A Timeless Theme?

One of the most obvious themes that appears in Orson Welle's Citizen Kane, and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is that money can't buy happiness. By now some may consider this to be a cliche, but that was not necessarily the case the time these works were released.

The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, during the roaring twenties. World War I was over and the economy was flourishing. America experienced major industrial growth and prosperity was widespread- leading to a new lifestyles of indulgence and partying. This is clearly portrayed in the novel, as Nick Carraway attends many parties among the wealthy communities whether Tom's apartment in NYC or at Gatsby's mansion. It is no secret though,  that despite their luxurious lifestyle, the upper class are not happy- as Tom has an affair and Daisy has her share of emotional episodes. Not to mention Gatsby, who is made out to be a fool who spent his life trying to use wealth as a means to love, resulting only with him dying unsatisfied and alone.

Charles Kane faces a similar fate. Although one of the richest men in the world, he clearly longs for the happiness he possessed when he was a child, as his last words were "rosebud"- the name of his sled he had as a boy. Perhaps this is Kane's version of Gatsby's green light. Citizen Kane was released in 1941 which just like the twenties, was a time when money was one everybody's minds- only in a different way. It was the very end of the Great Depression, and with many struggling to make ends meet, money probably did sound like a solution to Americans' happiness. Maybe Orson Welle's felt obliged to challenge this mindset, leading to the creation of Citizen Kane.

Welle's and Fitzgerald's works seem to be reminders or even warnings that money can't buy happiness to Americans who clearly had an obsession with money during these decades. How relevant are these warnings today? Would they have been just as applicable in any other decade of American history?