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Morality and Wealth in The Great Gatsby

 

            "The Great Gatsby" is a novel that explores the dynamics of life within various social classes in the 1920s. The novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 incorporates many aspects of his life, especially those of his love life. The biggest inspiration for the writing of The Great Gatsby is Fitzgerald's relationship with a woman named Zelda. Fitzgerald was sent off to war for an extended period of time and upon his arrival home he met a woman named Zelda, the woman he eventually married. Although Fitzgerald loved Zelda, marrying her proved to be a task that required more than just emotional attraction. Fitzgerald found himself searching for a way to compile money to support Zelda and himself financially. This decisive period of time in Fitzgerald's life, where he is forced to evaluate the value of Zelda's love, is mimicked within The Great Gatsby by two of the main characters, Daisy and Gatsby. .
             In the novel, Daisy refuses to marry Gatsby due to his low financial and social status. This critical fact proved that Daisy's motives for marriage were not centered on love, but centered on her desire for excessive wealth and its accompanying social status. Throughout the multiple themes for Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Daisy is used to emphasize the common theme of disillusionment throughout American society in the 1920's. This constant state of disillusionment lead to the loss of hope for the future. .
             The state of disillusionment within American society in the 1920's is highlighted throughout the novel by Daisy's materialistic ways and the internal conflict that arises as a result of her shallow motives. After years of hard work and climbing the social ladder, Gatsby finally becomes a point of interest to Daisy when she sees all of his elaborate status symbols, such as his house and clothing. While Gatsby shows off his house to Daisy, all the elaborate items within Gatsby's home causes Daisy to come to the overwhelming realization that Gatsby acquired it all for her.


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