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Danielle Casillas
Professor H. Jorgenson
English 114B
May 13, 2014

How far do you think someone would go to buy a persons love in the 1920s compared to
todays time? Well, the issue is still around today with people indulging in materialistic items
just to impress a love interest. Jay Gatsby, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, found
himself striving to becoming apart of the upper class primarily only to catch the attention of the
young and beautiful, Daisy. People today partake in buying extravagant items in order to grasp
happiness or love, without realizing that just because a person is rich with materialistic items; it
does not mean he/she can buy happiness or love due to them being purely priceless.
Many people lose interest in one another even though, money may be no big issue in the
relationship. In an article in, The New York Times written by Carey Goldberg called, Money is
bad for You, Studies Say he claims that a couple is having trouble finding happiness with one
another because they are exhausted from the pursuit of nice things. This is the case for many
people in society today, because they have spent most of their time finding happiness solely in
the materialistic items, rather than spending some time indulged in nature or with their children.
Carey Goldberg, an expert says, We think money will bring lots of happiness for a long time,
and actually it brings a little happiness for a short time. She means even though money may buy
a short high of happiness, it does not last long no matter what the price of the item may be or
how small the possession. At one point, money will buy happiness, but it will be a short time
frame of happiness just like the couple who is struggling to find happiness between each other
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without the fancy things. The couple is now having trouble finding happiness with each other
and the material items combined. Materialism has become a very big issue in todays society
because of the constant thought of having to keep up with the higher class and feel a sense of
happiness from our material items researchers say. For most couples no matter how many
material items they have happiness and love are still hard to grasp. Therefore, it is difficult to
carry a relationship when material items are the primary source of happiness and love in the
relationship.
Daisy, in The Great Gatsby, stopped waiting for Jay Gatsby while he was trying to
become rich providing a happy life for the two of them together. Daisy stopped waiting when
another man Tom Buchanan, wealthy as can be, swept her off her feet with his money. Gatsby
who was deeply and utterly in love with Daisy knew that the only possible way of grabbing
Daisy Buchanans attention was by throwing the most lavish parties of the entire West Egg,
where the new money lives, wasting away his money just to grab Daisys attention. Once he
did and she saw how he lived now that he had money she fell in love with him and Tom all at
once. Tom and Gatsby both argued for Daisy part of which enlightened us to the entire truth of
how Gatsby really lost Daisy saying, She only married you because I was poor and she was
tired of waiting for me(130). This is very valuable in relating the social issues of today to The
Great Gatsby because it shows how some men and women seek to find the person with the most
figures in their bank account and then be qualified to be their lover, rather than seeking pure
happiness and love outside of the material aspects. Therefore, The Great Gatsby has shown
similarities to modern society with the love triangle between Daisy, Gatsby, and Tom using
money as the ultimate prize, rather than love.
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Today and in past societies many people believe that buying one another material items is
a way of showing love and happiness toward one another. In the article, published in The New
York Times called, Yes Money Can Buy Happiness by John Tierney he shared research on
spending money saying that, Spending it on yourself may not do much for your spirits, but
spending it on others will make you happier, according to a report from a team of psychologist in
the new issue of Science. This was the case for Jay Gatsby for when he showed Daisy and Nick
around his mansion of a house Nick said that Gatsby, hadnt once ceased looking at Daisy, and
I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew form her
well-loved eyes(91). Gatsby cared more about the happiness that Daisy felt from all the material
items felt from his house, rather than how he did. He valued more the material items she
preferred when touring around his house than he had before. It is shown that Gatsby felt more
love over Daisy enjoying his material items than he had felt from them himself. After everything
he had done to work his fortune he did not even enjoy his material items. Therefore, the items
did not bring Gatsby happiness.
Modern society and past societies peoples cared more about the joy and happiness the
person they were trying to impress rather than the material items. In a recent article published in
The New York Times called, Pope Warns You About Self-Absorption Pope Benedict XVI is
quoted saying, a new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-
absorption which deadens our souls and spoils our relationships. The Pope is referring to the
issues of materialism that brews in society today. He is reminding everyone to not lose sight of
who they are in the materialistic ways. Gatsby had lost himself in trying to become able to
measure up to the upper class and their riches. Nick Carraway realizes this and tells Gatsby,
Theyre a rotten crowd youre worth the whole damn bunch put together(154). Nick realized
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that Gatsby was lost in pursuing materialism for Daisy, but she failed him. Moreover, people
continue to get lost in the midst of materialism but need to be reminded that materialism cannot
buy happiness or love.
In closing research has shown that material items bring temporary happiness and love.
That has been the case for many relationships since the 1920s to modern society. Jay Gatsby
lost himself in the pursuit of love through material items, and failed to gain his happy ending.
The connection between the text and modern social issue enriches a readers experience by
examining these connections because it opens new ideas to be formulated about the issue and
brings awareness to issues that have not yet died down. It is true that through making a
connection between a book and modern issue the book is easier to interpret and enjoy.