Examples Of Greed In The Great Gatsby

Through the empty lives of three characters from this novel Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan Fitzgerald shows that chasing shallow dreams leads only to misery. When World War I ended, America seemed to promise unlimited financial and social opportunities for anyone willing to work hard for an American Dream. The prosperous acquired wealth only to pursue pleasure. For some, striving for wealth only made them realize that the dream crudely corrupted them. Though the characters in The Great Gatsby seem to like the freedom of the 1920s, their lives exhibit the emptiness that results when wealth and pleasure become a terror they could never imagine.

Jay Gatsby, the mystery guy that everyone craves to know, shows that starting with the

Even though Daisy was in love with Jay she married Tom Buchanan. Daisy married Tom for his wealth and he was available at the time, unlike Jay who was away at war. Tom gave her “a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars” as her wedding gift (77). Daisy is ignorant to Tom’s unfaithfulness. Daisy becomes aware of Tom’s betrayal but does not want to believe it to be true. On a hot day in Long Island, Daisy suggests to Gatsby that the two should go to New York City for the day. Tom over hears the two talking about it and suggests that they all go including Jordan and Nick. While in the city Tom and Jay argue about how Jay is trying to steal his wife but during the altercation Daisy gets closer and closer to Tom after observing the intense quarrel. After a fun day in the city, the “friends” head home. While on the way back Daisy drives Tom’s car. As approach the Gas Station Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s newest lover, comes out because she thinks it is Tom in his car. While Myrtle was running out in front of the car, Daisy is distracted by the doctors owl eyes on the billboard. When she looks back on the road Myrtle is standing in front of the car, Gatsby try’s to grab the wheel buts he is too late and they run straight into Myrtle. After realizing she just ran over a lady she drove away crying. When Daisy and Jay got back to the house Jay told her that he would take

Tom always wants attention and he gets most of it by being rambunctious and outgoing, sometimes he can be a slight racist. He lives a very extravagant lifestyle in Long Island, he rides horses, drives fast cars, and on occasions he play polo. Tom is quite boastful about his affair. He is very self-centered, he always desires more attention and this might be why he has so many affairs. He gets attention from the other women that he is cheating on Daisy with to get that sense of power and authority. Tom is married to a very beautiful women, Daisy Buchanan, she was his so called trophy wife. Tom can take her to social events and she makes him look good for all his buddies and peers. Tom also gets an attractive women to have companionship with out of Daisy. Tom had Myrtle, her lust for life kept feeding his ego and her sexual attraction to him, and he to her, was very clear. Tom was very open about his affairs but once he started noticing that Daisy stared showing interest towards Jay he became defensive towards her. Tom and Jay had an altercation in the city when they went out to New York for a fun day. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out”