Sometimes, people are pretty greedy.
In 11AP this week, we discussed the 1920s and its attributes. One of the most important characteristics of the era was the intense desire for material possessions and displays of wealth; for example, in an advertisement for car window curtains, the ad described the drapes as containing "high-grade poplin," along with "special nickelled automatic rollers" and "silk pull tassels." The aspiration to exhibit riches become even more apparent when the curtains were claimed to "shut off the glare of headlights coming up behind you"--the people of the time wanted to appear rich so much that they were willing to sacrifice their safety for material goods.
This attitude is very apparent in Fitzgerald's famous novel, The Great Gatsby. Tom Buchanan owns a "red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion" (Fitzgerald 6), with a lawn "a quarter of a mile" (Fitzgerald 6) long and "a half acre of deep, pungent roses" (Fitzgerald 7). However, Tom's personality is not nearly as nice as his house is; even his wife describes him as a "brute of a man" (Fitzgerald 12). This sharp contrast between possessions and attitude of a human illustrates a sad truth that was especially apparent in the era of The Great Gatsby: despite all evidence to the contrary, a person's value is not at all determined by the value of the items that he/she owns.
In 11AP this week, we discussed the 1920s and its attributes. One of the most important characteristics of the era was the intense desire for material possessions and displays of wealth; for example, in an advertisement for car window curtains, the ad described the drapes as containing "high-grade poplin," along with "special nickelled automatic rollers" and "silk pull tassels." The aspiration to exhibit riches become even more apparent when the curtains were claimed to "shut off the glare of headlights coming up behind you"--the people of the time wanted to appear rich so much that they were willing to sacrifice their safety for material goods.
This attitude is very apparent in Fitzgerald's famous novel, The Great Gatsby. Tom Buchanan owns a "red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion" (Fitzgerald 6), with a lawn "a quarter of a mile" (Fitzgerald 6) long and "a half acre of deep, pungent roses" (Fitzgerald 7). However, Tom's personality is not nearly as nice as his house is; even his wife describes him as a "brute of a man" (Fitzgerald 12). This sharp contrast between possessions and attitude of a human illustrates a sad truth that was especially apparent in the era of The Great Gatsby: despite all evidence to the contrary, a person's value is not at all determined by the value of the items that he/she owns.
"Now that I have these curtains, I'll become a better person!"
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