The answer to that isn’t so obvious though. Add a drop of Gatsby’s unrequited love for Daisy, and you have a story that ultimately examines how far people go for romance, and what money simply can’t buy.
The Great Gatsby traces how the differences between these characters can be destructive even if they’re all wealthy. At the same time, the booming economy meant that others (like the narrator Nick) were relocating to cities in pursuit of wealth, and (like Gatsby) making significant financial inroads themselves. Tom and his wife Daisy have belonged to the 1% for generations, and the 1920s saw them cement their wealth and status. In Fitzgerald’s novel, the Buchanans are one such family. This meant that average American families were able to get these things for the first time, while more prosperous families were able to live in extreme excess. On the other hand, the modern, American economy was emerging-people began buying costly consumer goods (like cars, appliances, telephones etc.) using credit rather than cash. On the one hand, social and cultural norms were shifting-men no longer sported beards, and women were dressing more androgynously and provocatively. This snapshot from the 2013 film adaptation actually tells us a lot about the 1920s.
