Examples Of Decay In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream is the idea that every living being has a fair chance at success in life. In theory, the American Dream is a wonderful idea, but in reality, people have corrupted it with their negative characteristics. In the novel The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the lies, crime committing, infidelity, and racism of characters Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan as the reason why the American Dream is decaying. To begin, Jay Gatsby is a money hungry man who makes his profit from selling liquor illegally during prohibition. By the same token, Gatsby lies to others about his background and how he attains his wealth. For example, Gatsby shares his story with narrator Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner who moves to New York to be a successful bondsman, while heading to town together. Prior to this, Nick has heard many rumors about who Gatsby is, but doubts the story when he thinks, “he looked at me sideways--and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying” (65). Nick mentions that his friend Jordan Baker believes that Gatsby’s story is rehearsed, and Nick starts to doubt him

For instance, Tom and his wife Daisy, Nick’s second cousin, invite Nick over to their home for dinner. While there, Tom speaks about the book ‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ and tells Nick, “‘The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be--will be utterly submerged’” (13). Tom is being racist because, at that time, the white race has been prospering well. In addition to being a racist, Tom reveals to Nick that he is cheating on his wife with a woman named Mrs. Myrtle Wilson. Nick questions Tom if Myrtle’s husband knows about the affair, and Tom replies, “‘Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He’s so dumb he doesn’t even know he’s alive’” (26). Tom’s ignorant characteristic proves that the idea of the American Dream is falling