Money Doesn T Buy Happiness In The Great Gatsby

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Tiana Kowal Mr. Blain ENG – 3U1 March 28, 2011 Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness, But Love Doesn’t Pay the Bills “Money doesn’t buy happiness, it can only buy you things that temporarily make you happy”- Unknown. This quote is expressed throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald countless times. Daisy Buchanan, Jack Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are just three of the many examples that prove evidence in this quote to be true. Happiness is very delicate; you have to make sure you take good care of it because it can be gone in the blink of an eye. The characters of The Great Gatsby each had to learn this lesson the hard way, through personal experience. Happiness cannot be bought nor sold; it cannot be given as a gift nor…show more content…
He was never a man to take the blame but rather say that his actions were just reactions of unfortunate events that others caused. Even though he too, along with Daisy, was not loyal to his partner, he never once admitted he was wrong. He would proceed to lollygag with Myrtle and come home to accuse Daisy of her unloyal actions towards him. A man with that much fortitude cannot be happy with whom he is or he would not be accusing anyone of anything.”…and as we drove away Tom was feeling the hot whips of panic. His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate were slipping precipitately from his control.”(p.119) Tom knows that Daisy only married him for his money and although she has developed feelings for him, he fears that if he leaves her for Myrtle she will turn to Gatsby. Tom may in fact feel threaten by how Gatsby has such an extravagant house and parties. Tom has been rich all his life and it isn’t until Gatsby shows up does he realize that he might lose Daisy. Because of this Tom tells Myrtle that he and Daisy cannot get a divorce because she is a Christian. It is evident that he is not happy being married to Daisy because he has an affair with Myrtle. This is another example of how money does not necessarily buy happiness. It is ironic that Daisy kills Myrtle because although she didn’t mean to kill her she might have been jealous that she is everything that Daisy is not to Tom. Therefore she feels a need to get Myrtle out of the
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