Moral Issues In The Great Gatsby
Society and the laws by which it is governed are set by one thing and only one thing; humans. Normal people set and agree upon the laws, and abide by them in their daily lives, but not everyone is a normal person. The laws set by society do not apply to everyone, whether that be by legal exceptions, or just an immense amount of money and power. This is especially touched upon in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby. In the book, Fitzgerald’s depiction of the problems of Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby face, and how they handle them relative to the lower class, illustrates that money and status make those who wield it invulnerable to the laws by which the rest of society are held to. A primary example of the evasion of the moral laws of man is Tom Buchanan. He lives in his own personal world where he is in control, even when it goes against the moral laws of man. The book is set in the roaring twenties, when high …show more content…
A primary example of this is George Wilson and his interactions with moral laws. Wilson faces the same problem that Tom does, in that their wives are cheating on them. However, George Wilson doesn’t have the status or money to be able to control his wife like Tom can. Therefore, he is forced to respond differently than Tom. Daisy wants to stay with Tom because he has the status and money that she wants so much. If she left him, she’d be losing those assets. However, since George doesn’t have these assets, he has no incentive for Myrtle to stay with him, so he has to remove her from the affair by force. Plus, the law is clearly still applicable to those of lower status, as it’s present when Myrtle is killed, We know that Myrtle is killed by Gatsby’s car, but there is no follow through from the law apparent. In fact, some of the only consequences in the book is George's act of renegade
Theme Of Immorality In The Great Gatsby
1002 Words | 5 PagesAnne O’Hare McCormick has said “The foundations of the world will be shaky until the moral props are restored.” This quote is ironic, considering the theme of The Great Gatsby is a moral wasteland. The Great Gatsby in its entirety is one great big amalgamation of a moral wasteland. The story follows Nick Carraway, living in his tiny cottage next to the elusive Gatsby in West Egg, New York. Throughout the story, there are many different forms of immorality shown in different characters.
Comparing The Elite In The Great Gatsby And The Age Of Innocence
1128 Words | 5 PagesSociety is constantly under the criticism of authors. Many writers seek to expose certain aspects of American society and their scorn of it. Edith Wharton and F. Scott Fitzgerald are renowned for their work on this subject. In The Great Gatsby and The Age of Innocence, Fitzgerald and Wharton reveal their cynicism of the societal elite; they find the elite as a severe detriment to American society. Through symbolism and the characterization of their main characters, Wharton and Fitzgerald similarly depict the societal elite as depriving American society from a promising future by refusing to let go of the past.
Examples Of Morality In The Great Gatsby
756 Words | 4 PagesThe Roaring Lack of Morality in the 20s Morals were not thought of as a strict moral code during the roaring twenties, and many people found them rather irrelevant. Those whom threw parties, cheated, and lied, were those who were happiest during these times. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, paints a picture of the 1920s by expressing many themes: the need for wealth, the want for love, and the act of betrayal in marriage through the Modern Era.
Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby Analysis
925 Words | 4 PagesTom cared more about his affair with Myrtle than his own wife. Neither Tom nor Daisy truly wanted to be in the relationship. George had his life all mixed up not knowing that Myrtle is being unfaithful to him. These instances of dishonesty from all of these characters against each other result in their own twisted realities due to unfaithfulness and dishonesty.
How Does Tom Buchanan Maintain Morality In The Great Gatsby
999 Words | 4 PagesIn The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the difficulty to maintain a moral code while surrounded by corrupt people making immoral decisions. The modern idea of mans humanity towards others is also represented in the character Tom Buchanan and in many people that live in the East Egg. Buchanan is a example of the ignorance of the upper crust of society and their explanation for not following societies set rules. People like Tom Buchanan were raised on the foundation of an affluent lifestyle and the thought that they had superiority over others. Morality was not the main concern for Tom through his whole life.
Myrtle's Use Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby
966 Words | 4 PagesThe Moral Decay of the Materialistic Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby debuted in 1925– before the Great Depression– it serves as a prophetic exemplification of the the material excess of the 1920s that drowned out signs of the coming Great Depression. The book’s plot follows the bootlegger Jay Gatsby as he pursues his old love Daisy Buchanan through flaunting his new extravagant lifestyle, mainly by throwing ostentatious parties. Yet, in the end, Daisy chooses her unfaithful husband Tom over Gatsby. Through Fitzgerald’s use of wealthy, materialistic characters, he comments on the effect of the material excess of the roaring twenties: moral corruption.
The Great Gatsby Moral Corruption Analysis
1909 Words | 8 PagesAn important theme in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the corruption of morals because of wealth. It doesn’t matter if one comes from old or new money, wealth will corrupt the morality of even the humblest. The first example of wealth corrupting morals is in the indifference to infidelity between the married Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. The next example of wealth corrupting morals is seen in Jordan Baker’s actions to keep her luxurious lifestyle. Third, Jim Gatsby’s pursuit of wealth lead to the corruption of his morals.
Conflicting Moral Conflict In The Great Gatsby And Atonement
1730 Words | 7 Pages“Morality, like art, means drawing a line someplace. ”- Oscar Wilde Compare and contrast the ways in which F Scott Fitzgerald and Ian McEwan present moral conflict within ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Atonement’ paying due attention to other critical views and contextual factors. Conflicting moral judgement is a common theme in both novels, Atonement and The Great Gatsby, as shown by their protagonists.
Money And Power In The Great Gatsby Analysis
1149 Words | 5 PagesThe carelessness that money creates allows those in power to bypass and disobey the laws because they believe their money will bail them out of trouble. Many wealthy people use their money as a reason to not take responsibility for their actions. Wealth causes the characters in The Great Gatsby to be out of touch with reality and the world beyond wealth. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's
Examples Of Immorality In The Great Gatsby
1659 Words | 7 PagesCharacters throughout The Great Gatsby present themselves with mysterious and questionable morals. Affairs, dishonest morals, criminal professions, weak boundaries and hypocritical views are all examples of immorality portrayed in The Great Gatsby. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, lies and mischief fill the lives of many and significantly damage numerous relationships. First, Jay Gatsby's whole life is consumed into a massive lie. His personality traits set him apart from others and the attention he accumulates motivates him to falsely portray his life.
Moral Ambiguity In The Great Gatsby
569 Words | 3 PagesThe novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates a morally ambiguous character that can’t be defined as strictly good or evil. Moral ambiguity is the driving force towards Gatsby’s actions. The character Gatsby demonstrates morally ambiguous qualities that initiate plot throughout the whole novel. Morally ambiguous choices can be viewed towards Gatsby’s character throughout the novel. The first glimpse of Gatsby is introduced in the first chapter while Nick is “exempting him from his reaction” of a “uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever” already placing Gatsby in a position of moral ambiguity (Fitzgerald 2).
Laws In The Great Gatsby
901 Words | 4 PagesSociety and the laws by which it is governed are set by one thing and only one thing; humans. Normal people set and agree upon the laws, and abide by them in their daily lives, but not everyone is a normal person. The laws set by society do not apply to everyone, whether that be by legal exceptions, or just an immense amount of money and power. This is especially touched upon in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby. In the book, Fitzgerald’s depiction of the problems of Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby face, and how they handle them relative to the lower class, illustrates that money and status make those who wield it invulnerable to the laws by which the rest of society are held to.
The Role Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
747 Words | 3 PagesNot only does the amount of wealth affect social class, but the type of wealth also affects it. It even affects where people live and who people marry as seen with Gatsby and Daisy. The characters social standing affect who they interact and how they are perceived by others. Fitzgerald highlights the different class structures like “New rich” and “Old rich” and the impact of wealth on the people’s lives in those classes. He also shows the superficial nature of the characters and highlights the value placed on wealth.
Tragic Flaws In The Great Gatsby
850 Words | 4 PagesGatsby’s Tragedy: Falling for a Minx The Great Gatsby, like the Great Houdini, is an illusionist. Similar to the Great Houdini, the Great Gatsby has a tremendous rise to fame and an outrageous reputation. Jay Gatsby's tragic flaw does not seem horrendous at first when compared to Willy Loman, Macbeth, and other tragic characters in literature, but his love for Daisy shows that the power of love outranks all other flaws. During Gatsby's youth, he met a girl named Daisy, who he immediately fell for.
Examples Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby
1261 Words | 6 PagesThe novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic 20th century story -that period was also known as the “roaring twenties”- which critiques the vision of the American Dream people in general have. At that time, the idea of a free market, and industrial revolution provided the opportunity for many to seize the market and people were starting to see that they could become rich without having any type of restriction. New York city was the centre of this wealth-creating society. After the war, this movement generated new opportunities and ambitions for people wanting to start a wealthy upper class life. That period of time was all about alcohol, partying, gambling, fashion, and money.
More about Moral Issues In The Great Gatsby
Theme Of Immorality In The Great Gatsby
1002 Words | 5 PagesComparing The Elite In The Great Gatsby And The Age Of Innocence
1128 Words | 5 PagesExamples Of Morality In The Great Gatsby
756 Words | 4 PagesDishonesty In The Great Gatsby Analysis
925 Words | 4 PagesHow Does Tom Buchanan Maintain Morality In The Great Gatsby
999 Words | 4 PagesMyrtle's Use Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby
966 Words | 4 PagesThe Great Gatsby Moral Corruption Analysis
1909 Words | 8 PagesConflicting Moral Conflict In The Great Gatsby And Atonement
1730 Words | 7 PagesMoney And Power In The Great Gatsby Analysis
1149 Words | 5 PagesExamples Of Immorality In The Great Gatsby
1659 Words | 7 PagesMoral Ambiguity In The Great Gatsby
569 Words | 3 PagesLaws In The Great Gatsby
901 Words | 4 PagesThe Role Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby
747 Words | 3 PagesTragic Flaws In The Great Gatsby
850 Words | 4 PagesExamples Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby
1261 Words | 6 Pages