Values In The Great Gatsby

The 1920s was a booming decade for the people in America. The economy was up and many Americans became very successful. The novel, The Great Gatsby especially highlights the upper class. The characters in the book that fit this role are Tom, Daisy and Gatsby. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald connected the values and goals of the characters and the theme of the book with the theme of the 1920s. The values of the characters in The Great Gatsby are very important to the overall plot of the book. The characters values seem to only be about money and love . The love for money is best represented by Tom. Tom is a man who is very wealthy and he uses his wealth and power to be atop of everybody else. The characters that represent the value of love
the most are Gatsby and Daisy. I believe Gatsby's and Daisy's relationship is strictly love because they were in a relationship before Gatsby became rich. This proves Daisy was not after Gatsby's money like she was after Tom's wealth. "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay." (78) This quote is significant because it shows how much Gatsby loves Daisy. He would even buy a house to be near her. The goals of the characters were also very important to the book.
The first example of a goal a character had was Gatsby. Gatsby's main goal in the book was to be rich. The way he accomplished this is, he pushed his way to the top and he wasn't afraid of who he pushed over to get him to the top. I feel like he was so aggressive about his approach because growing up Gatsby was very poor and he didn't want to live a life like he did in his childhood."He's a bootlegger,"(61) This quote is referring to what Gatsby did to make his money. Bootlegger was a term used for people who illegally sold alcohol. In the 1920s alcohol was illegal. In the book Daisy also had a goal. Her main goal was to get back at Tom for cheating on her. Daisy did this in a very secretive matter. The first thing she did was that she started to be a jerk to Tom to tip him off that she knew he had cheated on her. Secondly, she cheated on Tom by getting back together with Gatsby in order to get back at Tom. Tom then started to figure out Daisy and Gatsby were having an affair. He became angry with Gatsby and wanted him to back off. The last thing Daisy did was kill Tom's mistress by running her over with her car. However, it backfired because Myrtle's husband ended up killing
Gatsby. The theme of the book The Great Gatsby is money. Throughout the book the lifestyles of the characters proves this theme. The first example of a wealthy lifestyle is Gatsby's, His lifestyle is all about having the most expensive things, such as his house. Gatsby's house can be compared to a castle. It is enormous, however, it sits on West Egg instead of East Egg even though East Egg is the most expensive neighborhood. I believe Gatsby did this so his house would look superior over all the mansions around him. Another character's lifestyle that fits the theme is Nick, because he is very wealthy, but he doesn't like to spend his money. For example, he lives in a small cottage even though he could probably afford something bigger if he wanted to spend the money. The 1920s was a booming time for wealthy people. It was a time where having goals and valuing money got you to the top. It was a time when people lived extravagant lifestyles, just like many characters lived in The Great Gatsby. In the 20s many people were living a carefree life with few problems. The economy was booming and there was a lot of wealth. However, the author shows that money doesn't always buy happiness. For example, Gatsby wasn't happy until he reunited with his true love Daisy. Many of the aspects from the novel still hold true today.