Materialism in the Great Gatsby is shown by the popularity that Gatsby amasses by virtue of his extravagant parties that he throws every weekend The extravagance is considered a show of generosity and this makes the people love him though they barely know him (Fitzgerald 38) To be stingy was considered unfriendly in the Jazz Age “The festivities were held since charm, notoriety and mere good manners weighed more than money as a social asset” (Malkmes 45) Those who attended were not invited; they did so out of the simplicity of their hearts Daisy is also materialistic She is awed at seeing Gatsby’s mansion for the first time She also cries on seeing his shirts “Suddenly with a strained sound Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily…‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before” (Fitzgerald 98) Additionally, she is greatly impressed by the now wealthy Gatsby and she wants to elope with him while she had already married Tom Buchanan when Gatsby was penniless (Malkmes 45)
Received on Mon Dec 07 2020 - 00:08:05 CET