Financial Statuses In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Throughout the Roaring Twenties, many American citizens disguised their financial statuses and masked their true identities to be deemed admirable by society. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, formerly known as James Gatz, grows up poverty-stricken in North Dakota; however, he dedicates the rest of his life to becoming a successful, wealthy man while vowing to never let people know his background of financial hardships. When Gatsby is drafted to serve in World War One, he falls in love with Daisy Fay, who eventually marries Tom Buchanan for his riches. Tom and Daisy decide to settle down in East Egg, a neighborhood in New York for people who inherit their family’s money. As five years pass, Gatsby buys a luxurious mansion

Despite his underprivileged life prior to becoming prosperous, he conceitedly displays his wealth just to be admired by others. He confidently drives in his luxurious yellow Rolls-Royce vehicle through The Valley of Ashes, while disregarding those who are financially struggling in the valley. He even hosts huge rowdy parties filled with an orchestra and large supplies of alcohol, while also receiving lavish clothing from England. While living in poverty is a familiar feeling to Gatsby, he carelessly spends money to impress others, when he should put the money towards assisting the less fortunate. Furthermore, he is an exploiter as he befriends Nick Carraway, his neighbor and Daisy’s second cousin. He plans for Nick to go out to lunch with Jordan Baker, a close friend of Daisy’s, and have him convince Daisy to travel to the West Egg for tea. When Nick wonders why Gatsby did not ask Jordan to arrange the tea date, she explains that “he wants [Daisy] to see [Nick’s] house… and [Gatsby’s] house is right next door” (Fitzgerald 79). Gatsby hopes that if Nick hosts the meeting, Daisy will see his mansion and be charmed by his extravagant lifestyle. He is self-absorbed as he only acts friendly to Nick and uses him to his advantage in an attempt to reunite and build a romantic relationship with Daisy. Additionally, Gatsby is hesitant to believe the past cannot be made up and he has

During his party, a middle-aged man with owl-eyed spectacles observes his library and notices that his assortment of books are all authentic. The Owl Eyes man also points out that the books are uncut, revealing that Gatsby has never read the majority of the books he owns. His books show that he is a well-educated man who attends Oxford; however, he drops out after a couple of months. His untouched books contribute to his dishonesty because he has built an unrealistic image to benefit his reputation. Moreover, Gatsby is deceitful because he lies about his inheritance and fortune. As Gatsby is notorious for being a mysterious man, Nick questions his personal life and Gatsby reveals that he is “the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West---all dead now” (Fitzgerald 65). In response, Nick wonders what exact part of the Middle West and Gatsby replies that his ancestors were from San Francisco. It is clear that San Francisco is a part of the West Coast, thus showing dishonesty because he is building a false persona of himself and is creating mistrust within the people he lies to. Likewise, Gatsby is corrupted as he partakes in illegal activities such as bootlegging during Prohibition. As Tom catches Gatsby’s criminal scheme, it reveals that he makes his income through “a lot of side-street drug-stores here in [New York and]