Moral Dilemmas In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The characters of The Great Gatsby are presented with a moral dilemma in which they must chose to either pursue greed or maintain respectable morality. Their decision determines whether or not they are able to survive in the aristocratic society of both East and West Egg. If any character wishes to obtain, or maintain, that luxurious lifestyle, they must fully relinquish a moral code and, quite frankly, a soul. A perfect example of this self preserving choice is the toxic union of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, who’s collective and individual choices display giving up one’s humanity entirely in the name of greed, hence their survival throughout the novel. Conversely, Nick Carraway is the only central character who chooses to let go of greed, and therefore

The reader sees Nick show true concern and compassion for his comrades, especially Gatsby. He is undoubtedly a thoughtful character, though even he gives in to greeds temptation. He expresses his rather superficial belief that “fundamental decencies [are] parceled out unequally at birth”, suggesting that whether or not you are born wealthy directly coincides with whether or not one will have a noble character (Fitzgerald 2). What sets Nick apart, however, is that his sympathy is stronger than his vulnerability to greed. Watching Gatsby chase a dream so wholeheartedly, and then watching the devastating collapse of that dream with Gatsby’s lonely death is what “brings about his sharpened perception of that aristocratic world” and snaps him out of it’s charm suddenly enough so that he can escape (Geismar

Jay Gatsby pursued the American Dream with incredible dedication. His methods were of course questionable, he got involved in morally weak scams with Wolfsheim, his entire identity was built around lies, and he debatable used Daisy’s love as an object. However, his child-like hopefulness was pervasive throughout every action he made. If nothing more, he undeniably had one dream that he fought for with everything in him. That type of passion is what made him so human, and in this society, on must pay “a high price for living too long with a single dream” (Fitzgerald 161). Gatsby’s death was inevitable because the strength of his desire to fulfill his dream was so powerful that it contradicted what was necessary to survive this society- indifference. The man simply had too much passion, too much drive, and not enough carelessness, as Tom and Daisy had. He never wavered, he never accepted that as long as he tried to compromise between soul and greed, his dream would never be accomplished; and he died “still lacking in the knowledge that would destroy the spell of his enchantment” (Bloom 1). Jay Gatsby is representational of anyone who still hopes, dreams, and feels care for another, will be unable to flourish or persist in such a vicious and materialistic