What made Gatsby great in the eyes of Nick was his ability to self-invent and the way he was able to make his hopes and dreams into a reality. Ironically this can be described as Gatsby’s ability to make his American Dream real. In the novel, Gatsby imagines an identity for himself and is actually able to create that identity and becomes exactly what he wanted to be, a wealthy man. But his pursuit of wealth is the very thing that corrupted him. Gatsby was willing to do anything to gain the wealth and social position that was needed to win Daisy back. He participated in organized crime and “bootlegged” or illegally sold liquor. But Nick said, “Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams” (The Great Gatsby, 4). When Nick refers to the “foul dust” that preyed on him, he was referring to dust as a symbol of moral decay. And moral decay and corruption are what ruined Gatsby’s dreams. Nick defines Gatsby as having a “gorgeous” personality, and arguably he did. But he became corrupted, and the foul dust- the moral decay that preyed on him ultimately consumed …show more content…
Such as when he exhibits sincere feelings of care, and concern for Daisy’s wellbeing on the night of the car accident. He stays in the bushes watching Daisy’s house until four in the morning to make sure that Tom did not harm her. And he inevitably sacrificed himself for Daisy by taking the blame for Myrtle’s murder. He could have easily told the truth and let Daisy take the blame for her own actions, but yet he didn’t. This is a subtle example of how the foul dust preyed on him. His love for Daisy is what lead him to lie for her wellbeing, and lying is morally corrupt, and that lie led to his