Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

Why is The Great Gatsby is a book about hope.
The most striking element in Fitzgerald's demystification of the prohibition era, is not the human insecurity and moral ugliness bred by the constant glamour but the absolute failure of the American dream. Fitzgerald's novel, “The Great Gatsby”, exposes the American Constitution as a myth, exhibiting the reality of the situation with the entrenched class differences of the time period. Fitzgerald provides insight into the life of the high class during the roaring twenties, through the eyes of a man named Nick Caraway. It is through the narrator's dealings with high society that readers are exposed to how modern values have transformed the American Dream's pure ideals into a scheme for materialistic

power. Furthermore, it presents how the world of the old aristocracy lacks any sense compassion or sympathy towards anyone. The Buchanans, exemplify this stereotype when, at the end of the novel, “their carelessness”, indirectly led to the termination of the hopes and dreams of other characters. Although the novel directs much of its attention to the corruption of the dream, and the failures of those who attempt to reach this illusionary goal, it is also a novel about the inherit need of such goals to maintain a purpose in life. Through the eyes of George Wilson and Jay Gatsby, the reader gains an appreciation for what an incorruptible dream can create.

George Wilson is the only major character to of committed a serious felony throughout the novel. Ironically however, he is still considered as one of the novel’s greatest and most respectable characters. Unlike all the other characters in the “The Great Gatsby”, George does not carry superficial persona. His hopes for a better life for his wife are made clear from the onset of the novel. Even Nick, one of the supposedly “few honest people that {Nick has} ever known” has proven to be contradictory and an ambiguous characters, with the audience only vaguely understanding his intensions. In contrast, George is shown to be one of the few characters that chases his dream through an honest living, maintaining the traditional values of integrity and humility. Despite his eventual demise, George is a self-made man and is the only truly honest character within the novel. He is also the only character who references God, constantly telling Myrtle that she "can't fool God," that "God sees everything”. This powerful commentary reminds the reader that, unlike the aristocratic careless approach to life, the lower classes can't just retreat "back into money”. Wilson and his class actually have to take responsibility for their actions, and they don't expect other people to suffer, in order to supplement for their careless actions. Since George’s purpose in life revolved around his wife, he loses all sense of ambition, when she is murdered. The collapse of his dream, is symbolic of the collapse of George himself. Yet while at his death he was destitute and a murderer, the author demonstrates that although dreams are delusional, and they will almost never be achieved, they serve to provide hope in life.

For Gatsby, the main protagonist of the novel, the American Dream is the love of Daisy Buchanan, a woman whom Gatsby has perceived with an idealistic image of the perfect trophy wife, an image which Daisy does not possess in reality.

In the novel, West Egg represents the newly rich, while east Egg, especially Daisy and Tom, represent the old aristocracy. The newly rich are portrayed as being vulgar, showy and lacking in social graces and taste. However, what the old aristocracy possesses in taste, however, it seems to lack in heart, as the East Eggers prove themselves careless and inconsiderate of others. Nevertheless, “Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book”, is an illustration of what dedication and an “extraordinary gift for hope” can erect. Although, his money is made from criminal means, he is shown to be a vibrant character who is sincere, loyal, and has genuine love for Daisy. Everything he has done in life has been done to fulfil his dream, to prove to Daisy that he is worthy of her. And even when his dream is collapsing, and all chances of recovering his past love is gone, Gatsby’s incorruptible dream drives him on. Ironically, then, it is not Gatsby’s bad qualities that lead him to his death, but rather his good qualities of loyalty and determination that lead to his demise, as he takes the blame for killing Myrtle rather than letting Daisy be punished. It is at this point in the novel that Nick, the narrator, realizes that his neighbour was “worth the whole damn bunch put together”. Nick, who is supposedly “inclined to reserve all judgments,” finally makes a conclusive judgment here, calling Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and all the upper class morally rotten. And although Gatsby’s real history, however tainted by criminal enterprise, in facts makes him more admirable by moral standards than the initial impression he gives Nick. During a time that was so entrenched with corruption and restlessness, Gatsby still manages to maintain faith in the virtues of

the American Dream. His private, sentimental side, his heroism during the war and his determination in the pursuit of his capturing his dreams are what makes Gatsby the embodiment of the American dream, if somewhat misguided.

Although Fitzgerald identifies the nepotism that plagued the American dream during the 1920s, the novel concludes on the note that people will still endeavour to pursue their dreams as intensely as Gatsby chased after Daisy. Even if these dreams are unachievable and out of reach, like Gatsby in pursuit of his “green light,” People would still fight against the current. Even though describing the progress of Americans as “boats against the current” seems degrading, the overall impression is that Fitzgerald is impressed at how even a generation that is plagued by corruption, can still possess the courage to dream and hope for better things.