The Ambiguous Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald´s The Great Gatsby

Faulty Perceptions in The Great Gatsby: Your perception of someone isn’t always true. In the summer of 1922, a man named Jay Gatsby lives in a mansion where he throws huge parties filled with people. He has spent his whole life in love with Daisy Buchanan and he believes that she has waited on him to come back from war. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald shows readers how false perceptions can lead to false realities. The main character, Jay Gatsby, creates a false perception of another, Daisy Buchanan, which creates a false reality of her because Gatsby’s perception of her isn’t true.

Another example of Jay Gatsby’s moral ambiguity is his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan’s love. Daisy and Gatsby first met in 1917 before Gatsby went off to the war. Gatsby and Daisy found themselves in love with each other, but being a part of WWI put a wrench in their love. Gatsby never stopped loving Daisy up until the day he died, and waited for her every minute of his life after the war. Gatsby even went beyond expectations and, “‘bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay’”

(Fitzgerald 90). Gatsby’s slip-up when speaking to Nick reveals not only that he has been and still may be untruthful about how he obtained his wealth, but also alludes to the shortcuts he has taken to accumulate such a fortune so quickly. The truth is, Gatsby was heavily involved in bootlegging and took part in illegal activities to accelerate his upward climb. His criminal ties are revealed further by his relationship with Meyer Wolfsheim, the man who rigged the World Series, the Jewish Mafia and by the calls he received from large bootlegging cities including Chicago and

In the beginning, Jay Gatsby can be seen as an evil man. He brags to Nick Carraway about how he knows the person who rigged the World Series in 1919. Fitzgerald writes, “‘Meyer Wolfshiem? No he’s a gambler.’ Gatsby hesitated, then added coolly: ‘He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919.’” This shows how Gatsby is friends with a shady person and the hesitation

Gatsby cannot be classified as a truly moral person who exhibits goodness or correctness in his character and behaviour. Gatsby disputes most moral damage throughout the novel. Gatsby exhibits characteristics explaining the reason behind moral decay in society. Corruption and lies are responsible for the destruction of humanity. Gatsby’s whole life’s basically is a lie as he created a fake identity for himself. A whole new persona, Jay Gatsby is not even his real name. Gatsby

Gatsby earns his massive wealth through unethical methods, often sacrificing his reputation and virtue. This can be seen in the illegal business transactions between Gatsby and Meyer Wolfshiem. When Nick goes out to lunch with Gatsby and meets Wolfsheim for the first time, he expressed his skepticism over their relationship. Gatsby says, “Meyer Wolfsheim? No, he’s a gambler.’ Gatsby hesitated, then added coolly: ‘He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919.’’’ (Fitzgerald 77). Nick is perplexed by the idea that Gatsby would know and work with someone so scandalous, when all Gatsby claimed to do was good deeds. At this point, suspicion arises as it is revealed that Gatsby may not be the innocent, admirable person he appears to be. Nick goes on to discover Gatsby’s true career when Tom says, “I found out what your ‘drug’ stores were...He and Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side- street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain and alcohol over the counter” (133). To this, Gatsby replies, ‘What about it? I guess your friend Walter Chase wasn't too proud to come in on it.’’ (133). When he is caught lying, Gatsby does not give the situation any thought. As he sees it, everyone is engaged in some kind of deception, either caught up with the innumerable rumors or seeing him as a kindhearted soul. As long as his dream to be with Daisy stays alive, Gatsby is wholeheartedly willing to commit crimes and break laws while staying out of trouble with the aid of his status and deceit.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby focuses on the corruption of the American dream during the 1920‘s. For the duration of this time period, the American dream was no longer about hard work and reaching a set goal, it had become materialistic and immoral. Many people that had honest and incorruptible dreams, such as Jay Gatsby, used corrupted pathways to realize their fantasy. People’s carelessness was shown through their actions and speech towards others. Fitzgerald uses characterization and symbolism from different characters and items to convey the corruption of the American dream.

However as we begin to learn about his corruption, and the way by which he came by this money, we begin to loose this image of greatness. Even Nick swings form admiration to resentment. When Gatsby tells Nick about all his great travels and accomplishments around Europe traveling like royalty and studying at oxford. This Makes Gatsby a hero, however Nick doesn’t believe him, until Montenegro is mentioned, and the same applies to us. This is the point when our faith in Gatsby’s greatness, is reaffirmed. As the book progress and we dig deeper into Gatsby’s past. We begin learning more and more about his life built upon deception, we really start to suspect the rumors of his under ground involvement in crime, specially after meeting Meyer Wolfsheim. It is my personal opinion that Wolfsheim, was in fact a Jew, due to his characteristics, “a large nose” “a diminutive stature”. It is an important point to note, due to the fact that during the 1920’s, The Jews were blamed for Americas corruption, due to there infamous greed at that time. So when Gatsby is seen doing business with people like Wolfsheim, it slanders his name and he, is no longer the American dream, on the contrary, he is now, one of the people that corrupted America . We begin to learn his true identity is not Jay Gatsby, but that he is relay a man named James Gatz.

Dreams are a compelling force in people’s lives. They are what propel them forward each and every day in an effort to reach something better. The American Dream has been sought after by millions all over the world for hundreds of years. This country was founded on the belief that anyone could achieve their dreams. However, in the 1920s these hopes and aspirations began to splinter until they ultimately shattered. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism, setting, and theme to depict the unattainability of the American Dream.

In the 1925 novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway, the main character and narrator, makes himself out to be an incredibly understanding and patient man, who shuns judgement of people before genuinely becoming acquainted with them. While somewhat of a conceited statement, it, for the most part, accurately describes Nick’s appraisal of Jay Gatsby. From their initial encounter, Nick demonstrated disharmonious feelings towards Gatsby; at times Nick would laud him, and others Nick spoke considerably poorly of him. These conflicting opinions of Gatsby stem from a contention with Nick’s moral values, along with a sense of guilt that he may have brought about Gatsby’s untimely demise, playing off his moral sense of responsibility. These two senses shaped the progression of the book, explaining how Nick can portray two intensely differing sides of the same man.

It is often said that certain literary works and characters within such works represent real-world issues. In the work The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the character of Gatsby is shrouded in ambiguity to the reader, providing them with a possibility for personal interpretation. In the work, Gatsby’s character develops from a character representing materialism and a fixation on status to one filled with humility and selflessness for his romantic devotion towards the character of Daisy. Through this shift, the reader is provided with insight in order to draw parallels between Gatsby and two distinct periods in American history. The materialistic side of Gatsby, driven by wealth and his status in Long Island, represents the moral corruption and materialistic desires of America in the 1920s, whereas the romantically devoted Gatsby represents wartime America, devoted to sacrifice and nobility. The contrast within the life of Gatsby allows for a profound insight into the significance of the work as a representation of changing American values.

The 1920s in America, known as the "Roaring Twenties", was a time of celebration after a destructive war. It was a period of time in America characterised by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of disruption associated with modernity and a break with traditions.The Roaring Twenties was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited "old money" and some obtained "new money". However, there was the other side of prosperity and many people also suffered the nightmare of being poor. In the novel,The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a wealthy character

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.

A few symbolisms in novels are as memorable as the green light in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Shining at the end of Daisy’s dock, it is close enough to be seen, but too far away to be reached. Still, Gatsby, an eternal optimist, stares at it at night, as if it showed him that all his far-away dreams were about to come true. The green light in The Great Gatsby is symbolic of hope, a source of inspiration, and a representation of the American Dream to Gatsby and to the novel’s readers.

From first impressions to the every next time us readers pick up the book, the title strengthens the remembrance of only good things Gatsby did. This convincing biased perspective toward Jay Gatsby is only a result of Nick’s unreliability as an author. From a reader’s perspective, it conveys this feeling of Gatsby’s greatness and overlooks his flaws. The title of the book was promptly proven to foreshadow Nick’s everlasting fidelity toward Gatsby as the narrator further begins the book describing Gatzs “extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness” (Fitzgerald, pg 2). This awing quality caused Nick to be more loyal to Gatsby than anyone in the book. As a result, Nick forgives Gatsby’s criminal behavior such as bootlegging (what brought Gatsby to wealth) and being associated with corrupt men such as the character Meyer Wolfsheim, a man rumored to have fixed the World Series in 1919, activities that we would expect Nick to disapprove of. Nick narrates about Gatsby in such an amazing way that it somewhat convinces us readers into overlooking Gatsby’s wrongdoings as well. It could be said that Nick is an unreliable narrator as his judgments are contradictory; on one side he disapproves of certain characters actions and yet dismisses Gatsby’s immoral behavior. Nick is blinded by his romantic view of Gatsby and as a