In The Great Gatsby, a man with everything one could want is reduced to watching a woman in between two bushes. Even though Gatsby has a house that's "a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy" (Fitzgerald 7), his life is actually filled with emptiness. As the book progresses, the readers are introduced to Gatsby's unrequited love for Daisy and how he "stretched out" (24) for her. The extent of his fondness for her can be seen when he chooses to "wait all night if necessary" (154) between some bushes in front of her house. Also, he throws all of his lavish parties just to impress Daisy. Gatsby doesn't live life for himself but to impress a single person. He can't enjoy life until that person is in his possession, but since he will never achieve his dream, he will forever be a hollow individual void of enjoyment. It's ironic as wealth in this time period should allow a person to be free and do whatever they want but in his case, it imprisons him and keeps him from moving forward.
Washington can also be regarded as a rich white man who is confined to his wealth. His diamond that is "as big as the Ritz" (1) causes him to become greedy and store it all for himself. He spends his life guarding his diamond mountain by murdering all his guests and any pilots that attempt to scout his land. This ultimately leads to his demise as he has to blow up his "house of jewels" (25) and effectively killing his motivation to live, literally. Just like Gatsby, Braddock was restricted to keeping watch over his mountain of wealth. Both of their lives had no true meaning, and none of them lived life to the fullest. They died without really living at all.
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