Many people in America, if not all people, strive to live the American Dream, but what exactly is the American Dream? In his novel, “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates to us that the American Dream is really only just a dream, which can never truly be attained through his use of corrupt characters. Fitzgerald uses old money vs new money to show us that people aren’t content with what they have, instead they have hatred for one another. He further goes to show that people can have everything but are incapable of filling the empty void they still have. Fitzgerald also describes the secretive and corrupt lives that many of the characters live, showing us that people can have a secretive, immoral side within themselves. Fitzgerald uses old money versus new money to show that people aren’t content with what they have, they would instead despise one another. For example, in “The Great Gatsby”, Tom Buchanan (old money) clashes with Gatsby (new money).”Self control! repeated Tom incredulously. I suppose the …show more content…
One example of this is when Tom Buchanan commits adultery with Myrtle Wilson. “The fact he had one was insisted upon everywhere he was known.His acquaintances resented the fact that he turned with her in popular restaurants and, leaving her at a table,sauntered about,chatting with whomever he knew(Ch.3-4).”Even though Tom is looks built and extravagant on the outside, he has another side within himself that has no moral obligations and believes in his own conscience that he can have a mistress without anyone noticing. On the contrary many, even his wife Daisy, know that Tom is indulging in things that give him great pleasure.These pleasurable things are immoral and go against the beliefs of many including marriages and family.People can only bend so much until they snap, and it can result in enormous