That material acquisitions are of paramount importance to
Jay Gatsby is evident in the scene in which Jay Gatsby stands outside of his house under
the stars as though he wishes the universe to approve as he stares longingly at the
green light on the end of Daisy's pier.
When Jay Gatsby and
Nick go for a ride in his Rolls Royce, that great symbol of material success, the car
assumes mythological proportions. The fenders are like wings, and the interior is
golden. Gatsby's house is often compared to that of a feudal lord in which luxuries are
on display; with its antiques, and leather-bound books there is the suggestions of a
nostalgia for the life of the British aristocracy. Fitzgerald seems to suggest that the
wealthy of he era imitated in a superficial manner the old European social system that
they had left behind.
Today, many of the same things are
measures of success and importance: luxurious cars, elaborate homes, designer clothes,
knowing the right people, etc.
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