Examples Of Disillusionment In The Great Gatsby

When you first ever hear about “The American Dream,” you visualize great luxury, a picture-perfect picket fence, and a high social status. This impractical idealism is solely based on the foundation of “money buys happiness.” It is so inaccurate, considering those with the most riches and power always seem to want more. F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel “The Great Gatsby,” demonstrates how your biggest dreams can quickly become your worst nightmare. Fitzgerald uses the Buchanans, Myrtle, and Gatsby to develop his theme of the corruption and disillusionment of the American Dream. Fitzgerald uses Tom and Daisy Buchanan as his first example of disillusionment of the American Dream. From an outside appearance, their wealth is envied, and their relationship

He was never wealthy at all, and has a deeply rooted insecurity surrounding money and self worth. This likely stems from the fact that Daisy married Tom not long after he left, someone who comes from old money. In order to eventually cross paths with Daisy again, Gatsby needed to become wealthy. This corrupted mindset influenced Gatsby to commit organized crimes such a distributing illegal alcohol and running a bootlegging operation. His criminality is revealed when he isn’t there to accept an important phone call. A man named Slagle says, “...They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter…” (Fitzgerald 166). This is proof Gatsby is involved in a scam where he sells stolen or counterfeit bonds. For a long time, his actions go fully undetected, but a dream can swiftly turn into a nightmare. Gatsby’s life is flipped upside down when people start investigating his affairs. Soon after, he is shunned and blamed for Myrtle accidental death. Everything falls apart, Nick says, “...and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, despairingly…” (Fitzgerald 134). The relationship he worked to spark is all pointless now. Money can’t solve your crimes. So many people, like Gatsby com mit fraudulent acts to be apart of the upper ranks. A research article about the Corruption and inequality of wealth amongst the very rich also states, “Corruption may lead to tax evasion and unbalanced favors and this may lead to extraordinary wealth amongst a few” (Franses and Groot). This is practically Gatby’s exact money situation. He became very well off out of nowhere, under suspicious means. His character is deceiving and