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Essay On Greed In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby was F. Scott Fitzgeralds 's perspective on the degenerating society of America along with the concept of the American Dream in the 1920s. Today in our society, one problem that has always piqued my interest is greed. Greed has been a problem in society since mankind has started, and it continues to grow and take different shape and form. The Great Gatsby is a book where greed is the root of the story 's conflict and how it is the bane of America’s morals existence. The novel takes place in the 1920s, narrated by the protagonist Nick Carraway. Nick moves to an island named West Egg to visit his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and meets her wealthy husband, Tom, in the process. On the way home, Nick happens upon a man …show more content…

For instance, in the last passage has Nick comparing the "green breast of the new world" which is known as the new land of America when it was found, to the green light on Daisy 's dock. The "green breast of the new world" symbolically represents the dreams of that the immigrants had when they first came to America seeking religious freedom, new opportunities, and democracy. As they settled down with these goals in mind, they strived and created what America is today. The recurring theme of corruption in the novel is linked to the modernization of the new land the settlers had seen. The novel mentioned how when Myrtle was run over, her left breast was torn off from the impact and it was regarded as her "greatest achievement". I was perturbed at why Fitzgerald used the word breast at first to describe land, but I see it was set up to refer to Myrtle. Myrtle was a vain woman in the story and this refers to how her life was full of greed and corruption, and only in death is she liberated of this curse of human desire. Also, this "achievement" was the realization of American society having its "green breast" torn off and replaced with a corrupt rendition of what the immigrant 's goals were. As the immigrants were succeeded by subsequent generations, morals and values start to change, whether for better or worse. In this case, worse, as in the 1920s, organized crime was at an all time high due to Prohibition. Industrialization was defiling America and society was

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