Great Gatsby, New Money Vs Old Essay, Research Paper
During the 20 s the book The Great Gatsby was written. It was criticized and alienated because it revealed the negative side of the period s gaiety and freedom. It portrayed wealthy and attractive people leading imperiled lives in gilded surroundings.The different beliefs of the new money and old money is displayed in the book. The American dream is shown in the book with the care-free attitudes of the people in the book. Money brings out the best and worst in the characters in the book.
Strife between the old money and the new money exists in this book. Old money doesn t think highly of the new money. A reason old money dislikes new money is because old money feels vulnerable. An good example of this would be when Tom (old money)
and Jay Gatsby (new money) had their confrontation in the hotel. Tom says, Self control, I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife . Tom feels unsafe with Jay Gatsby because Gatsby has what he has and that is money. He is susceptible and wide-open to Gatsby, which is why he despises him. Old money knows that new money doesn t last long for they spend it carelessly and quickly like Jay Gatsby. He throws wild, exotic and very expensive parties every Saturday that enlarged his popularity, which made old money jealous.
The American Dream is a belief that lead people into hope, happiness and make them feel optimistic. The U.S attracts many foreigners from this idea alone. The hope of living a better life and a chance to rise from the depths of poverty to a lifestyle they never imagined. The belief of from Rags to Riches embraces and clouds their minds. Foreigners come to this country because of the hope of making more money and living a better life. My mom is a good example of this. She came to the U.S. from the Philippines because she had lost her job during the Gulf war and the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. She came because she knew that America is a place of opportunity and it presented better jobs. She worked in nursing homes caring for the sick senior citizens. It didn t seem glamorous, but it paid a respectable amount of money. She worked until she finally made enough money to come back to the Philippines and bring my brother and I here to the U.S.
Money is a powerful tool, but its also a very mighty weapon. It can protect and save lives, but when put in the wrong hands or in hostile conditions it can also annihilate thousands. Money blinds people on all social classes. Money is the root of evil in our society . Blinding people with its hopes and glories making them defenseless, to take advantage of them. The jazz age was an era where money could be made easily especially with the aid of the Prohibition. Humanity has done evil things to gain money. Gatsby is an example of a person who has advanced in society by doing immoral things. He is blinded by the rewards and proceeds with his crimes. Gatsby uses money to acquire what he couldn t have. He bought a colossal house and threw parties just to attract Daisy. He is confused on how money works in society. He thinks that everything can be bought, even Daisy.
The roaring 20 s was a disillusioned and wild time.Money was easily gained because of the success of the stock market and the bootlegging because the Prohibition. The 20 s or The Boom , I believe is the best example of the American Dream because it presented people the land of opportunity which promised the chance for financial success.