In life, people receive gifts and money from family and friends that do not realize that giving material things does not always create happiness. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald proves this when portraying that this is not how love is gained or given. The author describes two characters, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, who both use materialism to attempt to provide themselves with the feelings of love. In the novel The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald conveys, through symbolism and characterization, that with materialism and excess, man eventually becomes empty.

Tom Buchanan is a man whose materialism, leads him to become empty. People who are obsessed with material objects are materialistic and excessive. The excess of materials means that things surpass the usual limits of what is normal. Money is considered one of these material things. `"It's a bitch," said Tom decisively. "Here's your money. Go and buy...