In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, money functions not merely as a tool of survival but as a symbolic force that shapes the lives, identities, and dreams of the characters. The novel vividly portrays the insatiable desire for wealth and status that defines the Jazz Age. In this context, money operates as the oxygen of the social atmosphere—a substance so essential that it permeates every interaction, shaping the desires and the very survival of those who seek it.
The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, embodies the notion that money is like oxygen. His entire identity is forged in the pursuit of wealth, designed to win back Daisy Buchanan, the woman he believes will fulfill his ideal of success and happiness. Gatsby’s pretentious wealth, symbolized by his extravagant parties and lavish mansion, is not merely a display of riches but an attempt to create a life that can breathe within the high society he aspires to enter. His understanding of money is not just economic but emotional—he sees it as a means to resurrect a lost love and create a future that mirrors his dreams.
Daisy Buchanan is also trapped in the cycle of consumerism. She is a product of a world that values wealth above all else, and her decision to stay with Tom Buchanan, despite Gatsby’s devotion, underscores how her life is shaped by the security and prestige that money affords. Daisy’s love, then, is as conditional and fleeting as the currency that sustains her lifestyle.
The consumerism that surrounds The Great Gatsby suggests that in a world where wealth is equated with power, identity, and love, money becomes a necessity for survival, just as oxygen is essential for life. However, this relentless pursuit ultimately proves hollow, as Gatsby’s tragic end illustrates: wealth, like oxygen, can be consumed in excess, leading to suffocation rather than fulfillment. Through this lens, Fitzgerald critiques a society in which the pursuit of money eclipses the pursuit of genuine human connection, leaving behind a world of superficial dreams and unfulfilled lives.
