Having recently amended my thesis for the upcoming research paper, below I will explain my claim and what I plan to do in the essay.

Title: God, Gold, and Gatsby: American Capitalistic Worship

This idea is based upon a synthesis of my previous interests in advertising, cultural analysis, political identity, and religion—and the research shall explore the intersection between capitalism, religion, government, and the American Dream as represented in The Great Gatsby. I initially wanted to write about the effect of advertising within characters/society in the novel but zoomed in my lens to specify the issue to American religious systems. What’s most fascinating is how Fitzgerald seems to predict how the separation between church and state would progress based on his assumptions of wealth as an object of worship in American culture.

I chose this topic because I am fascinated by how religion has shifted in recent decades—less focused on spirituality and more on material success, political power, and self-branding. This could be compared/seen in governmental strategies used by politicians such as Donald Trump or Paula White—spreading messages like the prosperity gospel or agendas within Project 2025. We see echoes of this in Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of status, and in the rituals of wealth he employs to gain access to elite society. My interests in advertising and cultural trends of the 1920s will help guide this paper, comparing those dynamics to our modern political, cultural, and spiritual realities.

Some questions I would focus my paper on include: How has the concept of commercialism evolved since the Gatsby era, and how has it influenced American governance, identity, and values? Why do Americans seem to worship wealth more than other cultures—is it a result of our economic systems, secularism in government, or national myths about self-made success? How does the desire to “fit in” or project status function almost like a religious ritual? Has capitalism created a faith system around “faking it until you make it”? What are the enduring differences between old and new money—and does it still matter? Do Americans pursue the American Dream with the same intensity and belief as they once pursued religious salvation?

I will collect this research by analyzing annotations and facts from articles and books, organizing them by key themes and arguments. I look forward to examining historical documents such as the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, The Wealth of Nations, and other ideological and economic texts to provide historical context and grounding for my claims.