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Theme Of Responsibility In The Great Gatsby

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Irresponsibility is a theme prevalent throughout the novel seen in characters like Owl Eyes, Jordan, and Daisy; their actions surrounding car accidents and conversations with other characters provide evidence that Fitzgerald desired to convey the irresponsibility of the upper class. At the first party, Nick attends there is an accident as guests begin to leave, and he realizes Owl Eyes was the driver. Owl Eyes makes excuses for his actions and says, “‘Don’t ask me...I know very little about driving - next to nothing” (Fitzgerald 54) while others try to explain to him that the wheel came off and he cannot simply drive away. The topic of driving appears again in a conversation between Nick and Jordan where she states, “‘It take two to make an accident’” (Fitzgerald 58); Nick accuses her of poor driving, but she believes her actions are irrelevant as long as she does not meet someone like herself. Finally, the …show more content…

Like Owl Eyes, Turner created excuses to explain his actions and attempt to remove blame from himself; however, for Owl Eyes no one else was harmed through his actions, but Emily now has to live with the events of one party. By using intoxication as a reason for his poor choices, Turner and Jordan both use the mentality of it takes two, but unlike Jordan, Turner did find another person in his same state leading to a rape. While Turner did not take the blame for the rape like Gatsby took the blame for Daisy’s hit and run, both Turner and Daisy were irresponsible in their actions involving a third party. Each person in the situations above expressed indiscretion in slightly different ways, but collectively they exemplify the irresponsibility of the upper class. Irresponsibility is a theme seen throughout everyday life, and Fitzgerald uses this to create scenes in the novel so the reader can make real life

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