Examples Of Cheating The System In The Great Gatsby

Jay Gatsby manipulates other characters. Gatsby fails to love Daisy Buchanan; instead, he “seems committed to an idea of Daisy that he has created rather than to the real woman she is” (Hermanson 1). This idea of Daisy represents the American dream. Flaunting his money, Gatsby attempts to seduce the idea of Daisy rather than Daisy herself. Therefore, Gatsby deceives Daisy.

And I thought that if you don’t make very much—You’re selling bonds, aren’t you, old sport?’ ‘Well, this would interest you. It wouldn’t take up much of your time and you might pick up a nice bit of money. It happens to be rather confidential sort of thing,’” (82-83). Here, Gatsby is trying to make it seem like he is doing Nick a friendly favor, when in fact he knows that Nick is Daisy’s cousin all along. Essentially, he assumes that if he can get closer to Nick, it will bring him even closer to Daisy. Gatsby’s absurd reasoning behind his illegal activity is solely due to his belief that it is all for Daisy. He truly is not a bad person at heart, nor are his intentions to harm anyone. He simply wants to be with Daisy and he is willing to do anything to make this dream a reality. He needs this money so that Daisy can be just as in love with him as he is with her. He thinks that if he is more wealthy and flamboyant, she will be amazed and come running back to him. He is clearly determined to change himself, as he goes as far as risking his life, and being put behind bars in order to reinvent himself. By the time he manages to become extremely wealthy, he returns back to the real world to find that Daisy has already moved on. He does not accept the fact that Daisy is no longer interested in him, which further infuriates him. His anger and frustration fuel his passion to get back with her. Furthermore, Gatsby is so at the mercy of

Life is often portrayed in a way that one lives it. Gatsby’s father praises him for being wealthy and successful, but he does not know the truth behind his wealth and how he earned it (Fitzgerald 168). As a parent, one is suppose to love their child no matter what. It is easy to love them when all you hear about is how successful they are, but not for what one thinks. It is not easy to trust someone who can not make up their mind about what they want to tell people. Gatsby easily gives himself away because he thinks of a lie, he is going to tell someone, but since he has it planned someone can easily catch him in the lie: ‘“I thought you inherited your money.” “I did, old sport,” he said automatically, “but lost most of it in the big panic-the panic of war.” I think he hardly knew what he was saying, for when I asked him what business he was in he answered, “That’s my affair”, before he

It is insinuated that Gatsby did not make his money in the most ethical way when Tom shares that he “found what your ‘drug-stores’ were” and explains that Gatsby and Wolfsheim purchased side-street drug stores and sold alcohol over the counter, which was illegal at the time (Fitzgerald 100). Gatsby covers this scheme up with talk of inheriting his money from old family, but is not very consistent in his lies, as Nick notices him use several different answers at separate times. “I think he hardly knew what he was saying when I asked him what business he was in he answered, ‘That’s my affair’ before he realized that it wasn’t the appropriate reply” (Fitzgerald 103). While Gatsby may have been successful in his illegal money affairs, this does not mean his efforts were not wasted on someone unworthy of the time and money

In Gatsby’s mission to attain wealth, power, and status he loses sight of his morals through his “dealings” with various shady people that are rumored to be lucrative and illegal. The extent of Gatsby’s criminal activities is confirmed by Tom Buchanan one hot summer night when Tom shares that Gatsby and “Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores…and sold grain alcohol over the counter,” (133) an illegal venture during prohibition. In addition to Gatsby’s business investments, his obsession with winning Daisy clouds his mind with thoughts of inspiring her to leave her husband and abandoned her child. Nick believes Gatsby would “want nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you,’” (109) and prove her marriage was a sham.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed novel The Great Gatsby incorporates many dynamic characters and situations into the world of the Roaring Twenties. Given the title, many readers will argue over whether the main character, Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man who throws elaborate parties, was truly great or not. The true definition of great is one who is selfless, pure of any illegal actions, and who doesn’t lie. Gatsby rebelled against all of these characteristics. Gatsby was selfish, committed illegal actions and lied about his overall past. Using these three reasons, one can prove that Jay Gatsby was not as great as some believed him to be.

His feelings for Daisy are so strong that he practices many illegal acts he learns via Meyer Wolfsheim who even, “fixed the 1919 World Series” (author page #). Dan Cody and Wolfsheim showed Gatsby how to make a fortune by way of illegal business, and it appears they lead him to believe it was acceptable to carry out these deeds as long as a proper goal was being reached.

In the eye opening novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are many arguments based on society that the author was trying to make through his use of characterization. The dark novel is about love, expectations, disappointments, false hopes, and an overall look on what the narrator, Nick Carraway, experiences in the summer of 1922, spent in the town of West Egg. There were various amounts of arguments about society that were displayed by Fitzgerald throughout many different characters based upon their lifestyles and personality. However, Search for Perfection and Illusion vs. Reality are the two most important arguments about society that Fitzgerald made throughout the characterization of Jay Gatsby.

New York City, overwhelmed with success, money and image in the 1920s was drowning in corruption. F Scott Fitzgerald composed a riveting novel, The Great Gatsby, which follows the journey of several characters dealing with love, greed, confusion and lust during the 1920s. Fitzgerald illustrates the corruption of the American dream by allowing us to follow the downfall of Jay Gatsby, revealing the reality of the American dream.

As a society, America has created certain ideas and stereotypes of each class including the citizens within them. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald focuses around the superficial communities of West and East Egg, and their misconceptions of one another. The citizens of East Egg, such as Daisy and Tom Buchanan, frown upon the up-and-coming men of West Egg. This includes Gatsby, who dreams of the riches they take for granted. Gatsby, who obtains his money through dishonest means appears villainous, unsuccessfully attempting to join the wealthy and elite society of East egg. However, there may be more to Gatsby's story. As Nick, the narrator, says he is “worth the whole damn bunch put together”(154). Through his descriptions and comparison of Tom’s house and Gatsby’s house, Fitzgerald reveals the true nature of the two men. While Gatsby appears to be morally corrupt, in the end he actually has pure intentions, instead it is Tom who emits negativity and is ungrateful for his life.

Instead of promoting the idea of hard work and decency, the American Dream now sprouts the want for wealth above anything else throughout the novel. This is most evident in Jay Gatsby, he truly believed that wealth and material items would be able to fix his problems and recreate his happiness from the past. Gatsby was not born into money, he came from a family of poor North Dakota famers. Therefore, he must go out and acquire wealth for himself. However, Gatsby did not make his fortune honestly, throughout the novel it is suggested that he made a profit off illegal and corrupt business deals. This is first suggested when Nick meets Wolfsheim, a business associate of Gatsby, curious of what Wolfsheim does for a living, Nick inquires. Gatsby then tells him, “He’s the man who fixed the World Series back in 1919.” (73) Fixing a World Series is not honest work and it shows that Wolfsheim is a corrupt individual. Furthermore, Gatsby does business with Wolfsheim which implies that he has not earned his money through honest means either. Nevertheless, the wealth alone does not bring Gatsby the happiness and satisfaction he desires. Towards the end of the novel, Nick discovers the reason that Gatsby went through all the trouble to acquire his massive fortune, it was to reconnect with the love of his life and recreate the happiness they once shared together. However, in chapter six, Nick reminds Gatsby that the past cannot be repeated. Gatsby, who is infinitely full of hope

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents Jay Gatsby as an immoral man who acquires his wealth through corruption. He associates Gatsby with felonious characters such as Meyer Wolfsheim, who fixed the 1919 World Series. However, readers still receive Gatsby favorably. Although Gatsby acts dishonestly, he captures the reader’s sympathy because of his ambitious, romantic, and genuine personality.

Several years passed and Gatsby joined the army. He survived the war and his dreams did too. After the war Gatsby met a man by the name of Meyer Wolfsheim. Once again, Gatsby’s upper class like manners allowed him to make a good first impression and find a path to wealth. According to Mr. Wolfsheim, “I had discovered a man of fine breeding... There’s the kind of man you’d like to take home and introduce to your mother and sister” (72). Even though what he joined was illegal, Gatsby bagan working with Mr. Wolfsheim in the sale of illegal alcohol. It is evident that Gatsby never lost his dream because of the great lengths and risk he took to get his wealth back. He turned to crime in order to gain his wealth. Even though it still appeared that Gatsby had manners of a wealthy person, on the inside he lost those morals when he sacrificed them for a dream that turned sour. On another note, Gatsby’s dream was to be wealthy, which he achieved, however, in reality he no one else acknowledged Gatsby at the

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays society’s role in transforming one’s identity by creating complex and realistic characters. Jay Gatsby is a prime example of how one will change themselves to accommodate society. Once a poor son from a farming family, Gatsby puts up an extravagant facade to hopefully win a woman over, however in the process, puts aside morals and values. Fitzgerald demonstrates the importance of social expectations, wealth and the perception of the American Dream are in determining one’s identity.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to expose the corruption growing in the family system present in the novel. Finally, the American longing for status as a citizen is gravely overshot when Gatsby surrounds his life with walls of lies in order to fulfill his desires for an impure dream. F.