Examples Of Greed In The Great Gatsby

New York City, the city that never sleeps. Someone may be so very well off, then be destroyed with one false move. In The Great Gatsby, a fictional novel, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is a "new money" West Egger, who dedicates his entire life to becoming "old money". He, however, does not make it to become part of this extreme social class, as he is killed in the end of the novel. Gatsby is a materialistic, corrupt racketeer whose immorality leads him to his untimely demise.

Gatsby’s ambition got him a lot in his life, as well as lead him to many mistakes. He wasted money mainly on his parties, “Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons from a fruiterer in New York---every Monday these same oranges and lemons left…” (Fitzgerald 39).

Gatsby seems to not care when he flaunts his wealth for his parties and guests, as it only matters that everyone is having the time of their lives. His parties are not exclusive, meaning anyone can come and explore his home. This also means that everyone knows where Gatsby lives, leading his murderer, George Wilson, to easily find gatsby’s estate. These displays do not seem to keep Gatsby’s critic, Tom Buchanan, at rest as he investigates the truth about Jay and the many rumors that circulate him continuously. At Gatsby’s parties, he meets Nick Carraway, couples get into fights, and Gatsby’s and Daisy's affair deepens, but they are all so, “...Gatsby covering his toxic tendencies with extravagant displays of wealth...” (Simpson The Problematic Gatsby). Gatsby wants to become "old money" as it is his ultimate goal. He pretends that he is a part of the “old money” class, especially at his parties. Other than this,

Jay Gatsby, the business mogul himself, has his ways of bringing about his paycheck, “His methods of attaining his wealth are pretty shady” (Simpson The Problematic Gatsby). The unreliable state of Jay’s business brings to the demise of his wealth and his character around Nick and Daisy, “‘Young Parke’s in trouble...They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter’” (Fitzgerald 166). Events happen in the world of every business, but Gatsby’s line of work puts people in danger. His role in the bootlegging career he and his partners share is wrong and temperamental because of Prohibition, a law that made the sale alcohol illegal. Gatsby’s corrupt partner, Meyer Wolfsheim, plays a part in the demise of Gatsby’s character. When the reader meets Wolfsheim, he says, “‘I see you’re looking at my cuff buttons...finest specimens of human molars’” (Fitzgerald 72). If Gatsby is hanging out and taking part in business with people who have human teeth for accessories, what kind of “gentleman” is he? Wolfshiem leads to the demise of Gatsby’s character with Nick Carraway, who believed Gatsby to be a good man. Gatsby and Wolfsheim have a dangerous business that could get them jailed for their illegal sales. Jay wanted to wealth and to live out the American Dream, yet he could have found a way to get there with a, “...business is a little more reliable than bootlegging…” (Simpson The Problematic Gatsby). Lastly, Gatsby