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  • Essay / Money and Happiness in The Great Gatsby - 1225

    Money Equals Happiness in The Great Gatsby Throughout history, many societies have had upper, middle, and lower classes. The classes formed distinct communities with diverse lifestyles and never crossed social barriers. In the book The Great Gatsby, instead of streets and communities separating each class, there was sound. In West Egg, the rich received their money not from inheritance but from what they had accomplished on their own. They worked hard to earn their money and received no financial support from their families. These people gained in one of two ways: either they worked for it or they depended on illegal means to survive. On the other hand, East Egg natives represent the class of society that receives money from their relatives. They were someone's heir and rich from birth. It was also known that no one in East Egg would marry someone poor or with new money. Fitzgerald reveals that the lives of the privileged class are filled with corruption, carelessness, and materialism through his use of characterization in the novel. Daisy, Tom Buchanan's wife, has no goals in life; no discipline, no morality. She can't even think for herself because she's never had to before. She talks to Nick as if he's part of an isolated group in the lives of East Eggers, and in some ways he is. " “All right,” said Daisy. “What are we going to plan?” She turned to me helplessly. “What are people planning?” (153). Daisy lacks competence. Daisy has nothing to do or worry about every day She has no idea how to plan anything because she hasn't had to do anything that requires thinking since the day she thought money would solve. her problems She can go through life without having to think about anything that would probably require an elementary education. In the scene where Daisy crushes Myrtle, she doesn't care about what happened, she just cares. herself. "For Daisy was young and her artificial world evoked orchids, the pleasant and cheerful snobbery and the orchestras that punctuated the year, summarizing the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes" (158). This quote shows that Daisy lives in a dream world where she is not required to obey any laws. Her snobbish personality gets her into trouble. Killing Myrtle has no effect on her. She just continues to live her boring, carefree life with no regard for others. Middle of paper ... people she is rich when she can't show off her assets. She has to let people know that she is rich because money is the only thing she cares about and the only happiness she gets from life. The novel The Great Gatsby shows many different aspects of the upper class. From corruption to indifference, many characters never change their personalities and don't even try to change. Daisy remained the same carefree and materialistic woman throughout the book and Tom remained hypocritical and angry. Eventually, both flee, never accepting responsibility for the damage they caused. They thought that because they had money, they would never get into trouble and that if they did, the money would get them through. Money was everything to them and Daisy loved money more than her own daughter. Tom thought that because he had money he could cheat on his wife and that love meant buying his wife a necklace which to his wife was love because it cost a lot of money. Both characters never realized what money couldn't buy them. Between Daisy and Tom, money can buy love. For, 2008.