Examples Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby

The Corruption of the American Dream The Great Gatsby was a story about the romance between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. It was also about the wealth, status and the American dream. The Great Gatsby was written the 1920’s by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The American dream was supposed to stand for independence and the ability to make something out of one’s self with hard work. In the Great Gatsby the American dream is full of corruption. It lacks morality, God, and has a high demand of materialistic things. Jay Gatsby symbolizes the idea of the American dream, yet, people like Daisy did not know he was corrupt. Gatsby was a self- made man who was successful financially and socially. However, he is different than the other newly rich people because he didn’t earn his money the honorable way. Gatsby replaced the values of hard work with bootlegging in which he made millions. In doing this Gatsby met a gambler, Meyer …show more content…
Daisy lacks morals because she consistently betrayed Gatsby. Daisy’s first betrayal was when she married Tom while Gatsby tried to receive an education. It was then Gatsby was determined to get her back. The second betrayal was when she told Tom she loved Gatsby but then recanted her statement shortly after. The third betrayal is what led to Gatsby’s death at the hands of Myrtles husband. After killing Myrtle by running her over, she neglects to tell Tom that she was driving and not Gatsby. “Finally, in an act of ultimate social betrayal, Daisy fails to attend Gatsby’s funeral” (Settle 118). While Tom and Daisy may have also represented the American dream, their lack of morals, commitment and dreams ultimately contradicted it.
They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had