In the novel The Great Gatsby, by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, various uses of symbolism and motifs appear throughout the story and provide insight into the deeper ideas of the book. Examples of this are the homes of main character Jay Gatsby and main character Tom Buchanan. The previous owner of Gatsby's house was a brewing magnate, and the man who owned Tom's house was an oil baron. The effects of wealth on the current owners of these two homes exhibit similar characteristics to the fluids that previous owners worked with. The way Gatsby's money affects him shares some qualities with alcohol, while the effects Tom's money has on him have several similar traits to oil. The way Tom and Gatsby act due to their wealthy status helps present one of the overall themes of the work; Even though it seems captivating to have wealth from a distance, and regardless of the method used to acquire it, wealth has detrimental effects both on the wealthy themselves and on the people with whom they come into contact. contact. Jay Gatsby lives in a huge, extravagant mansion. resembling a castle that a rich brewer had built ten years before the events of the novel. Gatsby's house is located in the West Egg neighborhood of Long Island, where the population is mostly newly wealthy people. Gatsby lives what is known as the "American Dream" after spending a period of his life becoming rich smuggling grain alcohol as a bootlegger. The effects of Gatsby's wealth on himself and those around him are comparable to the way alcohol causes self-destructive behavior and poor judgment in people when ingested in large quantities. Gatsby worked to get rich in order to become upscale enough to be with Daisy, Tom's wife who fell... middle of paper... so he could run away from his problems because he can hide. far in his money. The estates owned by Tom and Gatsby help us make the above connections between the two and their associated liquids. The connections allow you to examine in more detail the effects of money on Gatsby and Tom, as well as their effects on the other characters. These two characters show that being rich is not as good as it seems, and that sooner or later you will be corrupted by money and believe that it can fix all your mistakes. You will start acting irresponsibly, mistreating those close to you for no apparent reason, and losing all motivation to do anything with your life. As mentioned previously, oil and alcohol are both extremely combustible fluids and flames can spread very quickly. Works Cited Fitzgerald, Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004.