How Does Fitzgerald Create Corruption In The Great Gatsby

Picture a young boy with a telescope in his right hand and a “how to stargaze” handbook in his left. Picture this boy looking at the illuminated sky so desperately wishing to be the next Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon. Now picture this boy as being 16 and take note of his environment. He is surrounded by drugs, gangs, and violence and even though he desires to be Neil Armstrong, his surroundings prevent him from doing so. He is now his environment; he has become corrupted by those around him, his handbook has fallen to the ground. Similarly, F. Scott Fitzgerald reflects upon this same corruption of a dream, more specifically, the American Dream, in his novel The Great Gatsby. He critiques and demonstrates that the American Dream has

Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby’s absence of values through Nick, who is Fitzgerald’s voice throughout the novel. He characterizes Gatsby as being a bootlegger and a businessman who was involved in the illegal drug and oil business, both of which were forms of easy money intended to impress Daisy. Furthermore, Gatsby is later revealed to be associated with Wolfsheim, a Jewish businessman notoriously known for “fixing the world series” in 1919 (Fitzgerald 78). Gatsby’s close ties with Wolfsheim demonstrate a lack of values that were lost in his pursuit to become hastily rich. His determination to become wealthy for Daisy shows his willingness to compromise his values by illegally making money and befriending gamblers like Wolfsheim. Thus, through Gatsby’s wrongdoings, Fitzgerald implies that American morals have become tarnished in the race to become rich. However, although Gatsby does indeed become wealthy, he is never able to become a part of East Egg due to his criminal behavior and the fact that American society is centered around a specific type of wealth. Fitzgerald uses distinct imagery to show the stark difference between West Egg Gatsby and the East Egg Buchanans. He describes the “newly rich as offensive” whereas the the old rich are elegant and shrewd (Keshmiri). Therefore, through this striking imagery, he reveals that the American class system is essentially immobile; Gatsby is stuck in West Egg and is paralyzed from being able to move up the social ladder where his ultimate destination, Daisy, would lie. Through this, Fitzgerald insinuates a larger idea surrounding 1920s America; those who are newly rich remain newly rich, and those who are the old aristocracy remain the old aristocracy. Hearne further expands on this idea, describing the American Dream as being “beautiful yet grotesquely