How Can Money Buy Happiness In The Great Gatsby
It is said that money cannot buy happiness. Many people believe for this to be true. They think money can solve any and all problems. Some even think that love can be bought with materialistic items. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, love, wealth, and love of wealth go hand in hand to create a magical novel of what can happen when money controls the heart.
Different types of love are mentioned throughout the entire book. There is Daisy’s love for her baby, Gatsby’s love for Daisy, and Daisy’s forbidden love of Gatsby. In chapter 1, Daisy says, “I hope she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 17). Daisy’s daughter has just been born and she speaks these words because she never wants her daughter to experience heartbreak like she has. This shows Daisy’s motherly love for her baby girl. The next type of love displayed is Gatsby’s never ending love …show more content…
for Daisy Buchanan. When Gatsby took Daisy on a tour of his house, Nick tells us that, “He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (Fitzgerald 91). Gatsby has never stopped loving Daisy since the day they met. He wants her approval and needs validation that she loves him as well. Another form of love shown in this novel is how Daisy loves Gatsby even though she is married. The night before her wedding, Daisy receives a letter from Gatsby and is so distressed by it that she wants to cancel the wedding (Fitzgerald 76). When Gatsby went off to war, she never stopped loving him. He is the man she wants to be with and her drunken outburst proves this. Love is displayed prominently throughout Fitzgerald’s novel. Ranging from romantic love to motherly love, it exists in the text.
Wealth, or lack thereof, is talked about throughout the twelve chapters of The Great Gatsby.
The reader can compare and contrast Tom, Gatsby, and Mr. Wilson in this area. Tom and Gatsby are at one end of the spectrum, but George Wilson is on the other end. The Buchanan’s are so wealthy that the windows “reflected gold” (Fitzgerald 6). Tom Buchanan likes to show off how much money he has. It is ironic because he inherited every penny of his wealth and did not have to work for a cent. Jay Gatsby is also very, very wealthy. At one of his lavish parties, a woman’s dress was ruined, so he sends her a two hundred and sixty-three dollar replacement gown (Fitzgerald 43). This shows how Gatsby has money to spend. It does not matter what he spends it on, because he has plenty. On the other end of the spectrum is poor, penniless, George Wilson. He could not even afford a suit, so he had to borrow one for his own wedding (Fitzgerald 35). Mr. Wilson is the “common man” during this time period. Not everyone was blessed with wealth in this era like Tom and
Gatsby.
Love and wealth are two main topics in this novel, so the reader can combine them and make the topic of love of wealth. When we first meet Myrtle Wilson, she tells us about her first encounter with Tom. They met on the train and she was instantly attracted to him because of the suit he was wearing (Fitzgerald 36). This shows us how Myrtle is materialistic. She wanted Tom for his money, not for his personality. Another way we are shown this love of money is during one of Gatsby’s infamous parties. A girl named Lucille was talking to Jordan about a dress Gatsby bought her, and put emphasis on the price (Fitzgerald 43). By doing this, Lucille seems to care more about the price of the dress rather than the actual dress. She wants Jordan to feel inferior because she owns a two hundred dollar dress. Lastly, Daisy is infatuated by money and wealth. She loved Gatsby, but he went off to war. She met Tom Buchanan and he had wealth that could support her, so she married him (Fitzgerald 75). Daisy could have waited for Gatsby, but Tom could give her the life she wanted right then. She opted for the lavish life instead of true love.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the reader is taught a lesson of what happens when what is most important is forgotten and money becomes a main concern. When we take for granted the important things in life, like love, we become vulnerable.
Different types of love are mentioned throughout the entire book. There is Daisy’s love for her baby, Gatsby’s love for Daisy, and Daisy’s forbidden love of Gatsby. In chapter 1, Daisy says, “I hope she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 17). Daisy’s daughter has just been born and she speaks these words because she never wants her daughter to experience heartbreak like she has. This shows Daisy’s motherly love for her baby girl. The next type of love displayed is Gatsby’s never ending love …show more content…
for Daisy Buchanan. When Gatsby took Daisy on a tour of his house, Nick tells us that, “He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (Fitzgerald 91). Gatsby has never stopped loving Daisy since the day they met. He wants her approval and needs validation that she loves him as well. Another form of love shown in this novel is how Daisy loves Gatsby even though she is married. The night before her wedding, Daisy receives a letter from Gatsby and is so distressed by it that she wants to cancel the wedding (Fitzgerald 76). When Gatsby went off to war, she never stopped loving him. He is the man she wants to be with and her drunken outburst proves this. Love is displayed prominently throughout Fitzgerald’s novel. Ranging from romantic love to motherly love, it exists in the text.
Wealth, or lack thereof, is talked about throughout the twelve chapters of The Great Gatsby.
The reader can compare and contrast Tom, Gatsby, and Mr. Wilson in this area. Tom and Gatsby are at one end of the spectrum, but George Wilson is on the other end. The Buchanan’s are so wealthy that the windows “reflected gold” (Fitzgerald 6). Tom Buchanan likes to show off how much money he has. It is ironic because he inherited every penny of his wealth and did not have to work for a cent. Jay Gatsby is also very, very wealthy. At one of his lavish parties, a woman’s dress was ruined, so he sends her a two hundred and sixty-three dollar replacement gown (Fitzgerald 43). This shows how Gatsby has money to spend. It does not matter what he spends it on, because he has plenty. On the other end of the spectrum is poor, penniless, George Wilson. He could not even afford a suit, so he had to borrow one for his own wedding (Fitzgerald 35). Mr. Wilson is the “common man” during this time period. Not everyone was blessed with wealth in this era like Tom and
Gatsby.
Love and wealth are two main topics in this novel, so the reader can combine them and make the topic of love of wealth. When we first meet Myrtle Wilson, she tells us about her first encounter with Tom. They met on the train and she was instantly attracted to him because of the suit he was wearing (Fitzgerald 36). This shows us how Myrtle is materialistic. She wanted Tom for his money, not for his personality. Another way we are shown this love of money is during one of Gatsby’s infamous parties. A girl named Lucille was talking to Jordan about a dress Gatsby bought her, and put emphasis on the price (Fitzgerald 43). By doing this, Lucille seems to care more about the price of the dress rather than the actual dress. She wants Jordan to feel inferior because she owns a two hundred dollar dress. Lastly, Daisy is infatuated by money and wealth. She loved Gatsby, but he went off to war. She met Tom Buchanan and he had wealth that could support her, so she married him (Fitzgerald 75). Daisy could have waited for Gatsby, but Tom could give her the life she wanted right then. She opted for the lavish life instead of true love.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the reader is taught a lesson of what happens when what is most important is forgotten and money becomes a main concern. When we take for granted the important things in life, like love, we become vulnerable.