By what methods does Fitzgerald present the Jazz Age Society’s preoccupation with wealth and materialism?

The grand Gatsby was published in 1925 and was set in the Roaring mid-twenties. This was a glamorous decade label by cultural, artistic and well-disposed developments, notwithstanding it was brought to an end by the W altogether passage Crash of 1929, which triggered the Great Depression of the 1930s. In the 1920s, America became very prosperous as the country recovered from World struggle I. There was a policy of Prohibition. This meant that intoxi provoket was il efficacious, entirely the continued demand meant in that respect was a lot of cash to be do from bootlegging. It was a succession of social change the younger propagation started to climb up against tradition.For many batch, and particularly women, the war provided novel experiences and freedom. After the war, there was a satisfying desire to try rising and elicit things and to break from tradition. bop practice of medicine became favourite be find it was more energetic than earlier music styles. Fit zgerald coined the term Jazz while. Flappers began to gainsay traditional gender component parts. Flappers were women who be traind in a way that was thought to be hostile by the older generation they drank, engross and wore revealing clothing. Fitzgerald sets The Great Gatsby in an modify version of Long Island and Manhattan.Great contend and Manhasset Neck become atomic number 99 and westmost bombards, and the large landfill site Flushing is renamed the vale of ashes. The primary(prenominal) sites appoint different elements of the 1920s east-American modus vivendi Manhattans skyscrapers and luxurious hotel causaes but it is besides filled with lonely clerks who spend all their period working, and gangsters who meet in sickly bars. The valley of ashes is a stretch of waste product which sits in the midst of the separatewise sites and connects them. The valley illustrates that the excesses of riches cant be achieved without exploiting some other part of corpor ation.The pixilated swiftness classes who genic their funds live in easterly Egg, westbound Eggs hosts new specie great deal who have earned their funds. The wad who live in East Egg come from old, wealthy families and have familial money. They call in themselves as elegant and well-mannered. western United States Egg is the home of the new money people who have recently made their money through business. The people of East Egg look down on the people who live in West Egg because they consider their family backgrounds to be substandard and their ostentatious pomps of wealth to be in bad taste.Gatsby realises that money isnt equal to cross the social divide betwixt himself and Daisy he needs to be f number class to be seen as her equal. His touch speech and imported shirts atomic number 18 an act to imitate the upper classes. Religion has been replaced by consumerism and the pursuit of pleasure. The characters live aimless lives that tramp around pleasing themse lves and acquiring new possessions. For example, the guests at Gatsbys parties focus on drinking, looking for new passionrs, and trying to arrange easy money.The conversation between Michaelis and Wilson in Chapter eight suggests that consumerism has replaced religion You egg whitethorn fool me, but you cant fool paragon Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleberg Wilson mistakes the eyes of the publicizing for God. This shows that the eyes in truth have no meaning except for the meaning that the characters unwrap them. This could reflect the feeling of the wooly generation that life is essentially meaningless and is outlined only by the pass judgments the people give it. Consumerism promises that square objects will nettle you happy and give your life meaning.Howalways, fabric possessions dont make people happy in the novel this is symbolised by the point that cars, a desirable consumer item, cause death and destruction. The idea that consumerism has replaced religious value in reinforced throughout The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald mentions the Presbyterian nymphs in the speakeasy, a place where people could illegally buy and drink intoxicant during prohibition, in Chapter 4. This use of religious quarrel could suggest that religious symbols have lost their power, and are at home in places of corruption.Weddings are a religious and legal union of a couple, but Daisys wedding to tom turkey is utilise earlier to display their extravagant wealth. gobbler brings quad private cars and hires a whole narrative of hotel. Gatsbys car scattered visible radiation across the landscape and has fenders spread resembling wings. These interpretations give the car qualities ofttimes associated with religion its source of sporting and is winged like an angel. Most of the characters in the novel are very wealthy and live a life of luxury. The fecund and glamorous atmosphere defines the noels look the focus on the uppe r-class lifestyle gives the novel a mood of vital extravagance.For example, Gatsby owns a beach, motor-boats and a Rolls-Royce and his parties are wide-eyed of faces and illustrations and colour. However, this society is contrasted with the poverty of those life story near to the valley of ashes. The location of the valley of ashes between the wealthy Egg communities and raw York makes the contrast stronger. There is also a constant sense that the glamorous lives of the upper classes are essentially meaningless downstairs the surface, everyone is bored because they have no mapping Daisy seems to realise this when she asks what they should do this afternoonand they solar day after that, and the next thirty days? . galore(postnominal) friendships issue superficial. For example, Gatsbys parties are in full of enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each others label. This shows that the society is full of pretence and loneliness. Many of Gatsbys guests had tragic fates. For example, drowned, strangled his marry woman, killed himself. This reinforces the message that behind the light-hearted partying, much of society was deeply unhappy. Fitzgeralds portrayal invites the ref to be critical of the characters empty, freelance(a) lives while simultaneously make those lives seem exciting and beautiful.This reflects his own military capability towards wealth. The characters are defined by their descent with money it affects how they act, how they see themselves and how others see them notch is confused close how to respond to wealth and decadence. When he begins his banking make outer he suggests his role models are Midas and Morgan and Maecenas. At the same time Nick says that Gatsbys empty display of wealthy represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. Daisy and tom turkey take their wealth for granted. gobbler assumes it is his natural objurgate to be at the top of society, and Daisy was perfunctory about the beautif ul house she grew up in. this attitude makes them offhanded people they never worry when they hurt other people, they can retreat back into their money. Gatsby used to be extravagantly ambitious and centre on financial gain. However, the Gatsby that Nick meets doesnt get involved in the decadence of his own parties. This suggests that he has grown to be indifferent to his wealth he estimable sees it as a means towards amiable Daisy.For Myrtle, money buys happiness she gets pleasure from her cold cream, pet dog and magazines. Her opinion of her married man was damaged by the realisation that he couldnt afford to buy a suit for their wedding. Money takes on a meaning beyond its financial wealth. For Gatsby, money is confused with applaud. He says Daisys voice is full of money, linking his lust for her with his longing for the wealth and status that she represents. Gatsby understands the relationship between delight in and money. Daisys voice, he says, is full of money it is th e seductive, thrilling aspect of her.What Gatsby, with surprise consciousness, states is that Daisys charm is allied to the draw poker of wealth money and love confirm similar attractions. Gatsby, with his boundless capacity for love sees that the pursuit of money is tied to his love for Daisy and he knows himself well enough to see this. That Daisys voice is full of money is a remark only Gatsby could make. It is a statement of someone attune to the possibilities of love and money and sensitive to them perhaps also much. Tom could never have provided this description of Daisy his attraction to her has nothing to do with wealth.Tom is accustomed to having money money holds no interest for him because it does have to be dog after his is old money hardly there to be used. Tom whitethorn buy anything he wishes from polo ponies to cufflinks but he understands that polo ponies or cufflinks are all he is buying. Myrtle only cares about behavior and material possessions. Myrtle claim s not to care about habit I dependable slip it on sometimes when I dont care what I look like, but actually shes obsessed with her appearance she changes clothes regularly and buys cold cream and perfume.She wears gauzy colours, in contrast to Daisy who wears white but when Myrtle changes into a cream dress, her elan vital changes to hauteur. This shows that she thinks breeding is all about appearance. Shes also concerned with other peoples appearances. She was seduced by Toms clothes the first time she met him, mentioning that he wore a dress suit and patent leather shoes as well as a white shirt-front. Its significant that Myrtle false to be looking at the advertizing instead of looking at Tom, because both(prenominal) Tom and the advertised product represent Myrtles greed for material objects and wealth.Tom Buchanan represents the immorality and materialism of the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald thought that the Jazz Age was hypocritical and this is reflected by Toms doings he is app alled when he learns of Daisys affair with Gatsby, but he has lots of affairs himself. He criticises Gatsby for sneer at family life, but was God knows where when his daughter was born. He also criticises Gatsby for perspicacious criminals and for being a bootlegger, but Tom also knows criminals and he likes to drink, which shows that he doesnt follow the prohibition laws either.He sets a high moral standard for other people, such as Gatsby, but has no morals himself. Nick notes that he moves from immobile to prig to suit his needs. Toms wealth and sense of superiority makes him careless and uncaring. Nick summarises Tom and Daisys behaviour when he says they smashed up things and creatures and then(prenominal) retreated back into their moneyand permit other people clean up the mess. They run away from their problems and never face the consequences. He acts as a foil to Gatsby Gatsby is loyal, sensitive and caring whilst Tom is more or less the opposite.For example, he only see ms to start caring for Daisy when he sees he could lose her. This suggests his reaction is as much about pride and possessiveness as about actually caring for her. The fact that Daisy chooses Tom over Gatsby highlights the shallow and materialistic nature of the Jazz Age society. resembling Daisy, Tom is materialistic he has to appear to have the best of everything. For example, he was married with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew.