Theme of Money in the Great Gatsby (Book Analysis)

Money’s influence over people is one of the greatest powers in the world. Money can influence one’s childhood, morals, lifestyle, and choices. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, money influences each character’s actions and behavior. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald uses money and the acquisition of wealth to determine a character’s actions and future. By comparing new money and old he comments on materialism and how it relates to love and can lead to one’s downfall.

To begin with, Fitzgerald illustrates the differences between newly acquired money and generational wealth. He does this by comparing the actions and lifestyles of Jay Gatsby and Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby throws large, elaborate parties where people “came and went without having met Gatsby at all” (41). Gatsby, who represents new money, is trying to constantly showcase his riches with these large parties. By throwing his money around, he believes he can win the favor of the generationally wealthy. But Tom, who symbolizes old money, shows how extremely exclusive old money is. When Gatsby is invited to a dinner party accidentally, he decides to attend, but Tom and his friends “determined that he shouldn’t” (193). This is because Tom and his friends wish to keep their party limited to their elite circle. This elite circle shows the exclusivity that the newly rich like Gatsby wish involved in. This demonstrates how money is spent to appeal to the surface of the masses but it cannot buy the approval and affections of all. 

Furthermore, Fitzgerald demonstrates materialism and money equates to love. In the novel, Gatsby is in love with Daisy, but she is married to Tom. Her husband places a value on her by gifting “her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars” (76). This value made her more coveted and valuable. Gatsby, obsessed with winning the approval of the elite, wanted her so that her value could add to his own. This can be seen when the two are at tea and “he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (91). By her placing a value on objects he loves them more. This shows how he idealizes Daisy because she is seen as a commodity, but he claims to love her. His love displays how materialism plays a role in love. He loves Daisy because she is valuable. 

Finally, Gatsby’s rise and fall exemplify how one can get too caught up in the pursuit of wealth and approval. Gatsby from a young age worked to become rich, and worked his whole life towards it. When he finally succeeds he throws extravagant parties to impress the generationally wealthy and win the affections of Daisy but to reach his pinnacle of fortune he “bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores...and sold grain alcohol over the counter” (133) when it was illegal to do so. In pursuit of his dream, he got too caught up and ended up committing crimes. These crimes he committed eventually lead to his downfall. When Tom exposes him for his crimes to Daisy, she begins to rethink her relationship with him. To save himself “he began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything, defending his name against accusations” but she began to “[draw] further and further into herself” (134). With the loss of Daisy’s love, he has lost everything. Daisy’s approval and the approval of the elite is all he wanted, but without it he is nothing. Daisy’s return to loyalty to Tom from Gatsby leads to his eventual murder.

In conclusion, Fitzgerald uses money to show how the newly wealthy’s focus on materialism and approval can lead to their downfall. The new money, represented by Gatsby, is engrossed with winning the favor of the old money families in hopes of joining their elite society. Gatsby plans on impressing them by throwing massive parties which illustrates his obsession with materialism. The obsession and the pursuit of his love for Daisy correlate as he sees Daisy as an object to have as well. His pursuit of love leads to his downfall because his obsession causes him to lose his morals and her favor. Fitzgerald