Morality is a perplexing term. It takes on different meanings to different people. If a person does something that isn’t socially acceptable people will say they have bad self-morals. For some people to get what they want out of life they sometimes commit immoral acts. And that is the theme of The Great Gatsby. What the characters begin to realize as the story progresses is that sometimes the more immoral acts you commit to get where you want to be, the more acts you are willing to commit to stay there. Morality is like a pit of snakes, you can either fall in and become poisoned, or you can be the one standing on the edge looking down.
There are examples of immoral partying throughout the story. Every single one has alcohol, sex, and even scandals. But none compare to the party between Tom Buchanan and his mistress Myrtle. This party includes all of the previously mentioned immoral acts but it also includes adultery and even the beating of a woman. Hitting a women has been considered immoral for many, many years. At one point during the party Myrtle begins to chant Daisy’s name, angering Tom. After she refused to stop saying Daisy’s name Tom took action. “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand. Then there were bloody towels upon the
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There are cases of murder in the story. At one point in the story Mr. Wolfsheim, a friend of Gatsby, discusses a friend he had lost because of murder. The mafia is a dangerous crowd and Mr. Wolfsheim is right in the middle of it all. Although it doesn’t directly state that Mr. Wolfsheim is part of the mafia you can infer this from his description and the way he talks about his lost friend. Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, and Mr. Wolfsheim are all sitting down for drinks and lunch. When someone brings up The old Metropole. This is when Mr. Wolfsheim brings up his friend who was murdered just outside of its doors during a drive