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The Great Gatsby Flaws

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FITZGERALD’S IMPLICATIONS OF THE AMERICAN DREAM The American Dream is a glorified version of America that is sought after by millions of people around the world each year. Some who strive for this success are victorious, while some are not as fortunate. In America, those who are a part of new money are self-made and obtain their wealth through work. There is a strong judgment between old money and new money because of their contrasting ideals. In The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan is a prominent character with “a supercilious manner” and an overwhelmingly contemptuous demeanor for those whom he qualifies over (Fitzgerald 7). Tom comes from an “enormously wealthy” family which shows how he grew up with generational prosperity and is a part of old money and not the working class (6). Fitzgerald’s articulation of …show more content…

He wants the oppressed to stay suppressed, exactly as he prevents the working class from gaining wealth. Tom perceives Gatsby as a part of the working class, calling him a “common swindler” due to his past actions (133). Tom feels threatened by Gatsby because he thinks Daisy will leave him. He has an outburst in which he reveals how he believes Gatsby is a thief and needy. When claiming he would need to loot a ring in order to catch Daisy, it represents how Tom still believes Gatsby relates to the working class. Indicating how Gatsby does not have money proves that Tom still views him as poor, which is a demonstration of Tom’s oppression of those who are not even currently a part of the lower class. Generally, Tom portrays the Bourgeoisie and still does when he observes Gatsby as a part of the Proletariat although it is extremely distinct how he is not. Since Tom is aware of Gatsby’s past, he holds it against him and therefore he feels obligated to degrade him since Gatsby did not grow up with money

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Due to Tom’s economic stature, he has no reason to be intelligent as the burden of capitalism was lifted by his ancestors. This ties into writing him as a murderer after he kills Gatsby by manipulating Wilson into believing that Gatsby is Tom. The old money takes advantage of an unhinged and angry worker for

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Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy, a member of this privileged class, is a reflection of his desire to advance socially and obtain acceptance from the privileged classes. Tom Buchanan, a member of the Old Money, serves as a vehicle for Fitzgerald to stress the sense of entitlement that comes with being born into a well-off family. Tom embodies the arrogance and cruelty of the upper class, using his wealth and power to control and manipulate those around him. Fitzgerald also critiques the American Dream through the character of Gatsby, who’s despite all his effort he is unable to escape his lower-class trappings, suggesting that the pursuit of wealth and status can lead to moral decay and disillusionment. Gatsby's obsession with his past and his longing for the unattainable Daisy ultimately leads to his tragic demise.

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The Great Gatsby-Nick Fawcett-Chapter 6 Questions 1. What is revealed about Jay Gatsby aka “James Gatz”? James Gatz is Jay Gatsby’s legal name, and he is originally from North Carolina. He was born to an unsuccessful farm family and didn't accept his parent’s to be family.

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However, among these blue-blooded aristocrats, Gatsby will never be accepted. This is evident when Daisy’s husband Tom, upon discovering the affair, states, “I suppose the latest thing is to …let Mr Nobody from nowhere make love to your wife.” p.g.100. This understatement highlights that to Tom, regardless of Gatsby’s immense wealth, he is a nobody. He will never be able to escape his impoverished background and join the closed ‘old money’ society of New York because he was not born into

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New York Times journalist and lawyer, Adam Cohen, in his article, “Editorial Observer; Jay Gatsby, Dreamer, Criminal, Jazz Age Rogue, Is a Man for Our Times” (2002), argues that Americans share the relatable flaws that Jay Gatsby struggles with throughout The Great Gatsby, and reveals that Americans are unable to resist the temptation of the idealistic American Dream. He supports his claim by first giving Gatsby's life choices context in relation to the prohibition era, then references Gatsby's unmistakable first place ranking on a list of fictional characters, then describes Gatsby’s fatal flaw of believing in the American Dream in his time of despair, and finally synthesizes the relation of Gatsby’s fatal hope to the American denial of the

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Will Hartman Mr. Mark Bratkowski Literature and Composition 2 24 March 2023 The Flaws of the American Dream The American Dream is the belief that anyone can do anything no matter who they are or where they come from. Greed, wealth, and fame are all ideas that stem from Mr. Gatsby's American dream. The novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, his pursuit of love for Daisy, and his incredible riches.

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He wants to get Daisy but seems to be unable to achieve that without breaking laws. Tom and Gatsby are two immoral characters; The wealth that they have acquired has caused them to be like this. Money is the driven force behind them. Money can damage one’s morals. It also can make them feel powerful.

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Tom says they are completely different people because Tom has a family and his money is old inherited money and not made by scamming people out of bonds, as compared to Gatsby’s fortune. This infuriates Gatsby because he wants that life but he cannot control facts about his family and he cannot change the way he made his money. Gatsby wants to be Tom deep inside but he knows he cannot be. The speaker of the epigraph is suggesting that Gatsby reaches for the dreams he can control but Gatsby gets greedy and goes after things he knows he cannot ever have in his life. This is one reason that “she” will not cry out for Gatsby, because he is going after things

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In The Great Gatsby Tom's character is used to show the moral decay and corruption of the upper class and the way he gets away with what he wants in the end. Tom shows the hypocritical nature of those who boast their wealth and privilege while committing non-moral behavior. He beats his wife and cheats with no consequence or confrontation about what he does, simply because he is in the class position he is, Tom seems to do whatever he wants. From a Marxist perspective due to Tom's social class he presumes to continue these unethical acts that simply have no consequences for him. "I've got my hands full," he said.

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He acts as if he is a father and is entitled to tell others how they should act. Tom only thinks about himself and how his wealth allows him to feel superior to those around him. Gatsby is a mysterious man who is blindly in love with Daisy. The only thing he cares about is for Daisy to come to him. He spent the past 5 years making money to show that he worthy of her and that he can be a wealthy man as well.

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Gatsby’s Tragedy: Falling for a Minx The Great Gatsby, like the Great Houdini, is an illusionist. Similar to the Great Houdini, the Great Gatsby has a tremendous rise to fame and an outrageous reputation. Jay Gatsby's tragic flaw does not seem horrendous at first when compared to Willy Loman, Macbeth, and other tragic characters in literature, but his love for Daisy shows that the power of love outranks all other flaws. During Gatsby's youth, he met a girl named Daisy, who he immediately fell for.

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People who read the book The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, mostly admire the character of Gatsby for his persistent affection to Daisy. He is admired for changing his life to win back the heart of Daisy. He spent large amounts of money to hold parties every week in order to attract Daisy back to his life; he bought a magnificent house in the West Egg to be close to the house of Daisy and Tom which is just across the river, the East Egg; he loved Daisy so much that he is willing to cover for Daisy. People also appreciate Gatsby for not being pretentious when he became rich. On the other hand, the character of Tom who comes from old money family is supposed to be elegant and elite, always says some drastic words to despise others.

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Tom shows the corruption of the rich through how he interacts with others. Tom has the idea that because he has money and is of a high social class he is worth more. In the book every interaction Tom has with the car garage owner, George Wilson, he talks down to him as if he were a servant. Tom also shows the loss of moral in this time period when the reader finds out about his affair with another woman named Myrtle. Tom thinks he can always retreat into his money if something goes awry, such as after Gatsby is killed he interacts with Nick and talks about how Gatsby had deserved to die(Fitzgerald

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The American Dream is the certainty that anyone, despite race, social position, sexuality, or nationality, can be successful in America if they just work hard enough. • Unless you see things from Fitzgerald’s perspective. Then the American dream is just an out of reach tease that is unrealistic and unaccomplishable. • The traditional

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Tom comes off as vulgar and obscene whereas Gatsby acts with class and dignity. Always having money allowed Tom to hold himself higher than others while working for his money allowed Gatsby to be courteous and well-mannered. Tom uses his large physical presence as a means of intimidation, unlike Gatsby who is shy and reclusive at his parties. An arrogant bigot, Tom shows to be discriminative in nature while Gatsby is shown to be open-minded towards racial and economic equality likely due to his working class background. All in all, Tom has what Gatsby wants and he would die to rekindle the flame he lost five years

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