The Selfish and the Selfless in The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath

However, Gatsby, unlike the former farmers in The Grapes of Wrath, does not only care about the money; he, unlike them, has a purpose that extends beyond accumulating wealth.

Throughout of the duration of The Great Gatsby, we notice that a large handful of characters in the novel has been corrupted by greed. F. Scott Fitzgerald had portrayed a unique way of showing how money can control people and the society around them. When reading the novel one can come to the conclusion that money, popularity, and having a good reputation had control over Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, and even Nick.

In many instances, Gatsby showed signs of selflessness. But, if the reader were to dig deeper into the roots of the story, they will be able to see that under the kind acts and good deeds, Gatsby’s intentions were always selfish. After the car scene, Tom, Jordan, Daisy and Nick returned to Daisy and Tom’s house. As Gatsby waits outside of the home, Nick, unknowingly, asks Gatsby whether or not Daisy was driving. Gatsby replies saying, “Yes, but of course I’ll say I was” (Fitzgerald 143). When Gatsby took Daisy’s place in the murder of Myrtle, although seeming kind-hearted, his only reason for this was to earn Daisy’s love and to impress her. Gatsby has somewhat put up an image of himself to be the pure and almighty man that deserves Daisy more. Meyer Wolfshiem, Gatsby’s business partner, mentions to Nick of Gatsby’s chivalrous actions towards women saying, “Yeah, Gatsby’s very careful about women. He would never so much look at a friend’s wife” (Fitzgerald 72). Although Meyer Wolfshiem’s comment on Gatsby about him being a gentleman, and how he would never look at another man’s wife, Gatsby proceeds to exceed all expectations and have an affair with Tom’s wife, Daisy Buchanan. Yes, some might say his only reason for doing so was out of true love and destiny but, in either case, it was morally wrong. In every action that Gatsby commits for Daisy, his selfishness secretly hides beneath it, shading itself from light so no one will approach the real man that lurks behind the curtains of self pride.

It’s a common misconception that money is equal to happiness, and Daisy is a sad, bored woman, afraid of the future. She is selfish and self centered, caring so much for the wealth that she believes will make her happy that in Chapter 7 her voice is said to be “full of money” (pg #). All the worse, when she kills Myrtle, she feels no remorse whatsoever, as she is incapable of caring for anyone but herself. Gatsby cannot see any of her bad qualities. He simply sees a beautiful young woman that he thinks he deserves. In chapter 8, Nick says that “It excited [Gatsby], too, that many men had already loved Daisy - it increased her value in his eyes.”(pg#). Gatsby is blinded by his desire for Daisy, fueled by the wants of other men, that he sees nothing bad about her. Daisy loved Tom and Gatsby equally and for the same reason: Their wealth. With Gatsby dead Daisy returns to Tom not even shaken by his death, and just as nick says they would do, they retreat from the chaos they cause into their money when they move away.

Daisy is one of the main characters whose obsession with wealth influences her life decisions. “ Her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald 128). this quote shows that even people around Daisy can hear the longing for money in her voice. She is obsessed with money and thinks that if she has it she will achieve happiness. “ She wanted her life shaped now, immediately- and the decision must be made by some force-of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality-” (Fitzgerald 161). Daisy thought money and love would make her life more fulfilled and she believed it was the only way for it to be more adequate. She wanted her life to be perfect and she was willing to go with whoever could provide her more money and love. In Daisy’s marriage with Tom she felt a lack of love because of Tom’s mistress, which is why she was drawn to Gatsby once again. When Gatsby and Daisy first met he was lacking money but they were in love. Daisy was consumed by the idea that she must have both money and love in order to get happiness, that she ended

Is your life revolved around how much money you have, what you can buy, or what you look like? In The Great Gatsby, the lives of the characters are revolved around the importance of money and the materials they own. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are two very important people that let their money control their lives, such as Daisy marrying Tom solely for is money so that she will be provided for her entire life. Gatsby is a prime example of all the wrong reasons of wanting to accomplish the American dream. He wanted to impress Daisy, so he lied and cheated his way to the top in order to prove to her that he was worth it, and now that he has money, he allowed it to take control of him and his true purpose. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald allows the

There are many themes in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby in which many people can relate to today. Fitzgerald demonstrates a lot of themes that have to humanity and its many flaws. One of the major themes in Fitzgerald’s book is the theme of selfishness and its negative effects on the characters and the people around them. According to the Oxford Dictionary, selfishness is “lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.” In more simple terms, it is when a person puts his or her own needs in before others. There are many characters in this book that depict this characteristic through the story.

Amazing stories that reflect a decade of Ameican morals and desires are difficult to come across. Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s the Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath are two prime examples of fantastic American classics. Both novels, though written by different authors, are at once one of a kind and strikingly similar to eachother. Being based off their writer’s different experiences, the books express tasteful representations of American society. The Great Gatsby and the Grapes of Wrath are both similar yet unique milestones of American Literature.

Being unselfish is having the will to put others needs or wishes before one's own. When you have gained respect for others emotions, you have learned to put others before yourself. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby cares more for others than himself through his determination and passion Determination is one's hopes and perseverance towards what they admire. Ever since Gatsby met Daisy, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay”, he show his appreciation of feelings towards daisy. (Fitzgerald 78) When Gatsby was with Daisy he did everything to her liking, “he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes.”

By the end of Nick’s experience in East Egg, he has discovered that the wealthy seem to live in a much different world than the rest of the population. It’s an existence where one will get anything they desire, often at the expense of others. Those who live this type of life very rarely have anyone or anything come in the way of their wishes. Additionally, people like Jordan, Daisy and Tom aren’t used to taking responsibility for their careless actions, as most of their decisions are made thinking of nobody but themselves.

Do you ever think if you struck it rich your life would be wonderful? Well, it might be if you live a solitary life, but if you are planning on living a happy rich life with many friends…forget about it! Money is not capable of buying true friendship from people.

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a classic piece of American literature about treachery, and insidious romanticism. In The Great Gatsby, Nick, our narrator, meets an interesting fellow by the name of Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby seems like a normal rich man, throwing extravagant parties and wearing pink suits, until he reveals to Nick his true intention on why he throws all the huge parties. The Great Gatsby shows a lot of characters as selfish and self-centered including Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby, and Jordan Baker. In The Great Gatsby many personalities and traits are shown, but one that stands out the most in character, is self-interest and self-centeredness.

Daisy and Tom had a rocky marriage. In the book, Tom would go see his mistress that Daisy didn’t have any knowledge about. Gatsby and Daisy had a previous relationship that Tom did not know about. Gatsby admitted to Tom that his wife was in love with him. In the book Daisy told Gatsby, “I never loved him,” which she was referring to Tom. This is why money is the root of all evil. “Family damage”s is the reason for money being evil.

“ The price of greatness is responsibility” (Winston Churchill) . Responsibility plays a role in the novel The Great Gatsby in multiple ways. However, irresponsibility of the characters has more of an impact on the novel. The characters did not take responsibility for their actions throughout the novel, they were also irresponsible in their use of money and also Daisy and Tom with their child. The example of irresponsibility that had the biggest impact was their driving. The lives of the characters are heavily impacted by the irresponsibility of others or themselves.

In the novel, Tom Joad and his family have no choice but to abandon their farm because it was during the time of the “Dust Bowl”. They started their journey and made their way over to California. Along the way thousands of other families were on the go looking for jobs, land, and hope for a happier more brighter future. In both of the two novels families share a lot of interpersonal love among themselves, making their relationship strong, deep, and united. Both The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath show their successful times and the failures the characters faced. Through the course of the characters’ paths they face obstacles but they learn how to overcome them. They also grow they interpersonal love between their