Great Gatsby And Money Value Essay Research

Great Gatsby And Money Value Essay, Research Paper

"Our great cities and our mighty buildings will avail us not if we lack

spiritual strength to subdue mere objects to the higher purposes of

humanity" (Harnsberger 14), is what Lyndon B. Johnson had to say about

materialism. He knew the value of money, and he realized the power and effect of

money. Money can have many effects, however money cannot buy happiness. Many

people disbelieve this fact, and many continue to try and actually buy articles

that make them happy. In F. Scott Fitzgerald.s The Great Gatsby, Fizgerald

keenly shows us how Jay Gatsby is one of these people. Gatsby believes that if

he has money, he can do attain great goals. Gatsby is a sensible man, yet he has

many false conceptions. Jay Gatsby believes that money can recreate the past,

can buy him happiness, and can be helpful in achieving a level of prestige in

the prominent East Egg. Jay Gatsby believes he can buy happiness; and this is

exhibited through his house, his clothes, and through Daisy. He owns a large

portion of finances due to some mysterious source of wealth, and he uses this

mystery source to buy his house, his clothes, and Daisy. Gatsby.s house, as

Fitzgerald describes it, is "a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in

Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy,

and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden"

(Fitzgerald 9). This house, as Fitzgerald fabulously enlightens to, is an

immaculate symbol of Gatsby.s incalculable income. "The house he feels he

needs in order to win happiness" (Bewley 24), is an elegant mansion; that

of which an excellent symbol of carelessness is displayed and is part of

Gatsby.s own persona. Every Monday after a party, this house is kept by eight

servants. It has its own entrance gate, and is big enough to hold hundreds of

people at a time. His careless use for money to impress others is portrayed

through his clothes; a gold metallic hat, silver vests and gold jackets. The

shirts and clothes that are ordered every spring and fall show his simpleness in

expressing his wealth to his beloved Daisy. His "beautiful shirts . . . It

makes me sad because I.ve never seen such beautiful shirts before"

(Fitzgerald 98). It seems silly to cry over simple shirts, but "It is not

the shirts themselves that overwhelm her but what they symbolize . . ." (Cowley

43). These shirts represent the simple awesome manner of Gatsby.s wealth and

his ability to try and purchase Daisy.s love, this time through the use of

extensive clothing. Fitzgerald wisely shows how Gatsby uses his riches to buy

Daisy. In the story, we know that "They were careless people, Tom and

Daisy–they smashed up things . . . and then returned back into their

money" (Fitzgerald). By this, we know that Daisy.s main (and maybe only)

concern is money. Gatsby realizes this, and is powered by this. He is driven to

extensive and sometimes illegal actions. He feels he must be rich and careless

for his five year love, and when expressing Gatsby.s readiness to spend any

amount of money for his hopeful wife, a poem must be stated. "Then wear the

gold hat, if that move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she

cry "Lover, gold hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!" ( ).

This poem is a perfect description of how Gatsby tries to buy Daisy, and her

love. All these enlighten us to Gatsby.s personality, therefore we know Gatsby

is willing to use an unlimited source of income to actually buy trifles to prove

his worth to Daisy. He will buy a house that takes, even him, three years to pay

for and purchases clothes every Spring and Fall. He does all he can in order to

buy, what he feels is his only happiness, the woman he has watched for five

years, the woman who.s only concern is money, the infamous, Daisy. Gatsby.s

obsession is with the buying power of money, however, this obsession does not

limit itself merely to possessions, but also to physical attributes. Jay Gatsby

attempts to recapture his past with money. He also implies he has a past at

Oxford, he entices Daisy with wealth, and sometimes spins absolute obvious lies.

In his past at Oxford, the author uses a prestigious, ivy league school that

Gatsby visited in order to imply that Gatsby did come from a high class

background. However, Fitzgerald candidly avoids saying for how long, for what

reasons, or why he has indeed attained entrance at Oxford. Being misplaced by

the Military at this local prestigious college unfortunately serves as a

hindrance. Gatsby shows Nick a picture "A souvenir of [his] Oxford days . .

. " (Fitzgerald), as if to imply that he was there. In all actuality,

Gatsby had only dreamed of attending a school such as Oxford, and even a small,

d

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