The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

The Great Gatsby Essay They say that money is â€Å"the root of all evil. This novel exemplifies how the characters live for money and are controlled by it. Love and happiness cannot be bought, no matter how much money was spent. Tom and Daisy were married and even had a child, but they both still committed adultery. Daisy was with Gatsby and Tom was with Myrtle. They tried to find happiness with their lovers, but the risk of changing their lifestyles was not worth it. They were not happy with their spouses but could not find happiness with their lovers. Happiness cannot be found or bought. Daisy lost her love and respect for Gatsby when she found out he was a bootlegger. The important thing was not just having money, but where they money came from. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, money is a prominent theme. The author shows that money is earned and spent in very specific ways. Each character’s relationship with money allows the reader to see their personalities more clearly. In the beginning of Chapter Two, Nick and Tom Buchanon have just met Tom’s girlfriend Myrtle. The three of them are on their way to Tom and Myrtles apartment when an elderly man selling puppies on the side of the street catches Myrtle’s eye. The author explains, â€Å"I want to get one those dogs, she said earnestly. I want to get one for the apartment. They’re nice to have- a dog-I think its cute†¦Is it a boy or a girl? She asked delicately. † â€Å"It’s a bitch,† said Tom decisively. † Here’s your money. Go and buy ten more dogs with it† (pages 27-28). Tom’s actions and choice of words when he is buying the puppy for his girlfriend Myrtle show the reader that he does not have respect for women. The way Tom throws his money around illustrates that he believes he, because he has money, is better than the person selling the puppies. Fitzgerald uses the money theme again when he writes about the parties that his characters attend. He notes â€Å"I like your dress, â€Å" remarked Mrs. McKee, â€Å"I think it’s adorable. †Ã¢â‚¬  Mrs. Wilson rejected the compliment by raising her eye brow in disdain. † â€Å"It’s just a crazy old thing,† she said. † I just slip it on sometimes when I don’t care what I look like† (page 31). Myrtle rejects the compliment on her dress because she wants to portray herself as a woman who wears extravagant clothing. When in reality, the dress that she is wearing was a dress that Tom had bought for her. It is actually the most expensive dress that she owns. Prestige and money are so important that she lies to impress those around her. In the 1920s money was very abundant. This was known as the golden age. People were very materialistic during this time period. The wealthy families in the novel such as Gatsby or the Buchanons were always trying to impress rather than trying to be themselves. This was a period of drinking, partying, and spending which was best portrayed by the Buchanons. They seem to be very self-centered people who couldnt give up a bit of the ritzy life to take care of their own child. Nick Carrows, the narrator of the novel differentiates and alternates between the two different types of money in the novel. East Egg and West Egg. The West Egg is the less fashionable side of Long Island where Gatsby and Nick live. The East Egg is the fashionable side of Long Island where the Buchanons and other old money people live. Those living in West Egg have wealth, but they have earned it themselves, but the people in East Egg have had money in their families for generations. People from East Egg only associate themselves with other people from East Egg and are rather ashamed of people of a lower status. The author explains a situation with Tom on the train, â€Å"Mrs. Wilson sat discreetly in another car. Tom deferred that much to the sensibilities of those East Eggers who might be on the train† (page 26). Tom is dating a girl named Myrtle who is from the Valley of Ashes; The Valley of Ashes is a very poor area. She has no money to her name whatsoever, and that is why Tom will not sit in the same car with her on the train. He will not allow people to see that he associates with someone of her station in life. Nick sees firsthand how different people from West Egg act compared to those from the East Egg. The author writes, â€Å"Come along, â€Å"he said- â€Å"but to her only. † Gatsby looked at me questioningly. He wanted to go, and he didn’t see that Mr. Sloane had determined he shouldn’t†¦My Go, I believe that man’s coming,† said Tom. â€Å"Doesn’t he know she doesn’t want him? (page 103). Gatsby was invited to a party at the East Egg as a form of an apology for having to leave Gatsby’s house. Gatsby is from West Egg; he completely missed the apology and took it as an invitation. The authors point is that even though people from West Egg and East Egg both have money, they live completely different lifestyles and behave complet ely differently. The author uses money to reveal several different traits in the novel. All of the characters personality traits in the novel are based off of wealth. Without the money, these characters would be nothing. Gatsby is known for his money and attitude. The author writes, â€Å"I heard the familiar â€Å"jug-jug-sput† of a motorcycle, and a frantic policeman rode alongside. † All right, old sport, called Gatsby. Taking a white card from his wallet, he waved it before the man’s eyes. † â€Å"Right you are,† agreed the policeman, tipping his cap. â€Å"Know you next time, Mr. Gatsby. Excuse me! † (page 68). Because of Gatsby’s past he has been able to meet popular people in his lifetime and acquire special privileges over the years. The only reason Gatsby can act this way and get away with it is because of his wealth. Another important character who portrays that her personality is shaped by money and wealth is Daisy. She lives a rich lifestyle but is forced to live with a man she can’t stand. The author explains, â€Å"Everybody thinks so-the most advanced people†¦The instant her voice broke off ceasing to compile my attention, my belief, I felt the basic insincerity of what she had said† (page17). Daisy is talking about how she knows so much because she has traveled the world and talked to interesting people through out her life. The author uses Daisy as a prime example to show that while money may provide opportunities in life, it is what you do with those opportunities that matter. If Daisy didn’t have money, she wouldn’t be considered smart or sophisticated; she would just be another boring person. New money and old money represents the way in which people are criticized, judged or understood. Old money has a tendency to seclude themselves from lower classes but do not discriminate. While new money tends to show off their wealth to the lower classes by throwing spectacular parties and get togethers. A new money party is portrayed as if it were the time of your and a night that no one will ever forget. The author says, â€Å"The groups change more swiftly, well with new arrivals†¦confident girls who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable†¦excited with triumph, glide on through the sea-change of faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light† (page 40-41). New money parties are exciting and extravagant but the only reason these parties exist is because people with new money become selfish and proud. They pride themselves on where their wealth has brought them. Newly acquired wealth causes people to change, to become someone they really aren’t, and to do things or be with people they normally would spend time with. An old money party is more like a get together. People must be invited and old old money is expected. The author explains, â€Å"People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere and then lost each other, searched for each other found each other a few feet away† (page 37). The author describes the old money parties in a relaxing manor because parties are not new to people who have had money all their lives. It is not difficult to see the importance that money played not only in the novel, but apparently in the 1920’s. The author crafted each character around their social station in life, which was determined by where their money came from. It was apparent that despite the fact that Jay Gatsby worked and earned his money, that it didn’t change the fact that he was from the â€Å"wrong side of the tracks†. And while being from the â€Å"right† side of those same tracks, having money didn’t really give Daisy what she wanted or needed to be happy. In the end, Gatsby died a lonely death, remembered by few.