F. Scott Fitzgerald and New Consumer Culture

What do you think of the view that obsession with m sensationy and the rude(a) consumer culture of the 1920s dominates human thinking and behavior in The coarse Gatsby? One of the key issues in The Great Gatsby is The morality and importance of wealth in high end New York well-disposed circles of the 1920s. Fitzgerald himself lived during this period of probatory culture change in America and therefore I tactual sensation his own seeings and concerns on obsession with money and the new consumer culture was one reason as to why he wrote this novel. He begins by establishing this theme through Daisy and Tom.Daisys voice often has references to wealth Her voice is wide of the mark of money. The synecdoche here represents Daisy herself as an object of desirability and high military position. Daisy represents nonsuch(prenominal) to Gatsby because she has the wealth, class, charm and sophistication that Gatsby has wanted all of his life. The life that they lead seems to need dir ection and meaning, the couple drift unrestfully to wherever plenty were rich unneurotic. This shows that their behavior is dominated by social conventions of consumerism, it is important for them to be seen with people uniform themselves.Although Daisy has such a privileged life style her pillow slip is sad, here Fitzgerald is commenting that money cannot buy happiness or unfeigned fulfillment. In chapter 2 Fitzgerald creates a gothic vision, using bleak descriptions of the consume land that lies between the two eggs. Fitzgerald uses ashes as a way to typify the impure, dim and dirty lives that the rich lead ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys which ash color men inhibit (if you come to close to them it can become harmful).The cutting waste land is an industrial dumping site and I feel Fitzgerald uses it as a device to contradict the world of beauty enthral that its creators live in. It is a way of showing the darker, less glamorous right of the new consumer cult ure as the vast amounts of waste create such an unpleasant sight. This introduces one the key themes in the novel which is the morality of wealth. The whitened ashen dust that c overs Wilson and his surroundings is representing the poverty that he lives in receivable to his lack of money.In comparison to Tom, Wilson is much more passive and shy which could be due to the fact that he is much less wealthy. Tom seems to nurse automatic dominance over Daisy however Wilson clearly lacks control over myrtle, suggesting he is respected more. This displays the theme of The Importance of money as their antithetical fortunes influence the way these men behave and the quality of life they have. Myrtle is a key character in the novel in displaying Fitzgeralds concerns with the new consumer culture and the way it dominates human behavior.As the party in the exquisite apartment develops, her mannerisms completely change with the influence of her dress her behavior had withal undergone a cha nge. This shows that the luxurious lifestyle hugely influences people often, like myrtle, badly. In the comfort of her new, fake privileged lifestyle and raised status she becomes more confident and haughty. This could suggest that myrtle is shallow as the way she conducts herself changes as easily as the colour of her dress, which is often utilise in The Great Gatsby as a technique to represent social status or class.