The Interpretation of the American Dream in the Song of Solomon and the Great Gatsby

“Monetary wealth and materialism are two elements shared by The Song of Solomon and The Great Gatsby. These stories examine “The American Dream” and therefore emphasize the value of the role money plays in each of their character’s lives. In both books, characters’ desire for wealth guides their decisions and serves as a form of social criticism, highlighting the corruption that comes with materialism. The characters subscribe to the belief that money will bring happiness and satisfaction. However, in many instances, an excessive amount of money leads to a feeling of emptiness and anxiety.

While money can provide luxury and convenience, it does not have the power to solve all problems. Toni Morrison and F. Scott Fitzgerald convey this notion in The Great Gatsby and The Song of Solomon by focusing on their characters’ obsession with money and status, which eventually leads to their corruption.”

“The Great Gatsby emphasizes financial wealth through various characters and themes. Money is a significant motivator in characters’ relationships and motivations. They expose themselves as being highly materialistic, especially when making decisions. Tom and Daisy’s relationship is sustained by their wealth, enabling them to be part of the upper-class elite due to their high socioeconomic status. Their wealth, however, adversely affects the lives of others. The narrator, Nick, is disturbed by how Tom and Daisy handle their destructive actions. He is so repulsed that he doesn’t even want to shake Tom’s hand when running into him.”

“I could neither forgive him nor like him, but I realized that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confusing. Tom and Daisy were careless people—they smashed up things and creatures, then retreated back into their money and their vast carelessness—or whatever it was that kept them together—and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald, 179).

Tom and Sissy stay together because of Tom’s wealth, which Daisy is attracted to. They commit despicable acts and escape punishment because of their wealth. They believe that having money makes them superior to others who have less. Their wealth blinds them to their lack of morality. Nick observes that while Myrtle, George, and Gatsby have all died, Tom and Sissy face no consequences for their actions. The couple uses their wealth as a shield, avoiding responsibility. Despite being indirectly responsible for three deaths, they continue to live as they please because they have the means to do so. They use their wealth to escape their problems, but money can’t bring people back from the dead. Tom and Sissy are subconsciously aware of this, which is why they choose to escape. Nick sees past their outward display of wealth and is disappointed with who they are beneath their money shield. He cannot forgive what they have done to Myrtle, George, and Gatsby. Their actions are not tolerated by Nick, demonstrating that money cannot buy forgiveness. Fitzgerald illustrates the concept of corruption due to wealth through Daisy. Despite her wealth, Daisy is not happy, a realization that underscores the fact that money cannot buy happiness.

“You see, I think everything’s terrible anyway,” she said in a convincing way. “Everybody thinks so, the most sophisticated people. And I know. I’ve been everywhere and done everything.” Her eyes flashed around her in a defiant manner, like Tom’s, and she laughed with thrilling scorn. “Sophisticated—God, I’m sophisticated!” (Fitzgerald, 17).

Daisy has lived a life cushioned by financial wealth. She’s travelled the world, experiencing things that most can only dream of. Yet, she still finds her life terrible. This is because money cannot buy happiness. While Daisy believes she’s seen all the world has to offer, she’s only experienced what money can buy, leaving her unfulfilled. This life she’s chosen is steeped in materialism, underscored by Fitzgerald when he refers to how Daisy’s eyes “flashed around her in a defiant way, like Tom’s.” Speaking from a place of privilege, Daisy exhibits a degree of arrogance, cued by her knowledge of her fortunate status. While her words are assured, she lacks sincerity. Daisy is pompous and carries herself that way. She hides behind her social status, using it as a proxy for her true self. Despite the material possessions that surround her, Daisy is deeply unhappy, an emptiness concealed by her wealth and status.

Toni Morrison carries out the theme surrounding the desperation to have access to cash through Milkman Dead’s character. Milkman embarks on his own mission for success, which he initially thinks is Pilate’s gold. Milkman shares his father’s materialistic values. He has no empathy for those whom he regards as being financially inferior to him. The gold blinds Milkman’s sense of principles as he desires to take Pilate’s gold for himself in order to gain freedom. His father has always emphasized that money is the key to one’s freedom. Macon Dead says to his son, “You’ll have everything. All of it. You’ll be free. Money is freedom, Macon. The only real freedom there is.”(163).

Macon underscores the importance of money to his son. He believes that the only way to be truly free is to have enough money to support oneself. Milkman shares this belief, which leads him to behave in ways that he otherwise would not if money were not the priority. Macon Dead wants his son to “take back” what he believes Pilate stole from him. Macon Dead desires his son to essentially steal this money back. He insists, “Macon, get it and you can have half of it; go wherever you want. Get it. For both of us. Please get it, son. Get the gold.”(172) Milkman longs to escape the community he grew up in and trusts his father when he claims that money is the key to freedom. Consequently, he consents to reclaim the gold from Pilate. Milkman’s father manipulates him into believing that the money will alleviate what has been causing him stress. Milkman assumes that this gold will solve all the problems he believes he has due to his lack of cash. His father pressures him into retrieving the money by explaining what he can do with it. Despite knowing that stealing is wrong, Milkman is desperate to gain freedom. Milkman believes the money will bring redemption and happiness.

Milkman dreams of owning boats, cars, planes, and commanding a vast crew. He would be whimsical, generous, and mysterious with his money. But as he laughed and fantasized about what he could do and how he planned to live, he detected a falsehood in his voice. He craved the money desperately, he thought, but besides escaping the city, away from Not Doctor Street and Sonny’s Shop, and Mary’s Place and Hagar, he couldn’t imagine a life significantly different from the one he had.(179-180).

Milkman desires all the material products that money can buy. He daydreams about the grass being greener on the other side. He yearns to live a luxurious life filled with lavish items that he believes will bring him happiness. He thinks that possessing a large amount of money will whisk him away from the world he has known all his life. However, he recognizes the “wrongness in his voice.” Milkman understands that this imagined life is optimistic, and deep down, he knows that it might not provide what he needs because money can only offer material things. It cannot provide emotional support. Milkman is looking for emotional support, but the money will only take him so far. He cannot envision a different life because he has known the same one all his life. His environment hasn’t changed, and consequently, his mindset hasn’t changed either. He cannot comprehend what he has never been exposed to, which leaves him craving the money even more. Milkman wishes to break away from his parents and the life they have crafted for themselves. He fails to recognize that by prioritizing monetary wealth, he will become the person he aims to flee – his father. Even after Milkman acquires wealth, it is not guaranteed that the problems stemming from his childhood will just dissipate.

Monetary wealth is a theme that is prioritized in both The Great Gatsby and Song of Solomon. The characters who make money an essential part of their life are the ones who are the most lost, because money does not provide emotional stability. Money can only offer so much before one realizes it is not enough. Fitzgerald and Morrison both underscore this point by allowing the readers to gain insight into each character’s lives and how money does not enhance their overall happiness. Money can provide certain benefits but it cannot eliminate all problems faced. One might realize eventually that money cannot buy happiness in the grand scheme of things. Fitzgerald and Morrison strive to demonstrate this through their characters’ journeys to discovering this theme for themselves.

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