Money is America
Over the course of quarantine, we’ve read Starfood, The Rich Brother, and The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald created one of, if not the most, American books in history. We can see many American themes in this story and the other two we’ve read, but the common thread through them is an emphasis on money. Money is the thing that gives people power, social status, and value in America’s eyes.
Throughout “The Great Gatsby”, Gatsby’s end goal is to win over Daisy. They had met briefly awhile back and Daisy paid no mind to him or what he had to offer. Gatsby then became obsessed with this idea of being with Daisy and since the only way to do that was to have money, he reinvented himself. Gatsby forces himself to try and act like a wealthy businessman. We first see the chink in his personality’s armor when Nick is talking to Gatsby about his business, “I think he hardly knew what he was saying, for when I asked him what business he was in he answered: ‘That’s my affair,’ before he realized that wasn’t an appropriate reply”(90). Nick easily notices that Gatsby isn’t what he says he is. Gatsby is constantly trying to keep up this persona of a wealthy businessman but can’t do it forever. The only reason he wants to have money is for the approval of Daisy. Gatsby hardly knows her but is immediately attracted to her. The reason why is revealed while Nick and Gatsby are at Tom’s house. Gatsby tells Nick, “ ‘Her voice is full of money’...”(120). Gatsby’s inherent attraction to Daisy isn’t necessarily who she is, but instead is what she stands for. His main attraction to her being money mirrors that of the American society that they live in. Gatsby throws extravagant parties to flaunt his wealth, social status, and also to impress Daisy. These actions are bread through the world around him. Gatsby sees the main goal of his life like success, money, and power.
In “Starfood” by Ethan Canin Dade’s parents force the prospect of money upon him heavily. His mom pushes for him to use his imagination to invent something amazing, whereas his dad wants him to work hard and do physical labor for money. His mother believes, “...that men like Leonardo de Vinci and Thomas Edison had simply stared long enough at regular objects until they saw new things…”(1). His mother’s belief in this combined with her belief in Dade’s vivid imagination leads her to assume that he can do what those men did. His mom brings an intense focus on marking and using Dade’s imagination for money purposes. Dade’s dad, on the other hand, has a focus on physical labor in order to make money, “...my father took me to the back to talk about work and discipline…”(1). His dad wants him to make money from physical labor. Both parents have a focus on success and money, rather than asking Dade what he wants to do. This focus of success over happiness is something that we see far too often in American society
In both “The Great Gatsby” and “Starfood” there is the overall theme that money means happiness, social status, and power. This mimics American society where we associate more value towards those with more money. These stories show the dangers of money and how it can corrupt one's life.
