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In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, what does money symbolize?

In this novel, acquiring money seems to be just about everyone's goal, but it ultimately fails to make even those who have it happy.  Gatsby desperately wants to amass a large fortune to win Daisy's heart back; however, when she learns how he has acquired this fortune, she quickly and selfishly abandons him and returns to her awful husband -- a man whose money is "old" and therefore more valuable, reliable, and indicative of status....

In this novel, acquiring money seems to be just about everyone's goal, but it ultimately fails to make even those who have it happy.  Gatsby desperately wants to amass a large fortune to win Daisy's heart back; however, when she learns how he has acquired this fortune, she quickly and selfishly abandons him and returns to her awful husband -- a man whose money is "old" and therefore more valuable, reliable, and indicative of status.  Gatsby's money doesn't make him happy.  Myrtle and George Wilson both try to acquire more wealth in different ways, but neither of them is made happy by their efforts.  Myrtle can never replace Daisy, and George can never seem to catch a break, no matter how hard he works.  It is not coincidence that all three of these characters, those who try to achieve the American Dream, end up dead.  Tom and Daisy Buchanan, on the other hand, are incredibly wealthy, but they aren't happy: Tom has been unfaithful to Daisy since before they even tied the knot, and Daisy now finds Tom "disgusting" and cheats on him with Gatsby.  Money certainly is not enough to make one happy, although not having enough of it can certainly make one miserable.


Furthermore, it becomes clear that money cannot buy love, but it can purchase privilege and status, and these are worth a great deal.  Daisy and Tom do not seem to be in love with each other by the end of the book; if he truly loved her, one might argue, he wouldn't continue to hurt and humiliate her by taking mistresses, and she can only say that she "loved him once," the implication being that she no longer does.  Therefore, these two stay together because they both enjoy the privilege their money gives them, the status it affords them.  They can afford to be selfish and "careless," as Nick describes them.  Their wealth gives them license to be horrible people, and it entitles them to get away with it.


Therefore, money has many different associations.  "Old money" confers status and privilege while "new money" confers only the ability to acquire.  The discrepancy between one's bank account and one's happiness and/or prosperity, or between one's work ethic and one's bank account, helps to convey the idea that the American Dream is a fallacy, that a man might acquire wealth, but he can never really change his status.  Several characters believe that money symbolizes happiness, but this turns out to be untrue as well.

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