A Comparison Between Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby and Veblens The Theory

Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby and Veblens The Theory of the Leisure Class The American Dream is real Americans are able to rise out of poverty and into loose lifestyles with a bit of luck and a lot of hard work. Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and Thorstein Veblens The Theory of the Leisure Class both address issues of status and wealth that renegade from peoples interest groups of the American Dream. But the authors differ in their legal opinions about the nature and motives of peoples pursuits of wealth. To begin with, Fitzgerald disagrees with Veblens notion of pecuniary emulation as being intrinsic behavior (a oddment in and of itself). He does this by conveying that Gatsbys flamboyant lifestyle is as extravagant as it is only because it is goal-driven (Gatsby wants to get Daisys attention). Fitzgeralds ideas about the consequences of dazzling leisure and conspicuous consumption are no less critical of Veblens theory. Fitzgerald conveys that those who engage in pecu niary emulation invite superficiality into their social lives and relationships-a consequence which Veblen fails to even consider. Furthermore, Fitzgerald disagrees with Veblens belief that pecuniary emulation is consuming (it demands ones focus) by subjecting characters such as Gatsby and Nick to different levels of non-consuming materialism. Fitzgerald believes that the pursuit of wealth for the purpose of invidious distinction is not what Veblen claims it is--that is, that the pursuit is neither intrinsic, fulfilling, nor necessarily consuming. Fitzgerald sees pecuniary emulation as voluntary, non-intrinsic human behavior. In The Theory of the Leisure Class, Veblen writes that wealth ... ...burse and use money-probably because he was a multimillionaire. Because of the biases inherent to the intervention of wealth, one must consider all of societys sentiments in order to obtain a comprehensive basis from which meaningful discourse can spring. Resources such as Th e Great Gatsby and Theory of the Leisure Class allow that ideal basis to become ever more tangible. Works Cited and Consulted Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon and Schuster Inc., unseasoned York 1991. Hobsbawm, Eric. The Age of Extremes. New York Pantheon, 1994. Mizener, Arthur, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, 1963. Raleigh, John Henry. F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby. Mizener 99-103. Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class (New York and London Macmillan, 1899