ipl-logo

Corruption In The Great Gatsby Research Paper

507 Words3 Pages

Corruption of the American Dream The Corruption of the American Dream and Society was first sighted during the roaring 20’s. Looking back in history, the 1920’s is a time when people began to not care about what their dreams were anymore, dreams such as freedom and rights; instead, they began to care a great deal about their social status and what they looked like to other in other people 's eyes. In the manner of how they dressed or something like how big of a house a person has at the time. The Great Gatsby is set in the heart of the 1920’s, also known as the “roaring twenties”, where F. Scott Fitzgerald ties these thoughts into the story using characters. The reader starts to see many different signs of corruption of the American Dream, …show more content…

When Gatsby was a young boy he was was dirt poor living on a farm in Nebraska; he once had a dream of becoming a very wealthy man. As he grew older and finally met Daisy, which was before the Jazz Age when there was much less focus on social status, within 5 years he had wanted Daisy but she had gotten caught up in the drift of wealth and this caused her to fall short of loving Gatsby, so she ended up getting married to Tom because he had money. When Gatsby figures out that Daisy didn’t wait for him, his dream completely changed to only focus on getting her no matter the cost. He started using materialistic objects on the way to drag her in because she was a gold digger which is what she wanted to be, and she also wants her daughter to be this way in the future as well, the reader knows this because she said, “I 'm glad it 's a girl. And I hope she 'll be a fool that 's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (Fitzgerald 21) The readers can see that she is empty inside the heart because she doesn 't really care about love, she only truly cares about money and herself. That’s why Daisy ultimately chose Tom Over Gatsby, because she didn 't want the love that Gatsby wanted, she just wanted the money which was the same thing that Tom wanted. So in the end nobody cared about love back then in the roaring 20’s, they only cared about appearances and wealth. That 's why this period of time in America corrupted the American Dream by the intense focus on gaining wealth and power and the loss of

Show More
Related

Compare And Contrast Harlem And The Great Gatsby

1290 Words | 6 Pages

The american dream is an ideal of everyone to achieve the hope of having a better life and making great amounts of money but in that sense they aren’t realizing what things they are leaving back and how much they’ll have to sacrifice or loose to gain that thought of American dream. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “ Harlem” by Langston Hughes both shows how the american dream gives hope but the pursuit of hope demolishes. Which is illustrated by the characters showing the corruption of wealth and their moral values. Gatsby the most wealthiest and meticulous person from West Egg which represents new money a society parades its cash through obvious utilization and luxurious drinking and partying but his american dream was only Daisy

Read More

How Is Money Portrayed In The Great Gatsby

1152 Words | 5 Pages

Gatsby didn’t love Daisy, but was in love with the idea of having everything, the perfect life. In the end, his vast amounts of wealth could not buy Daisy’s love or even his own happiness. Gatsby filled the void in his heart by surrounding himself with expensive things, but the way in which he acquired his wealth, though not clearly stated in the novel, can be assumed he took the easy way of turning to a life of crime. Gatsby’s romantic view of money did not prepare him for the selfish and corrupt circle of people in which he would soon be associated with. Although through Nick’s narration, Gatsby is portrayed as more of a kind man than the audience has perceived.

Read More

Examples Of Failure In The Great Gatsby

1624 Words | 7 Pages

This is because social class barriers are insurmountable. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to escape poverty when no opportunities to escape are presented. Finally, those who belong to the upper-class exhibit carelessness and subsequently lead empty lives. Although the American Dream has great ideals and is amazing in theory, it ultimately fails when put to the test as exhibited

Read More

Corruption Of The 1920s In The Great Gatsby

334 Words | 2 Pages

The 1920s were hard times for some United State citizens. With the ending of World War I a housing boom in Britain and the United States leads to an increase in homeownership. The League of Nations is founded but the United States votes against joining. The Russian Civil war ends but the country struggles as a famine begins in 1920 and worsens the following year. The 18th Amendment ( Volstead Act / National Prohibition Act ) goes into force at the beginning of the decade which in turn leads to increased black market alcohol that is sold in speakeasies and run by mobsters who pay off local politicians.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Foolishness Analysis

1014 Words | 5 Pages

Gatsby’s “Greatness” Greatness is showed by the choices we make in life. From how we see the circumstances and how we react to them. Gatsby is not as great of a man as Nick claims that he is. Gatsby makes foolish, childish and delusional decisions and not at all great.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Corruption Analysis

703 Words | 3 Pages

Title The Great Gatsby is a book that contains an abundance of motifs. F Scott Fitzgerald uses these motifs very masterfully to enhance the novel The Great Gatsby. One of the motifs that he uses is that money corrupts. The corruption is shown in many different ways and through many different people.

Read More

Examples Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby

1261 Words | 6 Pages

The Great Gatsby presents its characters as having living the American Dream. However, it is only a belief; the behaviors they have and decisions they take only leave them with a false perception of life and lifestyle. The Great Gatsby relates to the corruption of the American Dream for those materialistic people who were after money. Fitzgerald reveals the idea of corruption in the American Dream through conditions such as wealth and materialism, power and social status, and relationships involving family and affairs. He uses examples of this corruption to show the reader that people are willing to lie, betray others, and commit crime to be able to live a ‘better and fuller’ life.

Read More

Examples Of Tyranny In Greek Mythology

942 Words | 4 Pages

In the general American dream, people become consumed with trying to become wealthy and elite. These people risk their own dignity, friends, and family on the search for this dream. The unjustifiable acts committed on the way to this dream may not have been as atrocious as those carried out by the gods, but they are influenced by the same greed for the reassurance of being the best and most

Read More

Analytical Essay On The Great Gatsby

755 Words | 4 Pages

Jacobo Delara Mr. Horner English II CP September 15 2014 The Great Gatsby The classic American Novel Nick Carraway is man from a wealthy family in Minnesota moving to west egg to learn about the Bond business. Then he gets involved with Mr. Gatsby which then sparks the beginning of the novel.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Moral Corruption Analysis

1909 Words | 8 Pages

An important theme in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the corruption of morals because of wealth. It doesn’t matter if one comes from old or new money, wealth will corrupt the morality of even the humblest. The first example of wealth corrupting morals is in the indifference to infidelity between the married Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. The next example of wealth corrupting morals is seen in Jordan Baker’s actions to keep her luxurious lifestyle. Third, Jim Gatsby’s pursuit of wealth lead to the corruption of his morals.

Read More

Materialism In The Great Gatsby Analysis

1558 Words | 7 Pages

The American dream states that any individual can achieve success regardless of family history, race, and/or religion simply by working hard. The 1920’s were a time of corruption and demise of moral values in society. The first World War had passed, and people were reveling in the materialism that came at the end of it, such as advanced technology and innovative inventions. The novel The Great Gatsby exploits the theme of the American Dream as it takes place in a corrupt period in history. Although the American Dream seemed more attainable than ever in the 1920’s, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby demonstrates how materialism and the demise of moral values in society leads to the corruption and impossibility of the American Dream.

Read More

Personification Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

1140 Words | 5 Pages

But even though it seems that Gatsby 's "number of enchanted objects [have been] reduced by one" (84) with the possibility of winning Daisy, he is foiled by her greater attraction to a secure life of luxury. Ironically, Gatsby is unable to comprehend that Daisy 's obsession with material possessions mirrors his own fixations with such objects. Though Gatsby is aware of the "youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves" (132), his inability to sacrifice his wealth and embrace simplicity breaks his spirit. Rich on earth, but poor at heart, Gatsby thus "[pays] the price for living too long with a single dream" (142), as he learns that his life is superficial and lacks meaning. But instead of attempting to reverse this misfortune, Gatsby takes it apathetically, wishing only to live this leisurely path.

Read More

Money And Power In The Great Gatsby Analysis

1149 Words | 5 Pages

How does the desire to pursue money and power negatively impact the characters' moral sense of right or wrong? Many people allow their social class and wealth to determine their belonging in life. In The Great Gatsby people with "old money" are more respected and superior than those with "new money". The characters' actions are driven by their desire for wealth and power.

Read More

The Role Of Greed In The Great Gatsby

780 Words | 4 Pages

After leaving his small town, he became the acquaintance of Daisy, a young girl whom he falls in love with but eventually marries into “Old Money”. The root of Gatsby’s immorality comes from his envy over Tom’s marriage to Daisy. In

Read More

Examples Of Social Class In The Great Gatsby

619 Words | 3 Pages

The setting in The Great Gatsby is used mainly to paint a picture of the class differences in the roaring twenties. The people from all the social classes suddenly became aware of the class differences. It was evident that the social classes were clearly divided by location, amount of material possessions and the way one person acts. Throughout the story multiple examples of social classes were being inserted in The Great Gatsby, and how each social class was not found of the other. The American Dream is not all what is made up to be throughout this novel compared to portraying the different views of the objection of American Dream from then compared to now.

Read More

More about Corruption In The Great Gatsby Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document