The of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. The
The Great BattleJill Robinson said, “The American Dream is really money.” What she means is that Americans are money hungry. Is it really the strive for money? Isn’t it more than just the dream of getting rich. In both stories, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, the characters strive for money and they think money buys their happiness. The Great Gatsby is loaded with hopeless characters, Jay Gatsby tried to buy happiness and he died with his dream of being with Daisy Buchanan. “Battle Royal” shows that The Narrator is fighting and trying so hard for money so he can fit in with the crowd.
The authors show how the characters attempt to buy happiness through money as they buy houses, throw lavish parties, participate in fights, and seek scholarships, all to show money doesn’t buy them happiness or access to their dreams. Gatsby has shown he uses money to buy his happiness through buying houses thinking he will impress Daisy. “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay”(Fitzgerald 78). Gatsby saw a way to get closer to Daisy and a lot of money is involved in him moving across the bay from Daisy.
It is romantic but a little creepy. Daisys mouth is full of money, she came from a wealthy family so Gatsby knows she has love for money. Gatsby’s dream is to be with Daisy so why not buy a expensive house. The green light is a symbol of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. The green light has to do with Daisy’s dock and Gatsby can see that across the bay. The green light represents Gatsby and Daisy and as long as the light is lit there relationship will never be broken but as you know Gatsby did get shot and his dream ended early.
In attempt to buy Daisy by buying houses, Gatsby also throws lavish parties. Nick Carraway said, “‘He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths–so he could ‘come over’ some afternoon to a stranger’s garden.” (Fitzgerald 63). He only throws these parties in hope for Daisy to show up and so they can renew.
That’s why you see Gatsby never attending his own parties. As Daisy lives in a rather rich and affluent circle, Gatsby must put himself forward as a rich and affluent man. Beyond that, though, he wishes to meet Daisy again, and to present himself in a way that it seems that he could give Daisy everything she could ever want.The narrator in “Battle Royal” has done the same thing as Gatsby. The reason The Narrator was fighting was because they were told they would get paid if they won the fight. There were 9 black men in the fight and they all had the same attitude. The Narrator uses money to try to buy happiness.
“I was overjoyed; I did not even mind when i discovered the gold pieces I had scrambled for were brass pocket tokens Advertising a certain make of automobile.”(Ralph Ellison 12). The Narrator is saying he doesn’t care about the fake coins now because he got what he really wanted is a scholarship which in his eyes is money.
What he really wants to do is go to a white school and fit in. What he will realize is that people are still racist and that’s not gonna change by how much money you have. In “Battle Royal”, in his speech, the narrator said, “Social..
. Equality—-.”(Ralph Ellison 11). He said in his speech he wants there to be social equality and he got immediately turned down by the whites in the room.
Social equality did come but not in his lifetime. The Narrator is so caught up in getting money that’s all he can think about and it controls his everyday life, it seems like that at least. The scholarship in his eyes is money, a way to fit in. It is an all black school that he got a scholarship too. That is not what he wanted, he wanted social equality. His dream had never came true because they still called him a coon and they are still racist. He may of got a scholarship but racist people will never accept him for who he is inside.Jay Gatsby and The Narrator have shown they have tried to buy happiness with money.
Money, feeling invisible and there dreams not seen. Money is the thing that makes them feel worthy of what they have and who they are. Feeling invisible is more in the short story “Battle Royal”. The Narrator is an African American in the story and the white see right past him.
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby doesn’t attend his own parties and he feels invisible because Daisy doesn’t see him as good enough to leave Tom. In “Battle Royal” The Narrator never sees his dream of social equality. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby dies before he could achieve his goal with Daisy. Both of the characters showed money doesn’t buy happiness or access to their dreams. Despite the characters not achieving their dreams they have shown it’s okay to die with a dream in hand.
