The prominent automobile within F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby functions as a potent emblem of wealth, status, and the illusion of success. Its ostentatious color and luxurious make represent the superficiality and extravagance of the Roaring Twenties, and, specifically, the newly acquired fortune of its owner.
The vehicle’s grandeur serves as a visual representation of the chasm between “old money” and “new money” in the novel. It highlights the protagonist’s attempts to emulate the established elite, showcasing how material possessions are employed to project an image of power and social standing. This attempt, however, underscores the inherent differences between inherited wealth and that which is self-made.
