Examples Of Lying In The Great Gatsby

The problem with lying is keeping the lie straight. Gatsby lies about a lot, but the reader can see that he is still not too comfortable doing so. Gatsby’s inability to lie makes it evident that he is not as bad of a man as all the other that lie as if it’s their hobby, with such great ease. Nonetheless Gatsby is still a liar, these lies are a part of what will ultimately destroy him. Similar to Gatsby, Blanche also lied about many things. Blanche lied about the reason she left Laurel, she lied about her status, she lied about her promiscuity and she lied about her age to Mitch. Instead of telling everyone the truth about why she left Laurel, Blanche alerted everyone that the reason was because she wanted to get away and see her sister. In

Although it is not always outright lying, pretenses can still be used to make certain things appear as truth. Gatsby put on a front as a good Oxford man who earned his money through inheritance and other legal ways. He tells Nick that he is from a wealthy family established in the Midwest, and that him being educated in a Oxford was a family tradition. He claims that after his family members died, he inherited a lump sum of money. He also claims that he used this money to go travelling around Europe and explains how honoured he was in the military. In reality, Gatsby came from a poor farmer family in North Dakota and obtained his wealth through unlawful means. Gatsby was a bootlegger and a drug dealer that had ties to the mob. Gatsby was though in fact a soldier in the war and accomplished many things there, however, Gatsby did not attend Oxford as a student but was stranded there as a soldier. The false pretenses Gatsby put in place were done to give him a sense of prestige and power. Gatsby did not want people knowing about his humble beginnings, he wanted to be good enough for Daisy and he believed only a wealthy man could ever be enough for her. Even if the only way to attain such wealth was through dishonest means, even if it meant deceiving Daisy, Gatsby would have done anything to be able to go back in time with her. Inevitably this leads to the destruction of his relationship and his ultimate downfall. "I found out

Blanche acts as if her life is not falling apart and carries herself as the same girl from Belle Reve. She carries herself as the most sophisticated, classy, pure and innocent than everyone else, however later within the play the readers witness Blanche’s true nature. A promiscuous, manipulative, former aristocrat with a poorly hidden drinking problem. “She springs up and crosses to it, and removes a whiskey bottle. She pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down. She carefully replaces the bottle and washes out the tumbler at the sink. (1.71)” Essentially, the first thing Blanche does when she arrives at Stella’s home is drink. This sets the basis of what is to come and the beginning of Blanche's