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Literary Analysis Of'The Great Gatsby
Literary Analysis Of'The Great Gatsby
Character analysis of gatsby through chapters 1-5
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During the 1920’s, money was a big factor that impacted the people’s lifestyle and made people change their perception on other people. People in this period would do anything to obtain money, even if that means doing it illegally. One way that people would obtain money is bootlegging alcohol, during the 1920’s this was illegal. But money is money and people see it all in the same way. Except in The Great Gatsby, the way people obtain money changes people’s views. The East and West Egg are perfect examples of this. People from the East Egg have what we call old money and people from West Egg have what we call new money. In The Great Gatsby, money affected people’s attitudes on life. Throughout the novel, the reader continues to learn how …show more content…
money has affect Jay Gatsby and his lifestyle. Jay Gatsby throws his money around like its nothing and he also throws massive parties often. When we learned about Gatsby's past we found out that Gatsby was not always a rich, charming man. Gatsby was born and raised in the Midwest and did not come from a wealthy family. Jay Gatsby isn’t even his really name it is “James Gatz- that was really, or at least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career” (99, Fitzgerald). Gatsby just getting a glimpse of a chance at obtaining money changes his life entirely. There is one reason for Gatsby changing so much, Daisy. Gatsby has been blinded by his love for Daisy that he has moved to Long Island, bought a huge house, and throws gigantic parties just to get the attention of Daisy. Money has completely changed Gatsby and he only uses it to get what he wants, not what is for the better good. In the 1920’s and in The Great Gatsby money is a huge impact on people's characteristics, especially how people obtain their money.
During the 1920’s, there are many ways to get acquire money, some ways are even illegal. People from the East Egg obtain their “old” money through inheritances that have been passed down from generation to generation. These people are more elegant and see themselves as high class and look down upon all other people. On the other hand, West Egg in comprised of people who obtain their money in a new way. People who throw their money around like it is nothing and party all the time get their money illegally through bootlegging or in Wolfsheim’s case, fixing the world series. People from the East Egg despise people from the West Egg because they seem rebellious and unclassy. Tom is a good example of this, Tom goes to extreme lengths just to exploit the actions of Gatsby and his illegal doings, he even said "I found out what your 'drug-stores' were . . . He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That's one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong" (133). The people from the East Egg think that everyone below them is wrong and that what other people do is wrong. This is all based on how they got their money. Does not matter if you are the nicest person on the planet, if you get you money in the new way you …show more content…
are considered below people from the East Egg. How people acquire their money changes the way people perceive you and your personality, East Eggers see themselves as upper class while West Eggers just party all the time and live life to the fullest. In the eyes of humans, the lifestyle you live says everything about you, whether you are rich living in a giant house or poor living on the streets.
Money especially affects the views on a lifestyle. When Gatsby was a young boy he lived with his parents on a poor farm, wishing and imagining for a better lifestyle. When Gatsby was introduced to a good chunk of wealth his life turn one hundred eighty degrees. He then set his sights on finding Daisy and moved to West Egg. Buying a giant house and throwing massive parties certainly affected Gatsby's lifestyle. On the other hand, Myrtle living in the Valley of Ashes has been greatly affected by her lifestyle. She thought she was marrying a nice, rich, and charming man. That was until she realized that her husband could not even afford a Tuxedo! Myrtle then started an affair and mooching money and presents off of Tom Buchanan. Myrtle acts differently and says to Nick, " ‘I told that boy about the ice.’ Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders. ‘These people! You have to keep after them all the time.’ She looked at me and laughed pointlessly... “ (32). Myrtle thinks that trying to act snobbish will help her look more fancy just like the people in East Egg. This goes to show how money can affect lifestyle and perception on people's judgement. Money is so powerful that it affects the lifestyle and dreams of
people. In The Great Gatsby the attitudes of characters are drastically affected by the persuasion of money. Gatsby has been influenced the most by money and what affects its has on people. Also, people from East and West Egg both obtained money differently and this affects their view point on the other. Lastly Money affects the lifestyles based on how much money the character has or does not have. Throughout the novel, money have impacted everyone in some way. For example, Daisy and Myrtle were both gold diggers, only searching for a man with wealth rather than personality. Just like in The Great Gatsby, the 1920’s was full of corruption and lies. People doing illegal and immoral things that only someone who is sick would think about doing. Behind all of these corrupt action is the drive to obtain money.
Gatsby and Greed In this day and age, money is a very important asset to have. One needs to have at least enough to live on, though great amounts are preferable. In The Great Gatsby, by Thomas F. Fitzgerald, having a large amount of money is not enough. It is also the way you acquire the money that matters.
First of all, money drove the entire story. “immediately marks money and materialism as a key theme of the book” The main theme in the story is money, and how it is the cause of everything that happened in the book. Money is the destruction of Gatsby. Money is the cause of all the deaths in the story. Without money, Daisy wouldn't have hit someone with the car, gatsby wouldn't have loved Daisy, and Myrtle wouldn't have wanted to have an affair with Tom.
The first example of Gatsby's belief that money can buy his happiness is when Nick Carraway describes the subdivision in which he lives, West Egg. The subdivision across the water is East Egg. The houses are very luxurious to say the least. On the other hand, there is a distinction between the two. The West Egg house are more recently built and are elaborately decorated, where as the houses in East Egg are still as big but very conservative in architecture. The two neighborhoods represent the division in the upper class at this time in America. During the 1920's, the conservative "old rich" despised the "new rich". A good example of an "old rich" family would be the Rockefellers, where as a "new rich" family would be the Kennedys. The East Egg represented the conservative money of the "old rich". For generations their money passed down giving them the belief that the "new rich" with their newly acquired wealth were still lower and not equal to them. The "new rich" liked to display their wealth in lavish ways that the conservative wealthy did not approve. In addition, the "new rich" often did not earn their money in legitimate ways; most earned their money from boot legging. Carraway in an ironic way is neither "new rich" nor "old rich". He lives in a rather modest house compared to Gatsby's huge mansion. Gatsby owns a huge house but is the only person living there besides some servants. Gatsby tries to use the house to win the happiness and respect from others. Another reason for the house is to hide the way in which he really makes his money.
The East and West Egg are two opposite parts of Long Island. The East Egg is where people of old money reside, like Daisy and Tom, who have inherited the riches of the aristocracy. However, the West Egg is the home of the nouveau riche or new money. It is where Gatsby and Nick reside, who have accumulated great wealth on their own. Fitzgerald contrasts these two places and the characters from each Egg to highlight the cultural clash in the 1920’s between old and new money and the contrasting theme of corruption and morality.
During the time in our country's history called the roaring twenties, society had a new obsession, money. Just shortly after the great depression, people's focus now fell on wealth and success in the economic realm. Many Americans would stop at nothing to become rich and money was the new factor in separation of classes within society. Wealth was a direct reflection of how successful a person really was and now became what many people strived to be, to be rich. Wealth became the new stable in the "American dream" that people yearned and chased after all their lives. In the novel entitled the great Gatsby, the ideals of the so called American dream became skewed, as a result of the greediness and desires of the main characters to become rich and wealthy. These character placed throughout the novel emphasize the true value money has on a persons place in society making wealth a state of mind.
As depicted by Scott F. Fitzgerald, the 1920s is an era of a great downfall both socially and morally. As the rich get richer, the poor remain to fend for themselves, with no help of any kind coming their way. Throughout Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, the two “breeds” of wealthier folk consistently butt heads in an ongoing battle of varying lifestyles. The West Eggers, best represented by Jay Gatsby, are the newly rich, with little to no sense of class or taste. Their polar opposites, the East Eggers, are signified by Tom and Daisy Buchanan; these people have inherited their riches from the country’s wealthiest old families and treat their money with dignity and social grace. Money, a mere object in the hands of the newly wealthy, is unconscientiously squandered by Gatsby in an effort to bring his only source of happiness, Daisy, into his life once again. Over the course of his countless wild parties, he dissipates thousands upon thousands of dollars in unsuccessful attempts to attract Daisy’s attention. For Gatsby, the only way he could capture this happiness is to achieve his personal “American Dream” and end up with Daisy in his arms. Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy is somewhat detrimental to himself and the ones around him; his actions destroy relationships and ultimately get two people killed.
Imagine a life with more mazuma than cognizance of what could be done with; lights, fashion, and fame is the dream of many. Now, imagine living in penuriousness with just enough mazuma to sanction one's’ citizenship. In the novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are two sides of a city that are split by how long the money has been in the family, and how much work was put into earning the money.. Even though there are few people who opted to live differently when residing in one of the different eggs, the East Egg is for the old sophisticated mazuma while the West Egg is for the incipient upcoming mazuma because those who opted to reside in the East Egg have grown up with money and those who opt to reside in the West Egg have just founded their money.
In the book, The Great Gatsby, written by F.Scott Fitzgerald, there seems to be conflict between old money and new money. New money meaning that they have inquired wealth recently, and old money meaning they have inherited the money from their ancestors and have been building up their powerful social connections for many years. Fitzgerald portrays new money as being reckless and unwise with their wealth by lavishly spending their money on new cars,new clothes and parties. On the other side of the spectrum, old money individuals are presented as being more responsible and knowing how to handle their money. The difference between these two social classes goes beyond the way they spend money, but, in their personalities also; the new money groups tend to be more caring and lacking in social graces while old money are deeply selfish and inconsiderate. This conflict between the two ranks is very interesting in that even though the book takes place in the 1920s, this concept is fully evident in our society today.
“The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the vast social difference between the old aristocrats, the new self-made rich and the poor. He vividly interprets the social stratification during the roaring twenties as each group has their own problems to deal with. Old Money, who have fortunes dating from the 19th century, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. The New Money made their fortunes in the 1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend to overcompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth. As usual, the No Money gets overlooked by the struggle at the top, leaving them forgotten or ignored. Such is exemplified by Jay Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson and Tom Buchanan. Their ambitions distinctly represent their class in which Fitzgerald implies strongly about.
The 1920’s are often seen as a prosperous time for everyone, but that isn’t true. Only the top 1% wealthiest Americans got an 80% increase in disposable income, while everyone else only got a 9% increase in disposable income. In fact, 80% of all Americans had absolutely no savings at all. It was a prosperous time, but only if you were very, very rich. The theme for the novel The Great Gatsby is need for more excess money and pleasure rules those who have excess money and pleasure. Characters in the book care only for themselves or for their goals, and disregard everything else. The wealthy have even split into two factions, the old aristocracy of East Egg and the new self-made rich of West Egg. The rich dump their waste without any heed of those who are affected. They pay no attention to it even though they pass by the wasteland they created every day on their way to work. They take advantage of people and give nothing in return, not even taking notice of them after they have outlived their usefulness.
Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a constant theme present: social class. Fitzgerald makes a connection between the theme of social class, and the settings in the novel for example The Valley of Ashes which is described as a “desolate area of land” (p.21) and a “solemn dumping ground” (p.21) which is where the poor people live. The Valley of Ashes is situated between West Egg and New York, West Egg being the place where the aspiring classes are situated, which is the “less fashionable of the two” (p.8), this is where Gatsby lives. West Egg is the place of ‘new money’, Fitzgerald shows this by the idea of the main character Jay Gatsby, rumoured to be selling illegal alcohol (prohibition) which means he is quickly making vast amounts of money.” Who is this Gatsby anyhow? Some big bootlegger?”(p.86) Gatsby shows off the amount of wealth he has by his fabulous parties and oversized mansion. “There was music from my neighbour's house through those summer nights. In his enchanted gardens, men and girls came and went like moths, among the whispering and the champagne and the stars.”(p.33) Fitzgerald uses the word ‘enchanted’ to paint a visual picture of what the house and the scene looks like, a magical and enchanted castle, with elegant furniture. This is in comparison to East Egg where Tom and Daisy Buchanan live, in a house where “The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside” (p.10). East Egg being the place of ‘old money’ which is made from the inheritance of their past generations, the people who live it East Egg are mainly well educated, historically wealthy and live quite elegantly, but they are also quite ‘snobbish’. Gatsby’s background does not fit into the social standards of East Egg...
... world has changed as well. Materialism has both destroyed and helped people, leading some towards crime and others towards the American Dream. The distance between the wealthy class and the rest has grown, but so has the idea of noblesse oblige. The Great Gatsby clearly shows all of these issues as they were in the ‘20s, and all of them can be paralleled to show the same issues in today’s times.
The 1920's was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited "old money" and some obtained "new money". However, there was the other side of prosperity and many people also suffered the nightmare of being poor. In the novel eThe Great Gatsbyf, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a wealthy character who lives in a mansion. However, Nick Carraway, the protagonist of the novel and next door neighbour of Jay Gatsby, is an average man who does not have the fortunes that Gatsby has. He is gtoo poorh. Nick Carraway is part of the middle class in society while Gatsby is in the upper class of society.
Money, Love, and Death Children who are born into the lowest group of income in the United States have a 42% chance of remaining in that class; meanwhile, they only have a 1% chance moving up to the highest class. Based on this information, there is a very minute chance someone would be able to acquire the wealth they might strive for, no matter how hard they would work for it. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is first portrayed as an incredibly wealthy man who lives in a mansion and throws extravagant parties every weekend. Little does it mention his life growing up, as someone who lacked a great deal of money to fall back on. This is a key point of information which is touched upon later on in the novel.
It was very different than the West Egg, where most of the “new money” people lived. People in East Egg, spend their wealth differently than new money, whether it is clothes or parties. Tom Buchanan was one of the people who was labeled as “old money”. Tom was respected for various reasons, but the major reason was all of his family were rich. Even though most people like Tom don’t advertise their money, they are still well known above all classes.