In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald offers up commentary on a variety of themes -- justice, power, greed, betrayal, the American dream, and so on. Of all the themes, perhaps none is more well developed than that of social stratification.
Though Gatsby has always wanted to be rich, his main motivation in acquiring his fortune was his love for Daisy Buchanan, whom he met as a young military officer in Louisville before leaving to fight in World War I in 1917.
Jay Gatsby however did not earn his money in an honest way. He earned it by bootlegging alcohol, which as we all know was illegal because of the prohibition of alcohol during the time of this book, and he also earned a lot of his money from fake stocks.
In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is supposed to stand for independence and the ability to make something of one's self with hard work, but it ends up being more about materialism and selfish pursuit of pleasure.
Because Gatsby has no heirs, and it seems unlikely that he would have bequeathed the money to either his business associates or Daisy, readers can probably assume that his father would get his fortune, as he is the only living relative that is revealed in the text.
Daisy promised to wait for Gatsby, but in 1919 she chose instead to marry Tom Buchanan, a young man from a solid, aristocratic family who could promise her a wealthy lifestyle and who had the support of her parents.
In The Great Gatsby, Nick meets Gatsby at one of Gatsby's famous parties, to which he received a personal invitation, which not many people do. He strikes up a conversation with Gatsby without actually realizing that it's him, and Gatsby eventually reveals his identity.
In the novel, West Egg and its denizens represent the newly rich, while East Egg and its denizens, especially Daisy and Tom, represent the old aristocracy. Fitzgerald portrays the newly rich as being vulgar, gaudy, ostentatious, and lacking in social graces and taste.
New Money – or Nouveau riche- are people who've built their wealth in the current generation. They're the first ones in their ancestral lineage to have wealth. Old Money – are people whose families have been wealthy for generations.
The Great Gatsby portrays three different social classes: "old money" (Tom and Daisy Buchanan); "new money" (Gatsby); and a class that might be called "no money" (George and Myrtle Wilson).
They look down at new money rich people because they are reminded of the benefactors that built their wealth who were just like the “new money rich” people. It's more jealousy, and personal insecurity, because they don't think they could do the same thing their fore fathers did to create the wealth they now enjoy.
Expert AnswersNick is related to old money because he is Daisy's cousin. Like Tom, Daisy comes from a wealthy background and might be considered a "Kentucky Blueblood." Importantly, however, Nick's own nuclear family is not old money or new money.
What role do automobiles play in The Great Gatsby? For many of Fitzgerald's characters, the automobile represents American progress. Fitzgerald, however, remains unconvinced. Despite its superficial role as an emblem of man's ingenuity, Fitzgerald suggests that the automobile is actually a tool of destruction.
Myrtle, like George and Gatsby, was obviously not born into money, and instead is relying on her own wits to make it in 1920s America.
What Is the Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby? The valley of ashes is the depressing industrial area of Queens that is in between West Egg and Manhattan. It isn't actually made out of ashes, but seems that way because of how gray and smoke-choked it is.
Nick is also Daisy's cousin, which enables him to observe and assist the resurgent love affair between Daisy and Gatsby. As a result of his relationship to these two characters, Nick is the perfect choice to narrate the novel, which functions as a personal memoir of his experiences with Gatsby in the summer of 1922.
Why does Gatsby throw huge, expensive parties for people he does not even know? He is hoping that the insane parties will draw her attention and he hopes that she will eventually wind up stumbling into a party. He also seems to be the only one worried about Gatsby's whereabouts, and he eventually gets to meet him.
When Gatsby says Daisy's voice is "full of money," he means that one can sense her wealth and privilege just from hearing her speak. The beautiful Daisy has always lived a life of luxury, facing no consequences for her words or actions.
In the middle of the roaring 1920's, author F. Fitzgerald criticizes American society for depriving Gatsby of his American dream because of the country's growing obsession with consumer culture and misunderstanding of the American dream as a culmination of wealth.
Daisy is an aristocrat who has lived her whole life among the "old money" people. Daisy may not love Tom as much as Gatsby, but she cannot bear the thought of living in the low class world of "new money". So, she chooses the world she knows (Tom) over the world of new money (Gatsby).
She is sobbing because she knows he has only been thinking of pleasing her but lacks the style, tastes, manners, and everything else people of her social class take for granted. The shirts are excellent symbols of Gatsby's naïveté and gaucherie.
In the first chapter of The Great Gatsby, readers get a good overview of this character: He is the husband of Daisy, the object of Jay Gatsby's desire. He is wealthy, and he likes to flaunt it: His family were enormously wealthy and even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach (p. 6).
He is considered 'great' in a paradoxical sense. Gatsby is considered 'great' by the measurement of dreams, his wealth, his larger-than-life personality, the festivities and joviality that, to others in the novel, mark him as a man of high stature and almost god-like in personal proportions.
There is frequent talk about how much money it takes for someone to truly be happy. Many studies have shown that happiness levels increase with income up to roughly $75,000 in annual salary. After that, there tends to be little correlation between income and happiness.
Jay Gatsby has all the money he could want, he has the big house and the nice car. He didn't have true happiness. Nick wasn't rich like Gatsby, but he still was a very happy man. Gatsby wasnt a happy man, heould have everything he wanted except for the girl he loved.
Money can't buy happiness because the things that bring long-term satisfaction and contentment cannot be bought. Money may allow you to do some fun things and bring some enjoyment, but long-term happiness comes from things like spirituality, relationships, and friendships.
The moral of The Great Gatsby is that the American Dream is ultimately unattainable. Jay Gatsby had attained great wealth and status as a socialite; however, Gatsby's dream was to have a future with his one true love, Daisy.
MONEY CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS - "Money can buy material things, but real happiness must be truly earned. Now often used ironically. Rousseau (1712-78) wrote in 1750: 'Money buys everything, except morality and citizens. ' The proverb first appeared in the United States in 'William & Mary College Quarterly' .
Obsessed with the idea of having Daisy's love back unconditionally, he forgot to pay attention to the moral and social principles. Instead of being a noble wealthy man, he became more like Tom and Daisy, careless people. The representations of parties, automobiles and houses resulted in the failure of Gatsby's dream.
At Daisy's house in East Egg, Gatsby promises Daisy he would take the blame if they are ever caught. George goes to Gatsby's house in West Egg, where he shoots and kills Gatsby before committing suicide. Gatsby is later found dead, floating in his pool.
Money had no effect on the happiness of Characters, (except maybe the mechanic's wife) Gatsby's illegal booze empire didn't help him reach that oh so distant green light, and nor did Nick's lack of money drag him to dismay.
