The unrestrained and excessive spending or wastefulness, often to a reckless degree, is a central theme illustrated in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. This lavish expenditure manifests materially through Gatsby’s opulent parties, his mansion filled with expensive belongings, and his generally extravagant lifestyle. For example, the constant flow of liquor and food at Gatsby’s gatherings, and the wasteful discarding of those goods after the parties, represent a conspicuous display of wealth devoid of genuine purpose.
The significance of this concept within the narrative lies in its portrayal of the Roaring Twenties’ societal values, where new money and a pursuit of pleasure reigned supreme. It highlights the moral decay beneath the shimmering surface of wealth, exposing the emptiness and ultimately destructive nature of pursuing material possessions above all else. Historically, the era followed World War I, and featured economic prosperity, fueled by consumerism, on an unprecedented scale, making this type of behavior prominent and representative of the time.
