The Simple Economics of Life... man -- Josh

When I think of the Great Gatsby I often first think of the novel through a romantic lens and believe this is appropriate for a story filled with affairs, love triangles and murders of passion. When viewed through a marxist lens the Great Gatsby takes on a new meaning, one which helps illustrate how broadly applied Marxist theory can be, and how overly applied it is because of how adaptable it is for most pieces, especially those set in the United States. Because money is naturally such a large part of anyones life living in a capitalist society its never terribly difficult to prove ones issues are somehow connected to the pursuit of wealth.

In "You are what you own: a marxist theory of The Great Gatsby", the commodification of the main characters is brought to light, and the explaining of love or what is perceived as love through economics. The author shows how every major romantic motivation of that characters is really a carefully calculated business decision. According to the author Toms constant womanizing is result of him marketing his "socioeconomic status where it will put him a the greatest advantage-- among women who are desperate for and most easily awed by what he has to sell" - p. 70 Daisy's love of Gatsby was simply for his ability to support her for the rest of her life, not knowing he wasn't from the same "strata as herself" -p. 72.