Date
5-25-2023
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Chair
Timothy Christian
Keywords
Mystery, Wealth, Money
Disciplines
Creative Writing
Recommended Citation
Eley, Morgan (Yeatts), "Money People: An Examination of Wealthy Characters in Fiction" (2023). Masters Theses. 1005.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1005
Abstract
This thesis seeks to examine the similarities (or dissimilarities) of wealthy characters in fiction, specifically studying two well-known wealthy characters: Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice and Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. The study examined the first impressions of these characters, their attitudes toward others, their physicalities and presences, and how they spent their money. These examinations yielded fairly similar results between the two characters, as discussed in depth within the thesis. The most obvious similarity was the way the authors wrote their characters in a “set apart” manner, creating a division between them and the other characters. While the discoveries made by examining these two characters are informative, these discoveries by no means determine that this is the norm when writing wealthy characters.
