The Great Gatsby
Daisy Buchanan
Conclusion
- In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, one of the major themes that resonates throughout the novel is the theme of corruption.
- This is evident through the decisions each of the characters make in accordance to the American Dream.
- Their perception of happiness has been altered by a fictitious lifestyle they desire to obtain.
- Daisy is one of the characters who is affected by Myrtle's actions, as well as the American Dream itself.
- Even though Daisy is aware that her husband is having an affair with Myrtle, she chooses to ignore it, in order to maintain her current lifestyle.
- She convinces herself that her life with Tom, a rich man, is ideal, although she is not truly happy.
- However, this only lasts until she decides she cannot handle the situation, and kills Myrtle out of jealousy.
- These occurrences demonstrate the way in which the American Dream has corrupted her.
The American Dream
Reference to William Shakespeare
- Ultimately, each of the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby demonstrate the way people were affected by the American Dream in the 1920s.
- Many people believed that there was only one way to truly be happy, and many also believed that if they did not live that specific lifestyle, they would be miserable.
- The Great Gatsby reveals the lengths that people went to in order to obtain such a lifestyle.
- Fitzgerald explains that even after the characters achieve their goals that society has forced upon them, they are not truly happy.
- The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States that originally involved "the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American."
- However, during the 1920s, this concept was more commonly interpreted as "a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S."
- This, to many, was seen as the ultimate goal, and a number of other fundamental values were ignored.
- The fact that Daisy results in killing her husband's mistress is similar to an occurrence from William Shakespeare's Othello.
- After Othello hears that his wife, Desdemona is cheating on him with another man, Othello reacts to the situation in a such a way that is almost identical to Daisy’s reaction.
Corruption of People
Works Cited
- Fitzgerald demonstrates the behaviour of the average person during the 1920s, through his characters.
- Coming up next is a quick video from the cinematic representation of this novel, to introduce some of the immorality that is present in the story.
- "Corruption among Relationships (The Great Gatsby)." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.
- Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.
- Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2013. Print.
- Shakespeare, William, and John Crowther. No Fear Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Spark, 2003. Print.
Myrtle Wilson
- Myrtle possesses a variety of negative characteristics that reveal the true impact of the American Dream.
- These characteristics include: materialistic, greedy, and selfish.
- The only thing Myrtle cares about is money. She even cheats on her husband with a rich man, after discovering that George is poor.
- She also expresses that she regrets ever marrying such a man, when she says, "The only crazy I was was when I married him” (Fitzgerald 37).
- Even though her actions affect a number of other characters, her only concern is achieving the American Dream.
Jay Gatsby
- Gatsby is one of the most important characters in the novel, hence the title, The Great Gatsby.
- One of the reasons that justifies his significance involves the fact that he achieves the American Dream.
- After being born into a poor family, he completely turns his own life around, and becomes a very wealthy, important man.
- However, in order to fulfill this goal, he participates in a variety of illegal activities.
- Even though Gatsby is extremely wealthy and popular, he is also a liar, and a cheater.
- Through Gatsby, Fitzgerald demonstrates the corruption that the American Dream has caused, as even those who achieve it, lose more than they earn.
Corruption in The Great Gatsby
By: Sarah Smylie