Examples Of Leisure In The Great Gatsby

Conspicuous Leisure

In many ways, The Great Gatsby portrays the concept of conspicuous leisure as a defined trait among the wealthy and even the not-so-wealthy classes of America. It is used throughout the novel and especially among the women. Although, the men may not portray is quite as much, they are also often found guilty of this conspicuous leisure at some points within the novel. Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, James Gatsby (or Jay Gatz), Tom Buchanan, Meyer Wolfsheim, and even Dan Cody were all perfect examples of the effect of conspicuous leisure. This concept is not only held to the story of New York during the roaring twenties, however. It has been in existence for as long as human civilization first sought out differences between

each other and declared the separation of groups on terms of “class, ranking, or authority”.
James Gatsby, previously changed from his real name, Jay Gatz, is the top pick for best embodiment of this ideal.

Gatsby’s car in the novel was described as “a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns”(Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby). Gatsby loved to show off and prove his high class, luxurious lifestyle to the residents of New York. He was known for two things and two things only: His parties and his car. He was often spotted throughout New York in his massive, bright yellow, money machine of a car. He had no reason for owning the car except to flaunt his money. Tom Buchanan’s car, on the other hand is an “easy going blue coupe” that is nothing more than a nice, fun car to drive around and get to wherever Tom needed -or wanted- to

be.
A good example of clothing as a way of portraying wealth and social status would be the day Daisy finally meets Gatsby in person and visits his home after a happy “accidental” meetup at Nick Carraway’s little home next door to Gatsby’s place.

Gatsby shows her his bedroom and all of his “beautiful” clothing and varieties of shirt materials and colors. “‘They’re such beautiful shirts’, she sobbed, her voice muffled in the folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts”(Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby). Daisy is in awe over some shirts of Gatsby’s purely because they are soft and extravagant, nothing like she’s seen before. He has them imported into America from an overseas personal stylist and shopper of his. The shirts might even mean more to Daisy because she knows where Gatsby came from, a family that was nowhere near as wealthy as he is now. She knows he made all this money in only five years and it makes her sad that she married Tom when Gatsby was shipped overseas for the war. Seeing all of these shirts and his huge mansion and parties and all his money makes her realize how high class he finally is. However, Gatsby does not buy these clothes because he needs to. He buys them to show his money and “live the lavish lifestyle”. He buys expensive things and sets them out for others to see. This backs up the idea of conspicuous leisure and how it pertains to

Gatsby.
“There are psychological reasons why proles feel a need to wear legible clothing, and they are more touching than ridiculous. By wearing a garment reading SPORTS ILLUSTRATED or GATORADE, the prole associates himself with an enterprise the world judges successful, and thus, for the moment, he receives some importance(Fussell, Class, 56-57). Fussell is making a related statement to that of Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby. He points out that wearing specific clothing styles or brands can separate one class from another anywhere in the world at any event. Gatsby’s clothes are foreign brands and styles, leaving Daisy in awe at his newfound wealth and social class. Fussell describes how people wear popular brands and instantly get some form of recognition because of their so-called “association” with the enterprise. Nowadays, if someone were to buy a limited edition, $200+, rare pair of shoes or piece of clothing, they are viewed slightly differently in a higher manner. Even the slightest change in viewpoint of someone or something is still a change, though. This goes to show that people judge looks before anything else, backing up the concept of conspicuous leisure and how it defines social status in society.