This is America

Liam Voycey

05-27-20

English 

O’Connor 

This is America

If you were to look in the minds of Americans across all ages, what would be the main factor that drives them? Of course, people have different motives and ways of attaining their goals. However, I believe that there is one goal that motivates the majority of people in American Society; wealth and the status that comes with it. It’s not hard to see the evidence that supports this, money is needed to enjoy life, feed yourself, clothe yourself, and anything that involves the most essential components of living. Beyond those essentials though, there are the dreams of wealth and riches. A dream that people will go to great lengths to achieve with drastic measures if necessary. Take Jay Gatsby, from The Great Gatsby. It’s implied from the book that he received a great deal of his fortune from bootlegging (smuggling alcohol). Like many Americans, Gatsby aspires to be great and the only way to do this is to become wealthy. Ultimately, America is a land that values the wealthy and the upper-class lives they live.

The Great Gatsby provides many examples of the wealthy lives that outsiders like Jay Gatsby strive to live in. On page 120 Gatsby says “Her voice is full of money.” when talking about Daisy. I find this line significant in a few ways. Although one could interpret the line as simply meaning that Daisy has a lot of money, there is a much deeper connection. Gatsby is saying that Daisy is more than a rich person. She has money, but the way she acts and thinks about life shows that she truly lives a wealthy lifestyle. Nick, the narrator, describes this line as something he never fully understood until that moment. His lack of understanding comes from his lack of the lifestyle of the rich. Gatsby, on the other hand, is wealthy as well. Yet, even he portrays some of the same confusion as Nick, because he grew up poor and shares that same lack of knowledge of the upper class. This idea of striving to move classes is better exemplified at the end of the book. As Nick is reflecting on all the previous events leading up to Gatsby’s death he analyzes Gatsby’s desires for Daisy using the green light that shines in front of her house. On page 180 Nick says, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.” Nick believes that Gatsby's desire for Daisy goes beyond a simple love story, but instead relates to the desire to jump classes and become one with the higher class of society. Gatsby wanted Daisy, but more importantly, he wanted to chase a dream, a dream that Nick believes is nearly impossible. Because Gatsby’s backstory is mostly a lie to impress Daisy, it makes sense to Nick why Gatsby’s dreams are unattainable. Gatsby was raised poor, how could he fit into a lifestyle that he doesn't fit into and never will? Ultimately I believe that Fitzgerlad is showing the importance of the wealthy by stressing that they are in a class that is separated from the rest of society. 

The short story “The Rich Brother” deals with the difference in material wealth and spiritual wealth. In the story, Pete, who is the richer of the two brothers, gets mad at Donald, who is the less fortunate of the two brothers for giving away $100 to a man named Webster who Pete thought was a con man. On page 88 Pete says, “A hundred dollars gone. Just like that. I worked for that money, Donald.” This scene shows the contrast between the two brothers. Pete represents the more common mindset of a person. He is someone whose life revolves around money. Donald on the other hand doesn't feel the same way. Earlier in the story, Donald tells Pete that he gave the groceries that were meant for his community to a family that was a lot less fortunate then he was. I believe that Pete is meant to represent the larger part of society, a part of society that is more focused on the material well being of oneself, while Donald seeks out his spiritual wellbeing in the form of religion. It's an interesting take on society that leads me to believe that maybe Americans should dedicate more time to other states of one's happiness, not just the satisfaction from material items. The last short story with commentary on wealth and class is a story by the name of “Starfood”. Like “The Rich Brother” it shares similarities in themes between wealth and spiritual happiness. “Starfood” focuses on the main character Dade, who is less focused on helping out with his Dad’s grocery store and more on the creative aspect of his life, like his Mom. His dad notices this and shows Dade the less fortunate side of the town they live in. “These were the neighborhoods where men sat on the curbs on weekday afternoons, where rusted, wheel-less cars lay on blocks in the yards. ‘You're going to end up on one of those curbs,’ my father told me.” (Pg. 38) His Dad wants Dade to succeed, and Dade wants the same for himself, but the way the two pursue success ultimately differs. Dade’s Dad believes that the only way to succeed is to work hard to get the wealth necessary to live a good life. But Dade doesn't believe in this way of life, he doesn't think the only way to succeed in life is to keep your head down and work at something uninteresting. Dade is more interested in thinking and imagining creatively, something that Dade’s dad sees as lazy and unsuccessful. 

Through these texts, one common theme remains, the importance of wealth. Rather it is in the past or the present, America has always cherished these ideas. However, these authors have challenged what it means to be wealthy and the overall importance of it. Fitzgerlad questioned the fairness of a world where the jumping of a class is almost impossible, while "The Rich Brother" and "Starfood" questioned if wealth was the most important part of someone's life. At the end of the day, it all comes down to perception. Are these authors right about their ideas? Does wealth matter even though daily life seems to revolve around it? Ultimately my perception has changed and I have learned to look through the world through a different lens.