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Society is overly materialistic
Influence of media advertising on consumer behaviour
Society is overly materialistic
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Many people believe the more they buy and spend, the happier they will be, but this is
rarely the case. Consumerism is common, not only in American society, but in American
literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a profound author, wrote about consumerism in his most famous
novel The Great Gatsby. He shows this idea of spending in search of superficial happiness to
explain how it can destroy someone. Just like Fitzgerald writes in the novel, people today are
guilty of consumerism.
Consumerism by definition is a “theory that an increasing consumption of goods is
economically desirable; also: a preoccupation and an inclination toward the buying of
consumerism goods” (Merriam-Webster). Aspects of consumerism can be traced as far back as
the
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18 th century, but the lifestyle takes off in the roaring twenties and evolves even more after World War II. People’s behaviors and beliefs of happiness were centered mostly on the excessive consumption of unnecessary possessions. Consumerism is still hugely prevalent in American society today.
Many people feel like as soon as they get their paycheck they need to
spend it. The most common type of consumerism in our society is impulse spending. Impulse
spending “is defined as a sudden strong tendency to buy products which the customer had not
planned to buy” (Khorrami 824).
F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates consumerism through the development of the characters in
The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is a wealthy bootlegger who lives an extravagant lifestyle.
Gatsby’s house looks like “the World’s Fair” (Fitzgerald 81). He often throws tremendous
parties where “food and liquor are dispensed lavishly” (Hickey 1). He spends thousands of
dollars to set up the parties “and on Monday’s eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled
all day with mops and scrubbing brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages
of the night before.” For all the money he spends on these parties he does not ever take part in
them. The only reason Gatsby throws his parties is so that Daisy will “go to Tom and say: ‘I
never loved you’” (Fitzgerald 109). Even though “Gatsby’s money and fame were built on a lie,”
he is throwing it all away (Zeitz 1). For all the money he spends to impress others, in the
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end only one person attends his funeral. Another character that Fitzgerald portrays consumerism through is Myrtle.
Myrtle’s husband fails to provide her the lifestyle she believes she deserves.
She seeks a fantasy lifestyle of wealth and prestige through her affair with Tom. She spends
Tom’s money on lavish things hoping to disguise the rather plain, lower class life she lives with
her husband. After a day of impulse spending, “Mrs. Wilson gathered up her dog and her other
purchases, and went haughtily in” to the hotel (Fitzgerald 28). Even with everything Myrtle buys
and possess, she ends up being unhappy and eventually killed.
Not only do authors portray consumerism in literary works, it is also common throughout
today’s society. Consumerism can destroy people, both mentally and economically. There is
“substantial research indicating a negative relationship between excessive consumption, namely
materialism, and consumer well-being” (Lee and Ahn 18). People strive for happiness through
material objects believing the more they spend and the more they have, the happier they will be.
A vicious cycle of spending carelessly turns into a mental obsession with no self-control.
Personal relationships suffer because people only focus on acquiring more possessions instead of
each other. Overproduction of goods leading to excessive waste is another negative side
to consumerism. Although the negative effects of consumerism are widespread, there are a few positive sides to it. For example, consumerism means more product demand which leads to more opportunities for businesses. Consumerism also generates more cash flow in the economy. This results in economic growth and creates more jobs. When looking at both sides of consumerism, it is easy to see the negatives far outweigh the positives. In conclusion, consumerism is a huge part of America. A lot of people measure success and happiness on the number of materialistic possessions they acquire throughout a lifetime. Although consumerism has a few positive effects, there are by far more negative consequences. Authors express the idea of consumerism in many works of literature as Fitzgerald does notably in The Great Gatsby. Consumerism is strongly displayed not only in our society, but throughout our literature.
It’s like Tom Outland’s death stirred up turmoil for the family. Everyone became at odds with each other. Before Tom died, Mrs. St. Peter had a grudge of jealousy towards him because of the bonding relationship he and her husband, Professor, St. Peter had formed. Rosamond and Kathleen have a grudge against each other because both girls were fond of Tom but Tom loved Rosamond. Tom left all his money and inventions to Rosamond and it was a large sum that provided her with the enablement to live comfortably. Kathleen feels like Rosamond flashes the money in her face and finds it preposterous. ““I can’t help it, father. I am envious. I don’t think I would be if she let me alone, but she comes here with her magnificence and takes the life out of all our poor little things. Everybody knows she’s rich, why does she have to keep rubbing it in”” (69)? The Outland holds bitterness and unresolved
Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth. Ever since meeting Dan Cody, his fascination for wealth has increased dramatically. He even uses illegal unmoral methods to obtain hefty amounts of wealth to spend on buying a house with “ Marie Antoinette music-rooms, Restoration Salons, dressing rooms and poolrooms, and bath rooms with sunken baths.” (88) His wardrobe is just as sensational with “ shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine fennel.” (89) Gatsby buys such posh items to impress Daisy but to him, Daisy herself is a symbol of wealth. Jay remarks, “[Daisy’s] voice is full of money.” (115). For him, Daisy is the one who is “ High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden gir...
In the third sentence, note the metaphor and explain Fitzgerald’s choice of this particular metaphor.
Gatsby offered her so she took the money Tom offered her. Tom is portrayed as such an
Daisy, for example, lives a miserable life, even though she appears otherwise. On the outside, she seems to have everything—a happy marriage, wealth, and beauty— which also connects to the American dream. Her relationship with Tom may appear to be perfect, however their marriage is marked by adultery, deception, and dissatisfaction. She married him only because she had to for his wealth and reputation. Daisy finds out that Tom has an affair with another woman in New York, but she does not leave him when Gatsby gives her the chance to.
...y until they realize there isn’t a party going on. When a funeral is held, barely any of the people who knew Gatsby attended. “The minister glanced several times at his watch, so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn’t any use. Nobody came.” (Page 174). Not even one of Gatsby’s closest “friends”, Meyer Wolfsheim, goes to the wedding. “I cannot come down now as I am tied up in some very important business and cannot get mixed up in this thing now.” (Page 166). Even Daisy, whom Gatsby claimed loved him, didn’t attend the funeral. She and her husband, whom had been cheating on her beforehand, left to Chicago until well after the funeral was over.
Not everything that is expensive is better. Rich people can get everything they want, but middle class people need to think if they need it, or they can find the same thing cheaper. Most people try to find cheaper things, but some buy expensive things, because they think that it will help them to feel that they are rich. First, people buy those expensive things, and after that they are in debt. Expensive things need a lot of money, but people don’t have them, so they use credit cards to buy for that. According to the article “All that glitters is not gold” says that auto exhibition 32% of attendees bought a car and 56% of attendees reported they were going to buy a car in the near future. It shows that that people don’t have money, but they saw that other people bought the car, and they want it also. My parents just last week bought a new car, because our old one broke. My dad said that everyone has big, and new cars, so we need to buy a costly car like other people have. I thought that it was a stupid idea to look at expensive car, but anyway he found a good car, nor costly, nor cheap car. It is middle cost, and it is a wonderful car. Running after expansive things people forget to look of prices. They forget that they will need to pay for that thing for many years after they buy
Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich couple, seem to have everything they could possibly want. Though their lives are full of anything you could imagine, they are unhappy and seek to change, Tom drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) just so he has something to talk about. Even though Tom is married to Daisy he has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and has apartment with her in New York.. Daisy is an empty character, someone with hardly any convictions or desires. Even before her relationships with Tom or, Gatsby are seen, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself and her friend Jordan. She knows that Tom is having an affair, yet she doesn't leave him even when she hears about Gatsby loving her. Daisy lets Gatsby know that she too is in love with him but cant bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except when Gatsby forces her too. Even then, once Tom begs her to stay, even then Daisy forever leaves Gatsby for her old life of comfort. Daisy and Tom are perfect examples of wealth and prosperity, and the American Dream. Yet their lives are empty, and without purpose.
another and treats his mistresses of these affairs as if they were only toys. When he
During the whole story, the rich have a sense of carelessness of money and material goods that are usually unobtainable by most. Prime examples of this carelessness are the huge parties that Gatsby throws; everybody who is anybody would attend: the party guests “[arrive] at twilight . . .” (Fitzgerald 111) and stay until daybreak, and “sometimes they [come] and [go] without having met Gatsby at all, [come] for the party with a simplicity of heart that [is] its own ticket of admission” (45). Gatsby puts enormous amounts of money into these parties, even though he does not enjoy them one bit. He, however, continues to have them because he believes happiness can be bought (101), that the glitz and glitter will ultimately bring Daisy to love him (Swilley). To Gatsby, he must continue to throw these parties. Gatsby is new money and he has to show off his money and prove to the world that he is rich (Karen). In addition to his elaborate parties, he wears extravagant pink suits with gold ties and drives an eye-catching yellow car. All this he does in order to gain Daisy’s attention (Gatsbylvr). In contrast, the opposite is true for Tom. Karen says that Tom is old money and, therefore, does not have to show the world that he has money. Tom does not need Gatsby’s flashiness; his house is arranged to his liking and he seems to be more conventional -- Tom rides horses as opposed to driving a flashy car (Karen).
Tom cares about power, and what makes him powerful is his money. Like they say with money comes power and Tom sure felt that way. Tom is very wealthy and has power over the people in his life, which makes him in a sick way happy. Because Tom has this, he never goes for the gold or dreams of a better life he and his wife could have. At first glance, the story is about love, but once you get a bit deeper, the truth shines through.
Money, Love, and Aspiration in The Great Gatsby." P. 51
He thinks money can buy everything in the world, and that does not happen to be the case. He shows the hate he has towards Gatsby and calls him a nobody because he has “fake” wealth, "Self-control!" Repeated Tom incredulously. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that 's the idea you can count me out […] Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they 'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white”(Fitzgerald 130). Tom basically says Gatsby is a no one and has not done anything to get his money. He also says Gatsby does not have enough money to “buy” off Daisy and shows an example of money buying happiness. Tom also uses his money to make him happy rather than Daisy, with Myrtle but Wilson, also there and Tom hates poor people like Wilson. He makes Tom mad which does not equate to happiness of Tom and therefore coming to the conclusion of money cannot indeed buy
The characters in The Great Gatsby became the vessel for Fitzgerald to illustrate his ideas about society and the American dream. All characters had a delusional mindset where they thought that having wealth and power was all they nee...
Acquiring things like houses and cars only has a transient effect on happiness. People’s desires for material possessions crank up at the same, or greater rate, than their salaries. Again, this means that despite considerably more luxurious possessions, people end up no happier. There’s even evidence that materialism makes us less happy. People don’t shift to enjoyable activities when they are rich.... ...