What Is The Theme Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby

His actions show that he is not loyal nor respectful towards Daisy, instead displaying apathy and disinterest. In addition to acting uncompassionate towards Daisy, he is also not taking into consideration Myrtle’s feelings. In fact, he lies to her in order to stop himself from being forced into a committed relationship. This lie that Tom tells Myrtle is not only extremely false, but also shows he is simply using her. “It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce” (Fitzgerald 33). Tom lying to Myrtle shows he has no intention of marrying her, instead he only wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state. Myrtle is unhappy and desperate to fulfill her dream of moving up social classes. Instead of acting sympathetically towards her situation, he exploits her weakness. Likewise, Daisy and Gatsby’s affair shows similar exploitation for one’s own personal needs over the emotions of their counterpart. Without Tom’s knowledge, Daisy has an affair with her long lost love, Gatsby. Then they sauntered over to my house and sat on the steps for half an hour… (Fitzgerald 105). During this affair Daisy shows no acknowledgement of Tom’s feelings, the man she married and pledged to be loyal to. At the same time, she is also exploiting Gatsby. Authors say, “...his desire to marry Daisy as an attempt to enter/create

It is also clear from both novels that the main characters are severely corrupt. The characters are both part of society in the books and therefore, add to the emphasis on a corrupt society. There is speculation in the novel as how to Gatsby came into his wealth. There are many indications from people whom attend his parties, as to where the wealth stemmed from, crime. It is even said that "Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once." Others say that "it's more that he was a German spy during the war." The word “spy” suggests something corrupt about his new found fortune as it has connotations of him being secretive yet violent. This shows a corrupt society because people are speculating about Gatsby’s wealth, with thoughts of him being a criminal, yet still attend his parties. Another connotation of people attending his

Let’s begin by talking about how Tom Buchanan only cares about others stature rather than the people themselves. Tom can be seen judging others on how they stand in society rather than how they are as people. This is evident when Nick is

As seen in society today as well as in Fitzgerald’s time, men will have affairs outside of their marriages, and the wife, falls victim to this violation of faith. Daisy falls victim to Tom’s affair with Myrtle: “Daisy’s affection for Tom…was soon shattered by his breech of her trust” (Fryer 51). Matters take an abrupt turn in the novel however, when Daisy’s sudden insistence for honesty emerges. At the hotel in the city, when Gatsby pressures her into proclaiming that she never loved Tom she can no longer bear the anxiety. She refuses to deny her love of Tom.

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.

True love is seen through a relationship of two people. Love exists when two people give all their trust, loyalty, and support to one another. Now imagine finding out all of the love and loyalty was false? Betraying a loved one can make someone capable of things they didn’t even know they were capable of. Betrayal is the breaking of a trust that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals. In The Great Gatsby, characters pursue in the action of having an affair and the result of betraying their loved ones. In the book, The Great Gatsby, the concept of true love is portrayed in a way that negatively affects the characters.

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.

Success, formerly signifying the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, however, it has become poisoned by the narcissism of humankind which redefines it as the state of being financially superior to others. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the outlook on the American Dream during the 1920s was crafted through a myriad of events and characters depicting this civil dilemma. By definition, the American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, can be successful in America (wealthy), if they exert the required effort on their arduous journey. Having said that, the American Dream thus presents an illusion of an American society that neglects issues such as: systemic racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and income inequality. Furthermore, it also postulates a myth of class equality, yet the reality could not be further from this. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates how fantasies driven by materialistic ideologies can lead to inevitable corruption and demoralization in society. Notably, this is exhibited through the daily struggles of George and Myrtle Wilson, the conspicuous bigotry of Tom and Daisy Buchanan as well as the ambition and passion of Jay Gatsby.

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, characters are depicted as corrupt human beings influenced by their own personal agendas. With an indistinguishable line between right and wrong, they remain unaware of the consequences that follow their actions. Daisy Buchanan is portrayed as the “golden girl” of her time. She is the woman every man wants to call their own, although they only focus on her superficial features rather than personal qualities. Throughout the novel, her true self begins to unfold, displaying how she misleads others to protect her social stature and reputation. Daisy’s submissive nature continuously hurts the people she cares about by allowing her to engage in dishonest activities.

The wealthy in the late 20’s was corrupt and selfish. In the Great Gatsby the upper class is shown as corruptive. The people in the upper class such as Tom and Daisy don’t really care about their actions because they feel invincible due to their amount of money and the power they have. Fitzgerald illustrates the corruption in the way upper class is care-less about their behavior.

Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick and Jordan have gone out to the city for the day. Gatsby and Daisy are all over each other, when Gatsby finally reveals to Tom that him and Daisy have loved each other for five years. Tom responds to Gatsby stating, “And what’s more I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time.’ ‘You’re revolting,’ said Daisy” (131). This shows that Tom thinks he can do whatever he would like, and Daisy will still love him after he goes on cheating sprees. Daisy proves him wrong. Tom says he loves Daisy, yet he continues to cheat on her because he knows from past experiences that she will just continue to stay with him, until now, he wants Daisy back because he realizes that she now loves another man. Tom thought that he could do as he pleased, and not stay faithful to Daisy and she would take that, but Daisy ended up finding another man, and loving him, and becomes further disgusted with Tom, something Tom never thought would happen. As Tom, Nick and Jordan are driving back home they realize that there has been a crash. Tom sees that Myrtle is dead and he overhears that she has been hit by what he believes is Gatsby’s car. Nick reveals Tom’s reaction as they drive home:“In a little while I heard a low husky sob, and saw that the tears were

The Great Gatsby is about how corrupted the American Dream was and how it affected many individual’s lives. The characters in the novel have a huge role in portraying the corruption and lifestyles of those living the dream during the 1920’s. Due to the idea of a success promise that the East had to offer, many westerners packed their lives up and headed that way in hope of a better life. Nick Caraway, one of the main characters, is one of the westerners that took the gamble of moving east during this time period. Nick who was originally from Minneapolis- St. Paul, wanted to experience what New York had to offer. “Instead of being the warm center of the world the middle-west now seemed like the rigid edge of the universe- so I decided to go east and learn the bond business. Everybody I knew was in the bond business so I suppose it could support one more single man” (Fitzgerald 20). In the summer of 1922, he decided to rent a house in what is known as West Egg, Long Island. The only connections Nick had in the East were his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan, whom he had met at college years ago. Daisy and Tom, along with their young daughter lived in the East Egg. The mansion next to Nick’s house belonged to Jay Gatsby. In the beginning of the novel, Nick makes it known to readers that he hasn’t seen Gatsby even though he was throwing large, loud, and outrageous parties almost every night. However, when Nick and Gatsby do meet they become rather close and by the end of

Tom Buchanan’s characteristics were fabricated to mimic those in society who decide against treating their significant other with the respect and love that he/she deserves. In the novel, Tom was never content with just having the wife he claimed he loved (Daisy), so he also began to an affair with his mechanic’s wife. He never exhibited any remorse for his infidelity, even after Daisy reveals that there have been more affairs on page 131: “Do you know why we left Chicago? I’m surprised they didn’t treat you to the story of that little spree.”. She reveals this in an attempt to get her husband to feel some remorse for his cheating or at least to convince him to allow her to leave him for Gatsby. Her attempts fail, however, and he fights even more to keep her as his own. Although Daisy uses a term with a less harsh connotation to mimic Tom’s verbal evasion of his actions, Fitzgerald makes it clear that Tom refuses to have a monogamous relationship, yet demands Daisy to do so.

Tom Buchanan is married to Daisy and has been wealthy his whole life. He has never had to worry about consequences for his actions. He is described as "one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterwards savors of anti-climax" (Fitzgerald 6). Not only is Tom arrogant, he also doesn’t care for Daisy the way he should. Instead he has a mistress in New York that he even introduces Nick to. Tom thinks he can get whatever he wants without consequences. His anger plays a large role in the novel to show just how careless he really is. He also thinks that since Gatsby is nouveax riches that he is better than Gatsby is, he doubts Gatsby’s intelligence, “An oxford man! Like hell he is!”(Fitzgerald 122). His anger triggers the events that lead to the tragedy that takes place later that day which results in Daisy hitting his mistress while trying to get away from Tom’s raging anger.

This greed can be seen first and foremost in the appearance of the main character, Jay Gatsby. The author utilizes the characters possessions and appearance to evolve his personality and eventually reveal his tragic flaws as the main character. Gatsby's Mansion, his car, and the lavish parties that he throws are all symbolic in some way or another of the wealth that Gatsby possesses. It is this wealth and his desires that lead to the corruption that engulfs all the characters and ultimately Gatsby death. Every aspect of his character, his appearance, his mannerisms, and