The Great Gatsby- Do S Really Love Cars and Money?
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The Great Gatsby- Do s really love cars and money?
In F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, Gatsby attempts to be obtain his American dream with conspicuous consumption. Fitzgerald uses symbols of conspicuous consumption in money, cars and houses to show that the American dream of wealth and possessions doesnt necessarily ensure happiness.
The concept of conspicuous consumption is greatly exemplified in The Great Gatsby, by all of the characters being in possession of excessive amounts of property and money. Money is the get-all give-all in Gatsbys version of the American dream. If one can obtain lots of money to impress the women, then he must have it made; Realists disagree with this mindset. “[Gatsby] wants her to see his house,” she explained. “And your [Nicks] house is right next door (84).” Gatsby wants to display his wealth to Daisy, so she will be impressed with him. The different eggs represent the standings of peoples money. Gatsby in on the West, which is the people who dont have any real standing, even when they have lots of money. The West Egg represents the new money, or the money that was earned, not inherited. Daisy, the woman that Gatsby has always wanted, lives on East Egg. This is Gatsby displaying conspicuous consumption towards Daisy. Not only Gatsby displays this trait, however. Referring to Mr. Wolfshiems cufflinks, which were “composed of oddly familiar pieces of ivory.
Finest specimens of human molars, he informed me (77).” This is a display of someone who has bought cufflinks merely for the reason of buying, using the excess money he has. This conspicuous consumption get a man nowhere but in awe of equally lost people. People who are stuck in spending money also display their level of social status with their car.
The automobile has always been a kind of status symbol in the United States. Expensive cars are associated with the possession of great wealth. Gatsbys car is described as the epitome of wealth. Gatsby bought his car in order to convey his material success. This is the vehicle that kills Myrtle and indirectly leads to Gatsbys own . The automobile is stressed again and again throughout the story and is used in the end to prove that a dream based on materialism alone will in the end be destructive. Gatsby saw “me [Nick] looking with admiration at his car. Its pretty, isnt it, old sport? He jumped off to give me a better view. Havent you ever seen it before? Id seen it. Everybody had seen it. It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes(68).” This elaborate description of Gatsbys car and how Nick admires it displays how effective the idea of the car promoting the owners wealth actually is. Why, then is this such a bad thing? The automobile is in no way bad, but when a person like Gatsby buys a car with so much excess, mainly in order to impress others, it becomes an item of conspicuous consumption. This particular car was bought solely to catch the attention of Daisy, but also emotes its catchiness to the other inhabitants of the eggs. Another example of the car symbolizing something is similar, when Myrtle runs in the street and an “Auto hit her. Insantly killed.”
“Instantly killed,” repeated Tom, staring.
“She ran out ina road. Son-of-a-bitch didnt even stopus car.”
“There was two cars,” said Michaelis, “one comin, one goin, see? (146-147).” Myrtle is like a symbol of the American Dream at this point, being smothered by the careless spending and inane wealth. The vehicle in this is Gatsbys car, ironically being driven by Daisy, the very person Gatsby wants to impress. This car is not only an attention getter, but helps Gatsby to lose his dream, his woman, and his life. The excessiveness has now emerged as the thing which kills hope. Not only will the hopeless dreaming man use his riches to indulge in a vehicle, but also fulfill his empty dreams with a mansion.
Houses in The Great Gatsby are another on of the very important symbols, depicting