The Dehumanizing Nature Of Power In The Great Gatsby

The Dehumanizing Nature of Power President Andrew Jackson once stated, “Money is power.” In The Great Gatsby, the characters not only embrace this notion, but fully immerse in it. The Great Gatsby, set in the Roaring Twenties, takes the reader through a journey of morally vile actions committed by characters with economic privilege. Their economic wealth protects them from the consequences of these actions by providing them the power to avoid repercussions. Thus, every major character in The Great Gatsby is heavily motivated by an urge to cultivate their power through gaining and maintaining their reputations. However, their increasing materialistic tendencies cripple their moral values and relationships with others, which are aspects of life

(Fitzgerald 103)
During the 1920s, one of the few ways someone could rise in social status was through the illegal bootlegging business. However, it was deeply frowned upon due to the Prohibition, an act that banned alcoholic beverages from being manufactured, sold, or transported. Even so, Gatsby easily admits and shrugs off an allegation of bootlegging by Tom when he is confronted. His indifference to committing what was seen as a heinous crime demonstrates how Gatsby had morally plummeted during the events of The Great Gatsby. Ultimately, Gatsby’s moral decay in the pursuit of power is what leads to him losing his

Though Tom and Gatsby both have near-infinite wealth, only Tom could provide her with the social status necessary to her reputation. In actuality, when she was engaged to Tom, she did not want to marry him. On the night of Daisy’s bridal dinner, she screams, “Take ’em down-stairs and give ’em back to whoever they belong to. Tell ’em all Daisy’s change’ her mine. Say: ‘Daisy’s change’ her mine!’” (Fitzgerald 59). Although she began to develop romantic attraction towards Tom during their marriage, Daisy’s outburst at the prospect of marrying Tom demonstrates her lack of love for Tom. However, her materialistic nature overrode her lack of love for Tom— her family demanded her to marry Tom to keep her social influence and wealth. The past event is reminiscent of the events noted in The Great Gatsby— once she discovers the instability of Gatsby's economic and social status, she immediately chooses Tom again. Nick recounts, “It passed, and [Gatsby] began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything, defending his name against accusations that had not been made. But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself… ‘PLEASE, Tom! I can’t stand this any more’” (Fitzgerald 103). She looks to Tom for support, signifying her re-established faith in Tom. While Daisy never directly develops power, her marriage to Tom