F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby has long doomed love affair and wistful portrait of the Jazz Age. But beneath this and the glamour is an indictment of materialism, a theme that defines the novel as much as its iconic green light or decadent parties.
At its core, The Great Gatsby is a story about what occurs when people seek money with the expectation of becoming happy. Spoiler alert: this doesn’t work out.
Gatsby’s Dream, `Wrapped in Gold
Jay Gatsby, the mysterious millionaire around whose life the novel revolves, is the symbol of the American Dream turned bad. He hosts lavish parties, has a castle-like mansion, and a showy yellow roadster. All this, he believes, will guarantee the return of Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost because he was poor.
Gatsby doesn’t care about money for money’s sake. His wealth is a means to an end, a way through which he can recapture the past and wow Daisy. He’s chasing a fantasy that’s as tawdry and empty as his parties. Materialism becomes a trap for Gatsby. It gives him everything except the one thing he really wants: love for Daisy.
Daisy and Tom: The Wealthy and the Restless
Gatsby romanticizes wealth, Daisy and Tom Buchanan personify it in life, and the result is unpleasant. Born with it, they treat it as an umbrella which excuses all their bad conduct. Tom is obnoxious and irresponsible, playing around on Daisy without compunction. Daisy, while more sympathetic in personality, is equally superficial in her own way. She chooses Tom over Gatsby not out of love, but because Tom’s money, and what that represents, has proven safer. So she idolizes money.
The Illusion of the American Dream
What was once the faith that anybody can succeed if he works hard enough is now a desperate scramble for money and status. Gatsby, born in poverty, accumulates wealth in dubious ways, but his victory is hollow. He is still not accepted by the old-money crowd. He is still not successful with the girl.
A Mirror for Our Times
Even though published during the 1920s, The Great Gatsby’s message against materialism appears awesomely prophetic today. We live in a world obsessed with image, prestige, and the appearance of success. Social media is filled with modern-day Gatsby’s, building perfectly crafted lives in an attempt to be looked at, admired, or loved.
Fitzgerald’s novel reminds us that money without significance is ornament only, and that chasing things can make us poorer than when we started.