In my opinion, wealth isn't
really beneficial to people. In fact, I think it's more detrimental than
beneficial. Now, before I come off sounding crazy, let me explain myself.
In The
Great Gatsby, the entire novel is characterized by wealth. Who can you
marry? Someone who is high up on the social change, and has lots of money of
course. How does Gatsby plan to impress Daisy? By throwing extravagant parties
to show everyone, especially her, just how much money he had. And Myrtle? She
doesn't have an affair with someone who is poor, oh no, she has an affair with
Tom who is clearly higher class than her husband, Mr. Wilson. All their decisions are motivated by their
desire for one thing: wealth. These people put wealth before everything else in
their lives, and in each case it eventually leads to their downfall.
As for the
detrimental effects of wealth in The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, I think
it’s safe to say that each characters life was severely altered due to the
wealth of the Washington family. The sisters, for instance, were merely fools
who were kept so out of the loop of the rest of the world that they weren't
even aware that slavery had been abolished ages ago. And Mr. Washington, well
his wealth led him to the conclusion that he was almighty, he even believed he
could bribe God. This platonic conception of himself and his wealth that Mr.
Washington holds soon leads to his, as well as his wife and son's, death.
So, if you
ask me, wealth only leads to destruction and devastation. Bob Marley once said,
"The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his
integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively," and I
couldn't agree more.
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