Houses In The Great Gatsby example essay topic

The Great Gatsby- Do's really love cars and money? In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 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 doesn't 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 Gatsby's 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 [Nick's] 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 people's money. Gatsby in on the West, which is the people who don't 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. Wolfshiem's cuff links, 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 cuff links 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. Gatsby's 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 Gatsby's 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. 'It's pretty, isn't it, old sport?' He jumped off to give me a better view. 'Haven't you ever seen it before?' I'd 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 Gatsby's car and how Nick admires it displays how effective the idea of the car promoting the owner's 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. Ins " ant ly killed."Instantly killed", repeated Tom, staring". She ran out ina road. Son-of-a-bitch didn't even stop us car."There was two cars", said Michaelis, "one comin', one go in', 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 Gatsby's 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 conspicuous consumption, and the hopeless wish of the American dream. "the one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard-it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, ing new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. it was Gatsby's mansion (9)". Gatsby's house, and his elaborate parties, signify a certain emptiness in Gatsby.

His only reason for setting up these gigantic parties in his large house is to, though futile, attract the attention of Daisy. His enormous house goes to show that he has this money to spend, but spends it on something that will not help him to be happy, or to catch the attention of Daisy; This is probably the most conspicuous consumption of all. Tom Buchanan also has a large house, but for entirely different reasons. "Their house was even more elaborate than I expected, a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion, overlooking the bay. The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walks and burning gardens-finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run. The front was broken by a line of French windows, glowing now with reflected gold and wide open to the warm windy afternoon, and Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch.

Fitzgerald's description of Tom Buchanan's colossal house signifies Tom and his values. This also expresses that Tom is old-money and was raised from a prep-school, which shows the reader that he is not a very open-minded character, but relies more heavily upon literary knowledge. The house is obviously a portrayal of Tom's bold, egotistical, scholarly manner. Tom also has done no large amount of work to earn this large estate. Gatsby, on the other hand, has worked for years to make up the money, even if it was illegal. Neither of these men are enriched in their lives, they are spiritually defunct.

No matter where your immense fortune comes from, riches, wealth and possessions will not achieve your true goals, will not fill your life with true happiness. Conspicuous consumption is not an admirable method of obtaining your dreams, even if your dreams are not greedy and unattainable. Although you are rich, you may not be happy. The American dream of wealth for happiness does not work. Wealth does not create happiness, ever. Gatsby worked hard for his fortune, planned to grow up well, get Daisy and live happily ever after, but due to his conspicuous consumption, greed, and disregard for true, actual love, he died in vain with no true happiness whatsoever.

Bibliography

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon and Schuster Inc., New York: 1991.