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The Great Gatsby: The Corruption of Success

Tom Buchanan

Jay Gatsby

Jay is an example of a corrupt citizen in achieving the American Dream

Jay was just an officer that had come from a family that had nothing to their name

He had faked it until he eventually made it, living by and taking advice from his mentor Dan Cody

Dan had taught Jay how to speak intelligently so that he seems as if he came from a wealthy family

Although Tom may not have achieved his money in a illegal manner, he is corrupt due to his wealth throughout his whole life

Tom had come from a wealthy family and has lived in luxury his entire life

Tom had all the money he could have ever asked for, he also was married to a pretty young lady in Daisy, in which he had a child with

With all of that being said it seemed to never be enough for him. He had many affairs on trips he took, but one affair he had with a lady named Myrtle seemed to really stick

He had spent much time with his other woman, Myrtle, who seemed to be of a certain importance to him

Alex Rodriguez

As Alex was traded to the Yankees he was extended to the largest contract in Major League Baseball history. Alex continued to produce big numbers for the Yankees. He was a player that any team would want, he could literally do it all. When younger, he had the best speed, power, baseball intelligence, and was strong on the defensive side as well.

Real Life Example: Alex Rodriguez

Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, nicknamed A-Rod, was early a member of the Seattle Mariners then later a member of the Texas Rangers. Soon after joining the Rangers, he was traded to the New York Yankees and switched to third base. Many believed he was on his way to being the greatest baseball player of all-time, looked up to by all young kids around the nation. It was almost as if he could do no wrong

Tom Buchanan

Corruption

Tom's affair with Myrtle had been spread throughout most of the book, showing how often he had cheated on his wife(who was also cheating on him)

The only respectable thing about Tom Buchanan was, in fact, his money.

Everything else in his life was as corrupt, or maybe even more, than how Jay Gatsby had achieved his wealth.

Even though he has Daisy and a child his life is not as glamorous as it appears, as Daisy clearly does not enjoy her life as wife of Tom Buchanan.

Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery

The American Dream

Based on how the United States allows the citizens to obtain their wealth it allows for much corruption

The belief of the American dream, in that success and prosperity come from honest labor is inaccurate. Most citizens living the American dream are in some way corrupted within the process of achieving the dream or from the American Dream.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Meaning of Novel

Jay Gatsby

I believe by the book The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald is showing that with wealth comes a great responsibility, which in most cases people cannot handle, resulting in corruption. The characters in the novel were so wrapped around their wealth that it meant almost everything to them in their lives. The way Daisy was portrayed seemed like she only liked the men for their wealth, even though she showed affection with Gatsby, he only ever really impressed her with his possessions and his extreme wealth. Wealth and corruption seemed to be what had ruined the lives of the characters in The Great Gatsby.

Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby had wanted the others to believe that after his military days, he was a great guy who came upon some money from family

Jay was in fact a bootlegger that had made most of his money from selling alcohol illegally in his drug stores as well as many other illegal activities

Although most people were skeptical of Gatsby, his charm and way with words comforted most of his guests into forgetting their negative thoughts of him

Involving himself with his "business" partner, Meyer Wolfsheim, Jay was looked at as one of the most powerful men in New York

Alex Rodriguez

The power Jay had gained from the money he was making illegally made him almost untouchable or invincible

As good of a guy that Jay was in the eyes of the people, he had many serious flaws as he continued to gain wealth in the questionable business he had taken part in

Jay had went from poverty and wealth, through illegal activities and deals, just to get back with Daisy, the girl who he had been with just five years before

As Alex was on his way to becoming the greatest player of all time, he had some serious rumors and speculations making their way through the media and public. Rodriguez had soon after gained lots of doubters and in some ways haters. The rumors were at a point to where the media needed some sort of statement from him on the matter of steroids and if they played a factor in his career.

American Dream Final Thoughts

Alex Rodriguez

After the demand from the public for a response, A-Rod had come out to the media on several occasions denying that he had ever taken steroids, denying it so much that he seemed almost offended and appalled by the allegations against him.

From Jay Gatsby, Tom Buchanan, and a real life example in Alex Rodriguez the common ground between the three is that in some way, maybe more than one, they have all been corrupted by the process in achieving the American Dream or by the Dream itself

Alex Rodriguez

After the interviews, the MLB had found evidence against Alex and had also gained knowledge from former teammates and doctors. A-Rod was to be suspended for the use of steroids. No one truly knows how long he had taken steroids for, but Rodriguez himself had come out and admitted to being injected in Puerto Rico by his cousin at the age of 18. After all of the greatness and fame of A-Rod, he too was just another person to achieve the American Dream only to be known by corruption for the rest of his life

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