Cheating In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott FItzgerald's claim in The Great Gatsby is that the american dream is a toxic thing and to truly “achieve” it, lying of some aspect has to occur which helps corrupt the integrity of the person trying to obtain the “american dream.

This is highlighted in his previously mentioned book The Great Gatsby in which many characters have attempted to obtain the american dream, or at least seem to have achieved it. A key example of this point is Jay Gatsby, or James Gatz. A man who went from practically nothing to becoming a hot-button topic, by rather sleazy ways, in order to impress a woman he liked. He corrupted his personal integrity by amassing a large fortune over the sale of alcohol during the prohibition, which had been illegal. Later he used his vast fortune to help adapt a new persona for himself, in which he confused the random people at his parties, by keeping his background in a shroud of mystery. So by withholding key information from the public gatsby not only lies to his guests, but also to himself that the parties were almost successful to try to get the attention of daisy, but were more successful in building a reputation, however fails utterly in getting daisy to show up. So Gatsby’s personal idea of the american in dream was having the the woman he loved, but ironically has to achieve the typical american dream to even attempt at having a second chance with her, but in doing so he compromised his integrity for what he wanted, then by flaunting his wealth made him and iconic which will later get him killed.The lies Gatsby told himself that the end justifies the means, had created a type of tunnel vision that everything he did was to get daisy. The poem “Richard Corey” also shares the same underlying comment of the american dream. The poem is about the charismatic Richard Corey who was the highlight of the town, everyone loved him. He was handsome, nice ,wealthy, and envied by most. Then he kills himself . The problem with the poem is that it is entirely left up to interpretation, since the viewpoint is that of the town, we are unable to see into the psyche of Corey. However the this is a deliberate choice by the author to show that he is a different person that what he is in the public eye. So to maintain his portion of the american dream he keeps up the persona of lying to the public, having this well mannered person kill himself makes the …show more content…
Over the past few decades the american dream now requires whoever wants to participate to achieve academic excellence within the school system. This study focuses on a way that students are using to help maintain high grades. By ditching the moral integrity students cheat to help achieve higher grades. The toxic concept of having to do well, has coerced these kids into taking a step down the path into academic dishonesty. The problem is a small step away from dishonesty will eventually lead to bigger problems, but in the minds of the cheaters, they have rationalized that it’s fine, as long as they focus upon the things that they will be doing later in life. As long as they take this road to achieve the new american dream, they will be corrupted in sense, willing to succumb to cheating to get ahead in