Abegail Hawley
Ms. Maggert
English III
21 March 2018
Social Class and Morality
Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality.” Tcche roaring twenties was a spendthrift era. The lower social classes really wanted to attain wealth and luxury, but couldn’t due to the restriction put on them by societal norms. This began the era of bootlegging, gangs and crime all across the country and the decline of morality. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby trying to attain a higher social class can lead to lack of morals demonstrated by Gatsby’s bootlegging, Tom’s Party in New York, and Myrtle’s affair with Tom.
Gatsby shows that he was a poor child and wanted to attain wealth and luxury, but this lead to him to start bootlegging which led him to immoral behavior. "He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago. [...] I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong,” Said Tom (Fitzgerald, pg 102). Gatsby kept his secret well hidden, but others still skepticize what he does to make all that money. Gatsby wanted to impress Daisy so badly that he resorted to making his money …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the decisions made to try to attain a higher social status led to the decline of morality. Gatsby’s bootlegging crimes to make more money to impress Daisy, Tom’s party in New York with Myrtle and others, and Myrtle’s affair with Tom to get higher up on the social ladder are all examples of the lack of morals each character has based on whether they are trying to attain money or just want to be in a higher social class. These desires caused the characters to lose a sense of what is right and wrong and prompted the destruction of their relationships between each other. It is important to be kind and caring to one another, and to not lose your morals and values, for it will keep you honest and true to yourself and
Ms. Maggert
English III
21 March 2018
Social Class and Morality
Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality.” Tcche roaring twenties was a spendthrift era. The lower social classes really wanted to attain wealth and luxury, but couldn’t due to the restriction put on them by societal norms. This began the era of bootlegging, gangs and crime all across the country and the decline of morality. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby trying to attain a higher social class can lead to lack of morals demonstrated by Gatsby’s bootlegging, Tom’s Party in New York, and Myrtle’s affair with Tom.
Gatsby shows that he was a poor child and wanted to attain wealth and luxury, but this lead to him to start bootlegging which led him to immoral behavior. "He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago. [...] I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong,” Said Tom (Fitzgerald, pg 102). Gatsby kept his secret well hidden, but others still skepticize what he does to make all that money. Gatsby wanted to impress Daisy so badly that he resorted to making his money …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the decisions made to try to attain a higher social status led to the decline of morality. Gatsby’s bootlegging crimes to make more money to impress Daisy, Tom’s party in New York with Myrtle and others, and Myrtle’s affair with Tom to get higher up on the social ladder are all examples of the lack of morals each character has based on whether they are trying to attain money or just want to be in a higher social class. These desires caused the characters to lose a sense of what is right and wrong and prompted the destruction of their relationships between each other. It is important to be kind and caring to one another, and to not lose your morals and values, for it will keep you honest and true to yourself and