Question

Read the excerpt from The Great Gatsby.

My own house was an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor's lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month.

Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water, and the history of the summer really begins on the evening I drove over there.

What message do phrases such as “the consoling proximity of millionaires” and “white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered” convey to the reader?
Everyone in East Egg lives in a palace.
Financial wealth is desirable to the narrator.
The narrator despises people who live in large homes.
Financial wealth has no relevance in this novel.

Answer 1

Financial wealth is desirable to the narrator.

Explanation: Words like "consoling proximity of millionaires" and the glowing image of "white palaces...glittered" show admiration and comfort derived from being near visible wealth, indicating the narrator finds wealth appealing and impressive.