Wealth In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

People often confuse the two synonymous terms of being rich and being wealthy, as both involve having an abundance of money. The main difference between the two is knowledge–wealthy people know how to make money, while rich people only have money. When one analyzes and dissects the two terms, it is easily determined that rich people are solely driven by money and wealthy people are fueled by their ambition, passion, purpose, and dreams. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories, Fitzgerald evaluates the perception of wealth and what is truly meant by the term through the development of his characters.

In Fitzgerald’s “The Rich Boy,” a pompous young man, Anson Hunter, strives to search for something that will be of true value to him. Hunter’s

father wants his sons to “grow up into right-living and successful men” (Fitzgerald 5). Due to his narrow and privileged upbringing, Hunter becomes self-absorbed and egotistical. Moreover, he believes that everything will be served to him on a silver platter as, “he disdained to struggle with other boys for precedence – he expected it to be given him freely” (Fitzgerald 6). Not only does he overlook the money he has, but also he neglects Paula Legendre, his fiancé. Hunter feels predominant in his relationship with Paula and thus disgraces himself by getting drunk and spoiling an evening with her. He does not value his relationship with her until it is too late, and he loses the intangible wealth that is expected from a spouse–marriage and children. Hunter’s personality and character is rooted in his dark richness, and it is “gross, humorous, [and] reckless of everything but pleasure” (Fitzgerald 13). Hunter is unable to find wealth, as seen in his failed attempts of finding true love. As a child, he is consumed by the concept of being rich and it eats his soul everyday so that he is incapable of obtaining wealth. The character development of Anson Hunter reveals that richness can preoccupy wealth.
Similar to Hunter, the Washington family in Fitzgerald’s, “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” acquires a large fortune through their secret land of diamonds.

Percy Washington reveals that his father has “a diamond as big as the Ritz-Carlton Hotel” (Fitzgerald 2). The diamond manipulates the family and brainwashes their values. Deranged acts occur in the household as Braddock Washington captures and kills those who threaten the anonymity and seclusion of their private paradise. Moreover, Percy’s grandfather lies to the enslaved men who digs for him, telling them that the stones were rhinestones and that the South had won the Civil War. The enslaved men never find out about the abolishment of slavery and thus continues to work for the family. Braddock Washington personifies excess personifies excess through his attachment to his property and his inability to cash in on his greatest asset, the biggest diamond in the world. The irony lies in the fact that if he made this known, it would devalue this and every other diamond. Braddock attempts to bribe God before his death, “God had His price, of course. God was made in man’s image, so it had been said: He must have His price” (Fitzgerald 23). Wealth is usually accommodated by happiness, relaxation, and fulfillment. Although the Washingtons surround themselves with opulence and luxury, there is no true wealth and value in the Washington household as seen in the character development of Braddock Washington and his

family.
Fitzgerald’s “The Offshore Pirate” differs slightly from the two previous short stories, but still has a character chasing wealth. The story begins with the young aristocrat, Ardita, on a yacht anchored close to the shore. Ardita is defiant, and her rebellion attributes teenage angst, independence, and a sense of entitlement. She argues with her exasperated uncle, as she refuses to leave the yacht to meet with the arranged man, and she is soon left alone as her uncle goes ashore. Shortly after, Ardita and the crew are unexpectedly taken over by pirates, led by Curtis Carlyle. She is amazed by the leader’s confidence, “a young man with a scornful mouth” (Fitzgerald 7), and he offers to spare her provided she keep quiet for the next forty-eight hours. Ardita is wooed by the pirate stories of Carlyle, specifically his plans to be a rajah, and their friendship is sparked into a love and romance. She is determined to travel with the pirates, saying “I’m all for you. I’d really like to see you make a get-away” (Fitzgerald 17). Ardita soon finds out that Curtis Carlyle is not who he portrays to be, but rather he is Toby Moreland, the man her uncle attempts to set her up with. She is content when these are revealed as fantasies because she is pleased that Toby Moreland is in reality a rich man, both in money and in imagination. Ardita, who is at first spoiled and greedy, finds wealth through her love for Moreland, which creates purpose for her life as well as financial status and a healthy mind and spirit.
In James Baldwin’s “The Creative Process,” he states that it is an artist’s job to confront and “to correct the delusions to which we fall prey in our attempts to avoid this knowledge” (Baldwin 1). In the short stories of Fitzgerald, there is a distortion between being wealthy and being rich. People automatically assume that if they are rich then they are wealthy as well. However, Fitzgerald negates this common notion through “The Rich Boy,” “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” and “The Offshore Pirate.” Fitzgerald’s short story characters reveal an underlying truth: True wealth is obtained through experience, knowledge, fortitude, and resilience.