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Is The Great Gatsby Relevant Today Essay

666 Words3 Pages

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic representation of the decadent excesses and moral decay of the 1920s. Although the period has long passed, Fitzgerald's critiques of the wealthy class still holds today. His judgments on the affluent elite's careless and corrupt behavior are valid in today's society, as shown by examples such as the actions of a teen in The Onion's "Wealthy Teen Nearly Experiences Consequence" and the recent scandal involving the Murdaugh family in the New York Times "A Family Tied to South Carolina's Lowcountry Is Torn Apart by Violence." This essay will show how Fitzgerald's criticism of the affluent is still relevant today by analyzing these instances and comparing them to the people and situations in The Great Gatsby. …show more content…

The satirical piece highlights the lack of accountability that many young people from affluent families often face, as they are shielded from the consequences of their actions by their wealth and social status. This scenario is reminiscent of Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, who similarly engages in reckless and abusive behavior without facing any real consequences due to his wealth and social status. Despite his affair with Myrtle Wilson, his involvement in the hit-and-run accident, and his physical abuse towards his wife Daisy, Tom is never held accountable for his actions. Instead, he is able to continue living his life of excess and luxury, protected by his wealth and social standing. Through this example, Fitzgerald's critique of the wealthy as corrupt and careless is shown to be still valid today, as the behavior and attitudes of the affluent elite continue to be shielded and reinforced by their wealth and

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Fitzgerald, an American author, in chapter two of his novel “The Great Gatsby” (published in 1925), claims that the rich Americans has the power to do whatever they wish. Fitzgerald made Tom Buchanan an unstoppable bully in this chapter; Tom uses his social status and physical strength to boss those around him, he taunts Wilson while having an affair with Wilson’s wife, he breaks Myrtle’s nose without hesitation, and most importantly, no one tries or dare to stop him. Fitzgerald's purpose is to raise awareness of the wealthy's power in order to prevent them from dominating the lower classes.. He builds an intimate relationship with his audience of readers who are interested in his

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The Moral Decay of the Materialistic Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby debuted in 1925– before the Great Depression– it serves as a prophetic exemplification of the the material excess of the 1920s that drowned out signs of the coming Great Depression. The book’s plot follows the bootlegger Jay Gatsby as he pursues his old love Daisy Buchanan through flaunting his new extravagant lifestyle, mainly by throwing ostentatious parties. Yet, in the end, Daisy chooses her unfaithful husband Tom over Gatsby. Through Fitzgerald’s use of wealthy, materialistic characters, he comments on the effect of the material excess of the roaring twenties: moral corruption.

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To begin, main character Daisy Buchanan may appear as though she is full of purity and innocence, but her careless actions prove the complete opposite. She could have had a great future with the one man who Authors often use moral decay to express that when an individual’s sole focus is how they are perceived in society, they lose all awareness of the distance between right and wrong. This notion is embodied in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, where characters from relatively different social classes all strive to achieve one thing: a wealthy status and to feel accepted. The Great Gatsby took place in the Roaring ‘20s, an era in which old and new wealth alike acted careless due to having so much money. Wealthy people lost sight of morals in their attempts to further enhance wealth and status, and refused to acknowledge the consequences of their actions.

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In “The Great Gatsby” Fitzgerald presents editorial on an assortment of topics, — equity, control, insatiability, treachery, the American dream. Of the considerable number of subjects, maybe none is more all around created than that of social stratification. The Great Gatsby is viewed as a splendid bit of social discourse, offering a clear look into American life in the 1920s. Fitzgerald deliberately sets up his novel into particular gatherings in any case, at last, each gathering has its own issues to battle with, leaving an effective indication of what a problematic place the world truly is. By making unmistakable social classes — old cash, new cash, and no cash — Fitzgerald sends solid messages about the elitism running all through each stratum of society.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American classic The Great Gatsby continues to stride forth as a social commentary on wealth and success. It continues to stay relevant to today's society and that’s why I love it. The Great Gatsby shows the illusion and distance brought with wealth, It shows that the rich tend to depart from society and regressively include themselves in upper-class circles. Another prominent point throughout The Great Gatsby is the desire to want more, a sense of nothing being at a satisfactory standard but also a feeling of that you deserve more. But personally I believe the most important lesson of Fitzgerald’s classic is that the characters are unlikable, but The Great Gatsby shows that even unlikable character who have differing opinions still have stories worth sharing.

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An important theme in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the corruption of morals because of wealth. It doesn’t matter if one comes from old or new money, wealth will corrupt the morality of even the humblest. The first example of wealth corrupting morals is in the indifference to infidelity between the married Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. The next example of wealth corrupting morals is seen in Jordan Baker’s actions to keep her luxurious lifestyle. Third, Jim Gatsby’s pursuit of wealth lead to the corruption of his morals.

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We all like to believe that hard work and persistence pays off. The Great Gatsby is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald that includes many themes such as wealth, love, dissatisfaction, and most importantly, the American dream, and how it’s really only a dream. The characters, especially Gatsby, are trying to achieve this dream of a perfect life throughout the entire book. It becomes apparent that instead of reaching the success they desire from the hard work that they put in, they destroy their entire lives and relationships with one another in the process. Unfortunately, this story is not too far off from something that could happen today.

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Fitzgerald brings attention to the extravagant lives of the wealthy, the privilege they claim and the false sense of superiority they project. We are moved to assess the true nature of these characters. We acknowledge the duality of their characters; the part of themselves that are revealed to those around them and their true nature. The attempt

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