Examples Of Hedonism In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby Essay The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, describes the extravagant lives that the wealthy in New York led during the early 1900s. They would exert their affluence to maintain their status and live a life of luxury. Yet, in doing so they often disregard others to pursue their own goals. With the exception of a few, the characters of The Great Gatsby are all guided by their own selfish search for pleasure. They do not show much of a concept of morality or sin. Many of the characters of this novel are motivated by their own pleasure and happiness, which often leads to unwanted effects. Daisy Buchanan is a prime example of being such a hedonist. Affluent and married to a man of high status, she was already living a very …show more content…
With a poor sense of morals, it is no surprise that few characters in this book have a concept of sin. Many repeatedly sin, showing that they have no care for their wrongdoings, or do not perceive that their actions are sins. Tom Buchanan is a character that frequently commits sins. He is prideful of his wealth and status, lustful and greedy for women, and envious of Gatsby. Moreover, he can quickly lose his temper and demonstrate wrath. Tom was having an affair with a woman named Myrtle Wilson. After Myrtle aggravated Tom during a party, Nick noted that “Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (37). Myrtle aggravated Tom by mentioning his wife, and in turn, Tom became enraged. After hitting her, he shows no remorse. This is proof that he does not realize that this is in fact a sin. Moreover, Myrtle Wilson was married to George Wilson. He is also a sinner because he killed Gatsby in his wrath and envy. Although, he does has some concept of what is a sin. When George finds out that Myrtle was cheating on him, he said to her, “God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” (159). Since George brings up God, this implies that he thinks that what Myrtle is doing is frowned upon by God, and wrong for her to do. Therefore, he believes that Myrtle’s lust is a sin. So although he is a sinner, Wilson does …show more content…
Most of its characters are motivated by self-gratification in a hedonistic way and barely have a concept of morality or sin. They often place themselves before anyone else, and only seek to satisfy their own desires. On the other hand, a few characters, like George, do have an understanding of immorality and sin. The characters of The Great Gatsby illustrate the shallowness and selfishness that one can