The Self-Destruction that Comes with Money

I may not be religious, but even I know that somewhere in the Bible it states that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." If Gatsby is Jesus, it wouldn't be completely hard to believe that Gatsby is a manifestation of this quote too. James Gatz fell in love with the extravagance and allure of the wealthy lifestyle under the impression he was only in it to woo Daisy. His obsession with becoming affluent was the root of him creating the identity of Jay Gatsby; an identity built on a foundation of lies. Nick also lied to us saying that "Gatsby would be alright at the end". He wasn't. He was murdered. Had Gatsby not began his conquest to become wealthy, perhaps he would have lived a longer and more fulfilling life. Maybe if he didn't attempt to pursue a married woman, he wouldn't have had to cross with her husband and his other mistress.

On the other hand, Mark Twain said that "the lack of money is the root of all evil." This is also true for Gatsby. Born a poor farmer boy, his desire to live a life of opulence is essentially the reason this story took place to begin with. Does this imply that it is impossible to live a life free of evil? Most likely; that is why there is no such thing as utopia.

Maybe Gatsby wasn't entirely at fault too. After Gatsby died, Daisy and Tom were able to use their riches to move far away to not have to deal with the consequences of their actions. Both of them were indirectly responsible for Gatsby's unfortunate end; Daisy killing Myrtle and Tom telling Mr. Wilson it was Gatsby's fault and not owning up to the fact that he was the one who had the affair with Myrtle. 

Perhaps this book should serve as a reminder to avoid living your life in search of wealth. It will only lead to self-destruction, and, as cliché as it sounds, proves that money cannot buy happiness.