Scott Fitzgerald's Use Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

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Henry David Thoreau once said, “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it”. For the avaricious, egocentric, and destructive characters of The Great Gatsby, their entire lives have been surrendered to the pursuit of wealth. Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald continues to be one of the most influential and widely recognized novels in American literature. It has served as a representation of the downfall of American society in the 1920’s for almost a century and continues to be criticized and analyzed for its portrayal of the upper class. Fitzgerald accurately embodies the American Dream of the time period and gives the readers a deeper understanding of some of the most problematic issues caused by class, politics, and wealth. Using unscrupulous characters, he depicts the road to self-destruction by way of materialistic and corrupt behavior. Although, on this path of inevitable demise, these characters not only manage to ruin their own lives, but destroy the lives of others as well. It …show more content…
Some major themes of the novel include hope, love, and ambition; the reasons for which the characters justify their depraved actions. He introduces these concepts through the use of symbolism. For example, the green light at the end of the dock that Gatsby stares at in chapter one signifies his dreams for the future, specifically his hope that Daisy, his former lover, will come back to him. Fitzgerald includes these elements to show that although these characters are sinful, they're not entirely wicked. The righteous can be corruptible, like George Wilson for example, and the unethical can change and become virtuous. This notion gives us a different perspective on the characters and a look into the inner turmoil that drives their motives, whether it be good or
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