Corruption In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby portrays the rapid decay of the American Dream where “the pursuit of a...higher quality of life [is defined] through hard work, determination, and devotion” (Benjamin Franklin). The gap between the rich and the poor, can be seen when comparing West Egg and the Valley of the Ashes or Gatsby and the Wilsons. The 1920's were a time of moral corruption and by extension, caused the deterioration of the American Dream. The society of the roaring twenties judged a person’s success by their material possessions, wealth and social status. By placing materialist values on the character's lives, the book positions the audience to interpret money as the cause of the American Dream’s corruption. For example, houses were the symbol of the relentless competition between the rich to declare their status and live a better life. In simpler terms, the more money you had, the happier you were in life.

Daisy’s supposed inferiority cannot be the case when she is described as the “king’s daughter [and] the golden girl”. As a whole, the treatment of women may have been unjust in the 1920’s but Daisy was surely an exception. Furthermore, her relationship with Gatsby, from an entirely character based perspective, is representative of the happiness. In gatsby’s eyes, this happiness can only be achieved through obtaining financial success, or in other words achieving the American Dream. Given that “[Daisy’s] voice [was] full of money” and that the American Dream was explicitly linked to wealth, Gatsby’s prominent pursuit of wealth was to achieve happiness through Daisy’s love. Dais comes to represent, in Gatsby's eyes, a figurative prize. Gatsby, to fulfill his own concept of the American Dream needed to win Daisy’s love through obtaining material possessions such as an extravagant home, fancy clothing and cars. The American dream had transitioned from the pursuit of happiness into a quest for materialistic