ipl-logo

Moral Decay In The Great Gatsby

1210 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gatsby relationships immorality

The literary masterpiece The Great Gatsby, written by American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a classic story depicting the extravagant life of Jay Gatsby and his lifelong quest to rekindle his love with past lover Daisy Buchanan. Written in 1925, the novel serves as a bridge between the conclusion of World War I and the Great Depression of the early 1930’s. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald both examines and critiques the vision of the 1920’s American Dream. Despite the fact that Fitzgerald himself was an avid participant in the stereotypical “Roaring Twenties” lifestyle - consisting of material excess, self-destructive behavior, wild partying, and bootleg liquor as a result of the Prohibition - he is still able to convey his disapproval of the moral decay that occurred in …show more content…

Although thrilling, it led to a sense of moral decay that is frequently encountered throughout the novel. Infidelity was displayed often, and at the beginning of the book the audience learns about Tom Buchanan’s open affair with Myrtle Wilson as Jordan Baker bluntly exclaims, “Tom’s got some woman in New York” (Fitzgerald 15). Furthermore, Myrtle, Gatsby, and Daisy all participate in the act of infidelity in some sense. Additionally, dishonesty pervades the novel and contributes to the depleting morals of the time. For instance, dishonesty is identified as Jordan Baker’s key fault as Nick explains that “She was incurably dishonest” (Fitzgerald 58). Even Gatsby is dishonest at times as he lies about his origins to Nick and claims “I am the son of some wealthy people in the MIddle West- all dead now”, which is proven to be false as the audience meets his father at the conclusion of the novel (Fitzgerald 65). Essentially, the moral decay of this age contributed greatly to the diluted image of the original American dream, and helped shape the new image of the concept during the

Show More
Related
1127 Words | 5 Pages

The 1920’s were a time to be alive. Full of decadent parties and promiscuous behavior, fun was at the top of the list for everyone. From the prohibition act to newfound rights for women, F.S. Fitzgerald encapsulates the glitz and glamour perfectly in “The Great Gatsby”. Yet, beheath the champagne-soaked parties and secrets kept within speakeasies, a man named Jay Gatsby experienced the highest highs and the most devastating lows, all due to one woman. Even though Gatsby’s self destruction contributes to his death, Daisy is the true, underlying cause through her half-hearted love affair, her mercilless killing of an all-too-famliar street woman, and her inability to confess her wrongdoings.

Read More
569 Words | 3 Pages

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates a morally ambiguous character that can’t be defined as strictly good or evil. Moral ambiguity is the driving force towards Gatsby’s actions. The character Gatsby demonstrates morally ambiguous qualities that initiate plot throughout the whole novel. Morally ambiguous choices can be viewed towards Gatsby’s character throughout the novel. The first glimpse of Gatsby is introduced in the first chapter while Nick is “exempting him from his reaction” of a “uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever” already placing Gatsby in a position of moral ambiguity (Fitzgerald 2).

Read More
826 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby is an American novel written by Scott Fitzgerald. On the surface, the book revolves around the concept of romance, the love between two individuals. However, the novel incorporates less of a romantic scope and rather focuses on the theme of the American Dream in the 1920s. Fitzgerald depicts the 1920’s as an era of decline in moral values. The strong desire for luxurious pleasure and money ultimately corrupts the American dream which was originally about individualism.

Read More
463 Words | 2 Pages

Some people have different moral standards than others. In some situations, one’s moral standards may be corrupted. In the book the Great Gatsby, a story set in the 1920’s, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald shows that the pursuit of the American Dream may result in moral corruption. Fitzgerald does this through one of the main characters, J. Gatsby. While attempting to achieve the american dream, he undoubtedly does many immoral things that he may have never done otherwise.

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

F.Scott Fitzgerald is an American novelist and a short story writer. He is the author of the famous novel “ The Great Gatsby”, which is written in the 1920’s. The period of the 1920’s is well known as the roaring twenties due to lack of morales and the lowering of standards and expectations, people intended just to have a good time not caring about the outcomes of their and how they will effect their lives. Fitzgerald wants to prove in his novel the death of “The American Dream” it’s just a myth. The author of this novel shows the death of the american dream through the events surrounding Gatsby, and Daisy.

Read More
1261 Words | 6 Pages

The Great Gatsby presents its characters as having living the American Dream. However, it is only a belief; the behaviors they have and decisions they take only leave them with a false perception of life and lifestyle. The Great Gatsby relates to the corruption of the American Dream for those materialistic people who were after money. Fitzgerald reveals the idea of corruption in the American Dream through conditions such as wealth and materialism, power and social status, and relationships involving family and affairs. He uses examples of this corruption to show the reader that people are willing to lie, betray others, and commit crime to be able to live a ‘better and fuller’ life.

Read More
676 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the theme of moral decay is best displayed through lying, adultery, and manipulation. Throughout this piece of literature the characters morality is in constant question. The first introductions of the characters they give the impression to have morals with little fault. However throughout the novel the characters morality or ethics begin to decay and the true nature of the characters begin to arise. Fitzgerald uses lying, adultery, and manipulation to portray the decay of morality in the characters of the novel.

Read More
1134 Words | 5 Pages

After the devastation of World War I, the American people had a revolution in the social standards from traditional views to more modern. The moral compass of people was no longer based on basic religious rules but instead regarded ethics as a relative concept. This venturing out from traditional ways gave the people a door to start the extreme materialism and partying as a way of life. Along with the “roarin” side of the 20s, there also came a group of writers known as the Lost Generation. One of these writers that arose with the Lost Generation was F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Read More
839 Words | 4 Pages

In The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, one of the characters is “stuck in the past”. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is constantly longing for a past relationship he had with a woman named Daisy, who moved on from Gatsby and married another man when Gatsby left for the war. Gatsby’s view of the past is used to develop a major theme of the novel: the moral decay of society. The novel begins with Nick, the narrator saying how the events that happened in New York, where the novel takes place, caused him to leave, and how he doesn’t like any of the people he was involved with.

Read More
1037 Words | 5 Pages

‘A Sense of Self’ Essay A Sense of Self is a unique quality that differs from one person to another and yet may involve multiple identities. Explore the extent to which the protagonists in the texts you have studied appear to possess one or more identities. Refer closely to the texts in developing your response. This essay will revolve around four main texts, namely ‘The Great Gatsby’, ‘Twelfth Night’, ‘New Selected Poems’ and ‘The Lost Continent’ by Scott Fitzgerald, William Shakespeare, Carol Ann Duffy and Bill Bryson respectively. ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a highly symbolic meditation of America in the 1920s.

Read More
1909 Words | 8 Pages

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.

Read More
1133 Words | 5 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a reflection of the American Dream. Written in 1925, the book tells the story of a man named Jay Gatsby, whose main driving force in life is the pursuit of a woman called Daisy Buchanan. The narrator is Gatsby’s observant next-door neighbor, Nick Carraway, who offers a fresh, outsider’s perspective on the events; the action takes place in New York during the so-called Roaring Twenties. By 1922, when The Great Gatsby takes place, the American Dream had little to do with Providence divine and a great deal to do with feelings organized around style and personal changed – and above all, with the unexamined self .

Read More
1659 Words | 7 Pages

If his mind is not occupied by his mistress Myrtle, he is drowning in thoughts of Gatsby’s suspected crime-filled life. “Indeed, Tom Buchanan's sources appear most reliable in his characterization of Gatsby's drug store chain as ‘just small change’ compared to his stolen bonds” (Pauly 116). Buchanan is a hypocrite towards Gatsby. He denounces Gatsby’s life actions as being morally evil but Tom’s actions are no different than Gatsby’s in the sense that both men are unfaithful to themselves and their nearest relationships. Tom is competing with Gatsby through deception and treachery, and their dangerous habits wound them

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

The 1920’s was a very interesting time in United States history. After all World War I had ended and many Americans did not realize that the Great Depression was in the near future, so the 1920’s fell between these two dramatic events. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby teaches many morals, but none more important than the duality of the 1920’s. Duality is evident in Gatsby's dreams, his death, his lover Daisy, his wealth, and his parties, which all reflect the duality of the 1920’s. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald makes the concept of achieving the American dream seem improbable.

Read More
1102 Words | 5 Pages

Society’s evolution has abolished many social issues, but not all. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays several themes that were applicable to the 1920s, and are still apparent today. Fitzgerald refers to issues from before the publication of the book, as they are universal problems and will relate to generations to come. In conclusion, although published in 1925, The Great Gatsby does make profound comments concerning the basic problems of the 21st

Read More

More about Moral Decay In The Great Gatsby

Related Topics

Open Document