Great gatsby the negative side of materialism

Download This Paper

Great Expectations, N Scott Fitzgerald, Funeral Residence, Dreams

Research from Thesis:

Great Gatsby

The Negative Side Of Materialism Inside the Great Gatsby

The Attract of the American Dream

The American Fantasy is the guarantee of a better life that brought persons from all over the world to the newly discovered country so that they could populate that and contribute to the development of the land associated with their personal lives too. The concept of the American Wish still continues to attract immigrants by countries in Europe, Asia and Africa including North and South America even for over 400 years. However , the interpretation with the American Desire has changed within the centuries and many people have arrive to the nation with their own expectations of well-being and success. During the early days of settlement, migrants from The european union were welcome to create a fresh life for themselves and for their families. They were attracted by the guarantee of getting arrive at which to farm and make a home for their families. The loneliness and loss of tradition was an acceptable price to pay to escape religious and economic persecution in the old country.

When the country acquired gained an identity, that continued to draw people with desires for making prosperity with its culture based on advancement and ingenuity. The Puritan work ethic along with free marketplace principles meant that people could earn big money if they worked hard enough for it. The American Fantasy then started out the dream of creating a house and personal community in a overseas land to achieving materials wealth. While using rise of communism, America became the champion of free market business and drawn people by controlled economies in search of monetary freedom and wealth. However , the United States was still being a growing financial power and was still far from becoming a global leader. That prospect came 1st in the Initially World Battle where after the destruction of Europe and also other parts of the world, America started to be the economic haven on the planet and people ongoing to make amazing wealth due to peace, steadiness and power of the United States. This kind of interpretation from the American Wish is mirrored by Fitzgerald in The Wonderful Gatsby in which he describes the excesses that obsession with materialism could cause. Today, the American Desire wealth, flexibility and equivalent opportunity continually attract people from the poor areas of the world searching for a better long term for their people.

Gatsby’s Inspiration for Searching for Greater Position and Riches

Gatsby attempts greater riches and materialism in the book as a means to attain the love of Daisy. This individual has had a relationship with Daisy in past times but they wasn’t able to marry as they had been known as away to serve inside the First Globe War. In the meantime, Daisy has married Jeff, a wealthy man who have belongs to the elitist West Egg part of the city. This makes Daisy unattainable to get Gatsby. Yet , Gatsby hails from a period in which the power of funds is rising at unprecedented levels. Funds is seen as a vehicle to achieve every thing one wishes. For the naive Gatsby, this includes however, love of another individual; in this case that human being is definitely Daisy. This individual feels that by looking for greater wealth and position, he would have the ability to win back Daisy from her husband Tom. According to Callahan (374), “Jay Gatsby pursues Daisy knowing that her sense of happiness plus the good life depends on funds and property. “

Gatsby changes his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby (Fitzgerald 104) and makes a fortune by learning to be a bootlegger. He can involved in quite a few illegal activities, such as offering smuggled alcohol to the people and doing business with people involved in fixing sports occasions (Fitzgerald 79). His passion with earning Daisy actually causes him to get across the line between right and wrong as they even turns into involved in against the law activities to create money. This also displays the decadent values from the 1920s once material riches mattered more than the means by which in turn it had been attained. Everybody from the new rich attend the ostentatious and loud celebrations thrown by simply Gatsby just about every weekend (Fitzgerald 43), although most of them will be loathe for being personally associated with him. Hardly any one of the frequent attendees concerns pay their respects by Gatsby’s memorial. According to Roberts (71), despite making wealth, Gatsby has been not able to learn the methods of the top-notch class.

Exactly why he includes these functions is again to impress Daisy and influence her that he is wealthier, and therefore even more worthy of her now than he was earlier. He likewise assumes that Daisy can come back to him now that he has more riches and a better social position. Gatsby as well wants to seek greater prosperity and position so that he has come to look at Daisy as a material ownership that can be obtained through prosperity and position.

A Moral Vindication of the American Fantasy

Seeking greater wealth and status is usually not incorrect in itself because it can help to enhance the quality of life of the person. The first settlers states had to go through a very hard life because they struggled to create their emotional and physical worlds again. The assure of greater wealth, materials comfort, status and esteem in the community is definitely an adequate praise for all that early have difficulty. The settlers would not have been able to embark on such enterprising efforts in the event that they did not really believe that it will make all their lives better. Seeking prosperity and status is a sensible aim as it helps to provide people away of lower income. Poverty makes people dependent upon one another and liable to staying exploited for their needs. Both of these not in favor of the beliefs of the Puritan work ethic that encourages people to be 3rd party and practical. By seeking greater riches and position, people may become independent and make their own decisions.

Low income is also proven to breed criminal offenses. When people simply cannot find a way away of their measely resources, they might resort to criminal offense if legal channels and equal opportunities are not available. When legit channels of producing wealth exist, people can get out of poverty through legal means without having to resort to crime. Funds has electric power because it scholarships access to different resources like education, health and food. When people seek increased wealth and status, they will also use their particular wealth to help others get from poverty and enjoy the basic essentials of existence. Similarly, riches brings with it greater status, partly because of the associative power of funds, and to some extent because of the popularity gained through industrious work and hard work. This status can be used as being a source of impact to bring about positive within society. The strength and influence of the United States today is a result of the economic electricity comes from the promise of producing wealth. Prosperous people also serve as a task model for others who are encouraged by way of a stories of hard work, perseverance and success.

The Gloomy of Materialism in The Superb Gatsby

Sightless pursuit of materialism can have got serious negative effects on culture. These results have been illustrated by Fitzgerald in The Wonderful Gatsby to bring home the actual that within a materialistic contemporary society where people’s desires become unattainable, the interpretation from the American Dream can go bad, with peoples’ efforts described towards a negative outcome.

One of many negative results of the sightless pursuit of materialism in the 1920s in America is definitely the attitude with the Buchanan’s toward life. They can be one of the top-notch wealthy households residing in the West Egg part of the community. Despite becoming millionaires, their particular lives are vapid and uninspiring. They search for interest and excitement inside their lives that money simply cannot give them. At the dining table, Daisy does not show any mother’s affection to her kid. After pampering the child, the lady hands it over to the nurse to be taken proper care of (Fitzgerald 124-125). This displays that her maternal love has also been numbed under the influence of wealth and greed. The meaning decadence is additionally reflected in her hubby Tom, who is having a great extramarital affair with Myrtle to fill the vacuum in his life (Fitzgerald 31). An additional instance of his treachery is when he informs Myrtle’s husband that Gatsby owns the car that hit Myrtle and slain her (Fitzgerald 190). This results in Gatsby being murdered by Myrtle’s husband (Fitzgerald 179). Both equally husband and wife are again seen to be without human consideration when they load up off on the vacation soon after Gatsby’s loss of life. At his funeral, Gatsby is seen to acquire been empty by those on who he had lavished his prosperity, wine and hospitality. His father and Nick exist along with one other visitor (Fitzgerald 186).

Making riches the aim and criteria of the successful life damages the ethical textile of culture. Even though Gatsby is good-natured, he ultimately resorts to criminal and shady actions to

Need writing help?

We can write an essay on your own custom topics!