirming, “The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg,…

The novel, The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is often recognized for the major theme of wealth throughout the novel. The theme of wealth takes on many forms in the novel where it is the most evident and these are: the color symbolism of wealth, the East Egg vs. The Valley of Ashes and the main character Jay Gatsby. The way Fitzgerald uses color symbolism throughout the novel is undeniably astounding and the symbolisms help shape the novel to what it is today. Color Symbolism in…

The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and explores the theme of the conflict that exists between the different classes in society in terms of wealth and social status. In the novel, the settings reflects the level of social and wealth status each character has. There is a clash between the old money, new money and lower class. It arises from old money’s traditional views and new money and the lower classes’ desire for more. Setting is used to emphasise this through the three…

The novel T he Great Gatsby, written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, which is set on Long Island and New York city, outlines the idea of how society can be affected by wealth and money. The variation of different values and life goals of East and West Egg play an important role in the theme of wealth in the book. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the two areas to portray different values. Most importantly, the author of the book focuses on two formations of land­West Egg and East Egg­which are separated…

Wealth, stability, and success. These three words best described the United States during the Roaring ‘20’s. To have those three things was every American’s goal, and it was what attracted foreigners to America. Wealth, stability, and success are also the major components of what is known as the “American Dream”. Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is a major theme. The belief surrounding the American Dream is that, with lots of hard work, wealth,…

The Journey to Wealth How far would the average person go for money? Some think that making a gross bet with a friend for a few dollars is going a long way, but this is incredibly false. Jay Gatsby is one character who has gone farther than most people would. Crawling up from the depths of poverty to the vast world of the rich, Jay was determined to make his massive fortune, regardless of the steps he would have to take to get there. Jay had always longed for money. However, it was not a need…

The Great Gatsby is a novel written by author F. Scott Fitzgerald that provides insights of the social landscape during the Jazz Age. This era is well-known for economic prosperity along with the creation of jazz music, bootlegging and other economic struggles that lead to an increase in materialism and capitalism. These philosophies were damaging as they changed the behaviour of people and increased their needs. Fitzgerald expresses the corrupt nature of wealth in the Roaring Twenties by…

Wealth has been perceived as the ultimate goal of the American dream. Americans have let the standard of wealth get in the way of more important things in life. Wealth can consume your thoughts of the definition of true love and life itself. The focus of wealth can cloud your mind to block the reality that is right in front of you. The focus of wealth can also keep you living in a façade that only ends in confusion. And the confusion could possibly be asking yourself the question: was being…