Corruption In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

According to Andy Warhol, “making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art” (Brainy Quotes). The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby shows the craziness of the Roaring Twenties and the rivalry between two social standards, old money, and new money. He decided to work hard to achieve legally like other people. After the death of his benefactor, he decided to get money through prohibition, the illegal way. Gatsby’s corruption developed in his daily life. At first, Gatsby decided to work hard to achieve his American Dream. He worked with Dan Cody on his ship. Cody was fifty while Gatsby was eighteen at that time. During their work relationship Gatsby was “employed in a vague capacity – while he remained with Cody he was in

He decided to use the prohibition to his own personal advantage. Now, Gatsby “brought up a lot of side-street drug stores here in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter,” (Fitzgerald 133). Gatsby’s involvement in the sale of alcohol shows how desperate he is to get money. He’s now getting more money through illegal means and other people’s expense. He tried to keep his source of income secret, he was now corrupted by money. He tries to use the money to get whatever he wanted and pay people off. After Nick helped him invite Daisy for a date, Gatsby told him he had a job that ‘wouldn’t take up much of your time and you might pick up a lot of money. It happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing” (Fitzgerald 83). Gatsby offering Nick that kid of business shows how corrupted he had become. He is now trying to lure people into boot-legging. He tried making the corrupted way look legal by calling it confidential. He explains Nick would get a lot of money but it wouldn’t take a lot of time which is fishy and shows he basically doesn’t have to work hard to get that amount of