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How Is The Great Gatsby Corrupt

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Like numerous things in life, the American Dream was supposed to be something beautiful. The belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, could be successful in America if they just work hard enough is certainly an innocent sentiment. It is hard to imagine a goal, which is so seemingly harmless, could actually be unattainable and eventually become corrupt. The corruption stemmed from their greed for material items, rather than just the happiness and comfort prosperity provided. Furthermore, this is exactly what The Great Gatsby showed readers. It takes place in a time of economic prosperity, the 1920 's, when the belief in the American Dream was at it 's highest point, but also it 's most obviously hollow. Consequently, this is what F. Scott Fitzgerald chose to write his classic novel, The Great Gatsby, about. While it tells the tale of a man yearning after a girl and getting killed as a result, this is not truly what the book is about. The main focus is breaking the façade of the “wonderful” American Dream, and showing it for what it truly is. The Great Gatsby clearly …show more content…

The American Dream was supposed to solve problems, yet somehow it managed to corrupt all that fell under its spell. While Jay Gatsby might not have been a bad man, he was corrupt and unrealistic, just as his friends, Daisy and Tom, were, and just as the American Dream itself is. The symbols Fitzgerald uses to supplement this idea make it difficult for the reader to deny that this is the point he was aiming to make. Fitzgerald managed to make a short, mediocre story and had infinite layers to make it just as, if not more complex, as many of the other great novels, which are 10 times it’s size. Fitzgerald’s portrayal of the American Dream is all in the details, which is what makes The Great Gatsby of the greatest novels of all

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The American Dream suggests that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. One of the major ways that Fitzgerald portrays this is by alluding to outside events or works of literature specifically from that time period. Another major relationship that develops in The Great Gatsby is between Tom and Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to things such as the World’s Fair and “The Love Nest” to display the eventual dismantling of Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Both of these separate plots consolidate under the idea of Gatsby trying to become the epitome of the American Dream, as seen through his strive for a “perfect life.”

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