Money's Liberation of Responsibility

Does money allow one to be free of responsibility? Although this idea may be hard to grasp, it is true. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby throws lavish parties and uses his money to spend the weeks cleaning them up. Also in this novel, the character Daisy takes advantage of her wealth in dealing with her problems. This thought is also very apparent in today's society in which money can free one of criminal prosecution and prison time. One example of this is the Kobe Bryant rape trail. In both literature and present time, it is clear that money can liberate one of personal responsibility.

In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby uses his money to make his life much easier and free himself of personal responsibility. One example of this is when while driving in his Rolls Royce he is pulled over by a police officer. Instead of having to pay a ticket or be arrested, like a person would be subjugated through without large sums of money, Gatsby whips out a white card that was given to him after he did a "favor" for the chief of police. He is immediately excused and apologized to by the officer. Another example of Gatsby's use of money to rid him of his responsibility is hiring cleaning crews for entire weeks to clean up the mess from the previous week's party so that he can do it again. One of the most noteworthy examples of how Gatsby used his money to rid himself of personal responsibility was his means of obtaining his money. Gatsby was an illegal bootlegger. The money he received from this crime was enough for him to forget about the repercussions and forget about his personal accountability.

Along with Gatsby, The Great Gatsby character Daisy also uses her wealth to deal with and rid herself of her own responsibilities. Daisy uses her money as an excuse not to confront her husband Tom about his extramarital affairs. Although it may appear as if she does not care about this issue, in reality she is afraid of losing him and his money. Although Daisy was well off before she met and married Tom, it was Tom's bank account that primary funded the families spending. Daisy understood that and wanted to make sure her kin lived the same lifestyle as her. "I hope she'll be a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool" Daisy said, referring to her future daughter. Another example of Daisy using her money to rid her of her responsibilities is when she kills Myrtle. Instead of stopping the car and trying to save her, Daisy simply drives away. She is