Moral Ambiguity In The Great Gatsby

Human beings are fickle creatures that exhibit the wildest characteristics. Often unpredictable in behavior but predictable in thought, people are prone to act in certain ways based on how they were raised or on what they believe. F. Scott Fitzgerald perfectly encompasses this fickleness in his novel The Great Gatsby. Set in the 1920’s, his novel uses a variety of characters where each have their own uncertain ethics and, subsequently, behavioral patterns. The moral ambiguity of Fitzgerald’s characters illustrates the cruel reality of human nature. Tom Buchanan’s moral ambiguity originates from his hunger for power. This desire for power is emphasized by a hobby he has: reading “the Rise of the Coloured Empires,” which he claims is about whites …show more content…
Claiming at the beginning of the novel to “reserve all judgement,” the protagonist of The Great Gatsby is not excluded from ambiguity (5). One example that poses questions about Nick’s morals is his friends; he goes drinking with Myrtle and Tom, and this party ends only in violence (33). Since Nick accompanies negatively influenced people, Nick could possibly be immoral, but other actions say otherwise. When Gatsby is waiting for Daisy after Myrtle’s murder, for example, Nick lies to Gatsby about Daisy’s well being, which calms Gatsby down (153). Knowing the lie would affect Gatsby positively, Nick abandoned his previous attitude of being a bystander and, instead, took the initiative for Gatsby to be happier. This action points toward a noble constitution, which balances out the negative party Nick associates with. Due to the conflict of moral and immoral actions, Nick Carraway is defined as having ambiguous …show more content…
Tom Buchanan, for instance, illustrates the ambiguous nature of having dominance over others. No one knows whether someone with a weapon has it for protection or to generate fear, and, even today, it is debated whether the government should have more control over its citizens or not. Furthermore, Jay Gatsby encompasses the vagueness of the human facade. The reasoning behind this mask of illusion is rarely known; the explanation could be positive or negatively influenced. Additionally, Bystanders like Nick Carraway coexist with the other examples, but the morality of these witnesses is unclear. In the end, even straightforward words could be a facade to hide the truth. Humans are naturally morally ambiguous because of their nature: how they grew up and how it affects them, and those characters in The Great Gatsby illustrate