The Importance of Money in The Great Gatsby In "The Great Gatsby", money is one of the most important things in the world. At the beginning, there was Daisy Buchanan who met a soldier named Jay Gatsby. These two spent a lot of time together and grew to love each other despite the fact that Gatsby was poor. However, there came a time when Gatsby had to go to war and left Daisy at home. He continued to write to her and asked her to wait for him until he returned. She agreed at first, but along came a rich man named Tom Buchanan and began having relations with Daisy. She didn't really like Tom but he had money and power, so like any girl in the 1920s, she married him for his wealth. Her one true love was Gatsby, but he was absent and had no money, so she wouldn't marry him for love. Gatsby returned from the war and acquired a new profession that quickly earned him a lot of money. He entered the mafia business which took care of his finances, but earned him a lifetime guarantee with the mafia. After accumulating a large amount of money, he began constantly throwing huge parties. He realized that by doing this he could show off his money. Most of the people who showed up weren't even invited, but they were pretty open nights anyway. Gatsby hoped that one day, when he had one of his big parties, Daisy would come and he would see her again. Knowing that his neighbor Nick was Daisy's cousin, he invited her to his party one evening. After a while, he invited Nick to come and have lunch with him. Picking Nick up in his biggest, best, and most expensive car, Gatsby told Nick about his so-called "child hood." He wanted Nick to know how rich he was and where he got his money from so he could tell Daisy everything. Gatsby also arranged for him and Daisy to be invited to Nick's house one afternoon. After meeting her there, they talked for a short while and eventually the three of them went to Gatsby's house. While they were there, Gatsby showed Daisy his greatest pieces, his priceless antiques, and even his finest shirts. Daisy's reaction to his shirts alone was rivers of tears. Through her reaction to all his wealth, he reveals that not only did seeing Gatsby make her happy, but his wealth made her even happier. She once told Gatsby that the reason she hadn't waited for him was because "rich girls can't marry poor boys." This statement itself means that even though love should be the most important thing in a relationship, Daisy chose money above all else. Daisy also had a friend named Jordan Baker who really loved Nick but couldn't marry him because he had no money. However, for women in the 1920s, it was acceptable to have an affair with a poor person, but it was not acceptable to marry them. In each case, both women show affection towards another person in the story, but are estranged from them due to their financial situation. Money in the 1920s, although it shouldn't have been, was the most important thing to many people. Money made some people rise and others fall, but in the late 1920s a man without money was no man at all..