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Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby Essay

1459 Words6 Pages

The Natural Liar

Everyone lies, even newborn babies. Newborns can cry when they are not in pain or distress to get their parent’s attention. Approximately, 60% of adults have been shown to lie, on average, three times per a ten minute conversation. As humans, lying is something that happens on a daily basis. Lies are told to bosses, colleagues, and spouses. Dishonesty seems to be normal in life, people lie or demonstrate dishonesty because it seems to work. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway travels to New York to engage in the bond business. He moves in next door to a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is deeply in love with Nick’s distant cousin Daisy, who is also married to Tom Buchanan. Tom is unfaithful to Daisy and has affairs frequently. Daisy and Gatsby end up reconnecting and having their own affair. Nick is thrown into the dishonest lives of Daisy, Gatsby, and Tom. Through The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how dishonesty is rampant in society, relationships, and the history of Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald exemplifies dishonesty in society by Jordan Baker cheating in a golf …show more content…

Society reinforces the theme of dishonesty by example of Jordan Baker who almost reached the headlines when she lacked the integrity to play honestly and Catherine when she lies about any possible affair of her sisters while Wilson is on trial. Secondly, both Daisy and Tom engage in affairs, feeding into the dishonesty that tears apart their relationship. Daisy has an affair with Gatsby while Tom has an affair with Myrtle, they lie to each other and their lovers. Finally, Jay Gatsby has an entire life filled with lies. He lied about his background and his illegal business, creating a mysterious and dishonest personality about him. In the end, who is really to blame for dishonesty? It only seems natural to

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