Wealth

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald makes us question: Can money really buy one’s happiness? Fitzgerald takes us back to the 1920s and writes about the lavish lifestyles of the incredibly wealthy. The story begins with the main character Nick Carraway moving to New York to learn all about the bond business. Moving into such a rich district came along with many aspects Nick was not initially expecting. People around him had a tendency to show off their wealth. His neighbor Jay Gatsby did this especially by throwing major parties weekly. However, Fitzgerald creates a divide of the wealthy by categorizing them. While established or inherited wealth was considered “old money,” the idea of an individual gaining their own wealth was considered “new money.” Although equal in their amount of wealth, those with “old money” were of a higher social status which causes conflicts with relationships. Since the United States values wealth, for many people, true human connections are not made.

    Gatsby values wealth because he believes it will make Daisy love him. After meeting and falling in love with Daisy in 1917, Gatsby had to leave for war. Both Daisy and her mother are materialists and it is seen when Gatsby is about to go off. Daisy’s mother tells Daisy to say “good-by to a soldier” (75). In this case, Daisy’s mother refused to let her be with Gatsby but pushed her daughter to marry Tom for his money. Daisy’s mother wished for Daisy to live comfortably in wealth and Tom Buchanan, a wealthy businessman from Chicago, was the perfect man to give her that. Daisy goes along with it and eventually gets married to Tom. This shows just how greedy some people are. In Daisy’s mind money is more important than a true connection with someone. Years later, Gatsby became very wealthy and moved into a luxurious mansion. Nick stated that “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be across the bay” (78). Gatsby’s love for Daisy is so strong that even years after splitting, he strives to win her back no less. However, Gatsby goes about things in a way that will prevent him from creating a true connection with her. Money is not a way to someone’s heart and it’ll never work out the way he wants it. Daisy has a craving for money, but although as a character we feel for Jay Gatsby, he too shares this sort of obsession with wealth. 

This obsession with wealth is also seen in the short story The Rich Brother. The author tells the story of Donald and Pete—two brothers with very different lifestyles. On one hand there is the younger brother, Donald, who lacks a stable job and values the fate of his soul and on the other hand there is the older brother, Pete, who has a job in real estate who values money. Because of their differences, the two brothers have never been the closest. For example, in a conversation with Pete, Donald asks what he dreams about. Pete responds, “‘Mostly money. A nightmare is when I don’t have any’” (78). Pete refers to having no money as a “nightmare” because he views the lack of money as a negative thing. By him saying this, it is clear that money is his top priority and he values the idea of being wealthy. Later, Pete finds that Donald gave away $100 that he had previously given him: “‘You’re not the only person on the payroll, Donald. I don’t think you understand that. I have a family’” (88). From this, it can also be inferred that Pete in a way disagrees with his younger brother’s life choices. Pete is upset because he works for his money by maintaining a stable job and supporting his family while his brother lives his life with a free spirit and carries on with no worries in the world. This eventually is the reason Pete and Donald drift apart by the end of the story. Pete’s delusion that money is everything overall destroys his outlook and prevents him from having a good relationship with his own brother. 

Possessing a great deal of money does not make you a winner. This is a lesson learned by both Jay Gatsby along with Pete. While Gatsby believed his whole life that he could win over the girl with his wealth, Pete couldn’t accept the fact that his brother didn’t agree with his views on money bringing happiness. Both of these characters failed to look at the bigger picture. Human connections are much more valuable than a quantitative number. Wealth should not define your social status, your happiness or your relationships with other people. By valuing such a materialistic thing, our characters miss out on finding true happiness.