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What Is The Significance Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

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In The Great Gatsby, an integral scene to the novel’s development occurs early on when Nick and Tom attend an outrageous party at Myrtle’s flat. Nick has just found out that Tom is having an affair with Myrtle, a thick woman that resides in the Valley of Ashes. Soon after he and Tom attend Myrtle's party and become heavily intoxicated. The party is significant because this is the first time Nick is exposed to the ludicrous amount of materialism that even the lower class is enchanted by. As expressed in the book they drunk multiple bottles of whiskey, ate celebrated sandwiches, and became entangled with each other. It is in this moment in the text that the readers, like Nick, get their first glimpse at just how prevalent materialism plays into

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