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Selfish Actions In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Did you know that 7% of fatal car accidents are hit - and run accidents, and 30% are due to drunk driving? The Great Gatsby gives an example of both, showing how actions like these have poor consequences. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the motif of vehicles shows how selfishness affects relationships in a negative way. As a result of selfishness, not only vehicles were harmed, but people were as well. The damage on the car after a drunk-driving accident is also used to reflect the damage on the characters involved: “The sharp jut of the wall accounted for the detachment of the wheel, which was now getting considerable attention from half a dozen curious chauffeurs” (Fitzgerald 53). The wheel can physically represent the destruction of drunk-driving, but it can also represent the destruction of one's moral compass. Through the use of vehicles and drunk-driving, selfish actions begin to show the destruction of upcoming relationships during the …show more content…

The friendship between Nick and Gatsby has many genuine qualities, yet there is also an aspect of greed because Gatsby used their relationship to create a relationship that he dreamed of with Daisy. Later on, the awareness of the selfish actions of others makes Nick more mindful of his relationships with others: “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald 59). The tragic result of drinking and driving made Nick more aware of people's corruption. Nick recognized the selfish action, and it caused him to be more apprehensive towards how he views others based on their honesty, which will in return affect his relationships with others. Altogether, The use of vehicles, as well as drinking and driving symbolized the direction as well as morality of multiple

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1317 Words | 6 Pages

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the actions of others can shape someone else’s life. An example of a person who shaped another’s life is Daisy Buchanan. She is the wife to Tom Buchanan and Gatby’s lover. Gatsby was around thirty years old when he saw Daisy again. He made a lot of bad decisions to try and get Daisy back that led to his death by George Wilson.

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1441 Words | 6 Pages

Fitzgerald uses the motif of cars in The Great Gatsby to highlight the theme of wealth and America's progress and how it leads to

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1080 Words | 5 Pages

First, I will address Scott Fitzgerald’s proof chart. Then, I will address Nick Carraway’s appraisal of the painting. 1. The objection on work product grounds should be sustained in relation to Scott Fitzgerald’s proof chart. Work product protection protects documents from disclosure if they were prepared in anticipation of litigation or for trial, and by or for a party or a party’s representative which includes attorneys, consultants, sureties, indemnitors, insurers, and agents.

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656 Words | 3 Pages

In life, there are times when people get so caught up in what they want that they disregard the things they need. A want is something that people desire; it is not something that is needed to survive and thrive. In contrast, a need is something that is necessary for life. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is filled with characters that struggle with an imbalance between what they want and what they need. The characters in the novel live extremely toxic lives and spend their time cheating in their relationships, drinking heavily, and partying every week.

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491 Words | 2 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, tells a story revolving around the life of the wealthy folk. Throughout the book, Fitzgerald describes and involves cars in the plot on several occasions. In The Great Gatsby, cars come to represent the carelessness of the wealthy. The cars’ symbolism first appeared in the novel after Gatsby’s first big party.

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481 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel The Great Gatsby, the characters express selfishness and don't really care about anyone but themselves. Don't really care about the people they hurt along the way. Such as Daisy Buchanan reckless driving

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598 Words | 3 Pages

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby, the character of Jay Gatsby stands out as one of moral ambiguity, captivating readers with his mysterious persona and complex actions. Gatsby's character is defined by his lavish displays of wealth and his unwavering devotion to Daisy Buchanan, the object of his affection. However, beneath his glamorous shell lies a man whose moral compass is often difficult to decipher. Gatsby’s moral ambiguity can be seen in his shady background and business dealings, however, everything he does seems to be in the interest of impressing Daisy, making the reader question if Gatsby is all that bad. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is an extremely mysterious character.

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1172 Words | 5 Pages

Every choice and action has a consequence. Good and bad consequences follow good and bad events. A person is responsible for their own actions, but do consequences always reveal responsibility? Can money eliminate consequences? In The Great Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan have a large sum of money but almost never any consequences.

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634 Words | 3 Pages

Irresponsibility is a theme prevalent throughout the novel seen in characters like Owl Eyes, Jordan, and Daisy; their actions surrounding car accidents and conversations with other characters provide evidence that Fitzgerald desired to convey the irresponsibility of the upper class. At the first party, Nick attends there is an accident as guests begin to leave, and he realizes Owl Eyes was the driver. Owl Eyes makes excuses for his actions and says, “‘Don’t ask me... I know very little about driving - next to nothing” (Fitzgerald 54) while others try to explain to him that the wheel came off and he cannot simply drive away. The topic of driving appears again in a conversation between Nick and Jordan where she states, “‘It take two to make an accident’”

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675 Words | 3 Pages

The conscious allows people to make decisions. But what drives people to make these decisions in the first place? The answer lies within the subconscious. Understanding the subconscious keys us into the behavior of a person, or in this case a character, and what their desires and motivations may be. This is important because when it comes down to it, humans are compelled by basic instincts and urges.

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539 Words | 3 Pages

Firstly, being selfless and accommodating to others needs and wants is not something that the society in this time period can be proud of. Daisy, Tom and Gatsby develop the trait of selfishness in many ways throughout the novel. Daisy Buchanan is a wealthy woman who lives in the East egg and is married to Tom Buchanan. Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, Jordan and Nick all go to town when Tom and Gatsby break into an argument because Tom finds out that Gatsby and Daisy are having an affair. Gatsby tells Tom the truth about Daisy and himself because Tom bombards him with questions when he says, “’She never loves you, do you hear?’

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756 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby’s dreams and aspirations in life are rather interesting and amazing as he goes about his life in the book. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald helps highlight the social, moral, and political issue that were very present during the 1920’s and today. Gatsby is the focus of the book as before the book began, he was an ex-soldier who came to wealth by some rather illegal ways. Daisy a married woman is his person of interest, who was his ex-lover 5 years before the book started. Gatsby’s actions, and words demonstrate a clear obsession with Daisy that seems to have no end.

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744 Words | 3 Pages

"My third and last wish is that both my hands hang out of my coffin" - Alexander the Great. Alexander’s final dying wish, while there is some ambiguity surrounding the true intention behind this wish, many believe that Alexander wished to convey a deeper message about the transience of life and the importance of finding satisfaction and fulfillment from the actions and accomplishments of an individual not from monetary or social rankings. This desire to find fulfillment echoes throughout human history. In the novel The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the same idea of success and fulfillment. Fitzgerald uses the protagonist Jay Gatsby in his pursuit of economic and social success and ultimately Daisy Buchanan to convey

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776 Words | 4 Pages

Several people may assume that selfishness is both unhealthy and wrong. A selfish person usually puts his own needs before the needs of other people. Selfish people need to be able to draw the line between when they need to worry about themselves, or when they should be concerned about other people. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, in the view of Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, it is evident that the nature of man is showing selfishness through cruelty, greed, and manipulation. Cruelty is just one way that the nature of man shows selfishness.

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780 Words | 4 Pages

Set in the lavish era of the 1920’s, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the wealthy, yet sinful life of Jay Gatsby. When describing his character, Fitzgerald touches upon the three deadly sins: greed, envy and gluttony. James Gatz, having grown up in a small town to farmers, wished to make more of himself. Disowning his parents at a young age, he went off in search for money, and a new identity. “And when the TUOLOMEE left for the West Indies and the Barbary Coast Gatsby left too” (Fitzgerald 107).

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