The Great Gatsby: Unfaithfulness and Greed The love described in the novel, The Great Gatsby, contains "violence and egoism not tenderness and affection." The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, writes on wealth, love, and corruption. Two coupes, Tom and Daisy Buchanan and George and Myrtle Wilson, match perfectly with these categories. Both couples are different in the way they choose to live together, but are similar in a few ways. Unfaithfulness and greed are the only similarities the couples shared. Tom, Daisy, and Myrtle were all unfaithful to their spouses. Their love for themselves far out-weighed their love for each other. Tom and Myrtle had a notorious affair throughout the novel while Daisy becomes very close to her ex- beloved, Jay Gatsby. Even with their new lovers, none of them displayed true love. Each wanted something from the other. Tom wanted the "possession" of Myrtle, Myrtle wanted Tom's "luxuries and wealth," and Daisy wanted Gatsby simply for his wealth. Both Tom and Daisy know of each other's affairs, but neither one truly cares. As the story progresses, it seems as though each of them is trying to make the other more jealous. Honesty and Love, two words know only by the faithful, George Wilson. George certainly had his flaws, but he loved his wife dearly and couldn't live without her. "He was his wife's man and not his own." When he became aware of Tom and Myrtle's affair, he was "really sick, pale as his own pale hair and shaking all over." He locks her up in fear that she will run away with Tom forever. He stated that, "She's going to move stay there until the day after tomorrow, and then we're going to move away." George thought that by moving out West, where Myrtle wanted to go in the beginning, would solve everything. Before the move could be made, Myrtle was killed; it is here where George's love is shown most. George becomes extemely upset after Myrtle's death.
reasons people were quick to rush into marriage. Cheating is a common recurrence in this book,
Hamartia is a fatal flaw leading to a person’s downfall. The desire for wealth rose greatly during the 1920s after World War I. The standard of living increased in the twenties due to new technology that allowed a greater ability to manufacture and distribute goods (Amidon Lusted). During this time America experienced “the greatest economic expansion in its history” (Gross). Mass production was possible through the assembly line, which allowed for products to be produced faster and more efficiently (Amidon Lusted). Along with mass production, advertisements of the time attracted Americans to buy more products and in order to buy more products, more money was needed (Amidon Lusted).
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is about corruption and reveals the dishonesty of people in the era. People such as Jordan Baker, Meyer Wolfsheim and Tom Buchanan display their deceptive ways in this novel. First off, Jordan Baker, a young golf champion, reveals her corruptive ways when Nick recalls that “at her first big golf tournament there was a row that nearly reached the newspapers-a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round” (57). When this story almost reached the newspaper, it was because “it had approached the proportions of a scandal” (57). This is quite the story if it is important enough to reach the newspaper and she would have been disqualified. However, the scandal “died away” (57) and the caddy “retracted his statement, and the only other witness admitted that he may have been mistaken” (57). The way both of these witness change their mind so suddenly is suspicious. They both could have been easily bought by Jordan or her wealthy family. Furthermore, Jordan exposes her deceptive side once again when she ...
She wants someone who has a lot of wealth in order for her to live a luxiours life. She begins to have an affair with Tom and it causes harm to her marriage which she has with George. She says to herself when meeting Tom the first time, "You can 't live forever; you can 't live forever" (38). Myrtle realizes Tom is a wealthy individual and having an affair with him will help her climb out of the social class in which she is trapped in. She sees him as the perfect man representing the American Dream. She lives in the Valley of the Ashes with her husband, George, who is the owner of a garage. She married him because she thought he was a gentlemen and he knew something about breeding. But it turned out he was not financially stable and it causes Myrtle not to love him. This shows how Myrtle is acquisitive and she does not appreciate George for who he is. She realizes life is fading away from her along with her youth and in order to live the life she always desires, she must become Tom’s mistress. She wants to live the rich and famous life style which George could not provide. This shows how Myrtle is morally corrupt because she does not see the harm in having an extramarital affair and just looks to pursue wealth. This eventually leads to her own death. The chase for the American Dream causes corruption and destruction within
hide the car and with it he could hide the truth. The truth is that Myrtle
Gatsby and Greed In this day and age, money is a very important asset to have. One needs to have at least enough to live on, though great amounts are preferable. In The Great Gatsby, by Thomas F. Fitzgerald, having a large amount of money is not enough. It is also the way you acquire the money that matters.
She became used to him being unfaithful to her that she suggests to him after leaving him during Gatsby wild party “ and if you want to take down any addresses here’s my little gold pencil” (105). Tom and Myrtle relationship caused problems more in Myrtle life rather than Tom’s because unlike Tom’s wide, Wilson was unaware about her unfaithfulness and reacted way differently by becoming sick. In Nick’s perspective, he explains, “He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick” (124). Wilson behaves in way by having her locked in a room until he gets the car to move away but soon enough for jealousy to strike among Myrtle about Tom and his wife which later causes her death. Her death occurred because of the greatly amount of envy she has towards Daisy and her lifestyle with Tom. The feelings that she felt showed upon her by having “…one emotion after another crept into her face like objects into a slowly developing picture” (124). This single small affair between Tom and Myrtle became something bigger than expected by a heart broken husband, dishonesty, and death among a mistress. This crime is much relatable to many affairs in the world that ends really bad divorces and trust issues from the dishonesty from their significant
Myrtle Wilson is married to George Wilson who owns a run- down garage in the valley of ashes. Neither of them are wealthy and Myrtle is disgruntled by this fact. She believes that she was destined for something more, something greater. Unfortunately for her that something greater turned out to be Tom Buchanan. Myrtle is like Daisy in the sense that to get what she wants, she is dependent on Tom. In contrast, she is also like Jordan in the fact that she is independent from her husband and uses her own means, though immoral, to get what she wants. Though Myrtle could only live in a fool’s paradise from time to time, when she is with Tom she take on an entirely different persona, changing her outfits and her attitude to fit in with Tom’s more extravagant lifestyle. While in Tom’s world though, she gets too in over her head and lets her true feelings out about the circumstances between her, Tom, and Daisy. This leads to some abuse from Tom. Myrtle underestimates her position in the situation. Unfortunately, Myrtle just does not understand that she is just a desired object to Tom and nothing more. This false faith in Tom leaving Daisy for her is what ultimately leads to her death. Coincidently, Myrtle causes more of a disturbance in Tom and Daisy’s marriage after she’s dead than
F. Scott Fitzgerald had the creative and extraordinary way of writing a love story based on compassion, death, and betrayal. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, there are multiple themes offered, including justice, power, and greed. Once reading the book, it is realized that the author separated the book into groups. There are many titles that may demonstrate each chapter individually throughout the novel. Even though there are no chapter titles throughout the novel, with the different social classes, the money, the power and the love, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a strong message through each chapter.
Daisy knows very well that tom is cheating on her, but doesn’t care because it's more convenient to stay in her unhappy marriage. Even though she wants to be with Gatsby, she wants to keep her social status and being with Tom makes this all the easier. Now, this is quite the opposite of Myrtle. She has a loving husband who would do anything for her, but her social status is all she cares about. Myrtle is willing to hurt George and ruin their marriage in order to climb up the social ladder. Neither of these women have respect for themselves. Both Daisy and Myrtle allow Tom to treat them
‘Myrtle may “love” Tom to an extent, but Tom only has feelings for Daisy. Tom uses his relationship as a way to show the power that his money has given to him. Early in the novel Tom takes Nick to go meet Myrtle in New York. That night they have a party in an apartment owned for the sole purpose of this affair. Towards the end of the party Tom and Myrtle begin to argue. “Sometime toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face, discussing in impassioned voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy’s name,” after which Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose (Fitzgerald 37). While he may be having this affair, Tom’s heart still belongs to Daisy. He lets his love of Daisy overtake him during his affair about money. While this money centered affair is important, it is not the only affair in the
Gatsby, Myrtle and Tom lie to themselves and others through their words and actions. Gatsby and Myrtle attempt to be social climbers; Gatsby loves the idea of Daisy and Myrtle loves the idea of Tom and what he can provide for her. They both try to appear as someone they are not: Gatsby tries to appear as a successful man who comes from a wealthy family while Myrtle longs to appear as an upper class woman. Their lies have tragic results since Myrtle, Gatsby and Mr. Wilson all die needlessly. However, Tom, who seems to be successful, lies because he is selfish and thinks only about fulfilling his personal needs. Clearly, The Great Gatsby demonstrates that deceiving others, for any reason, inevitably leads to tragedy for the individual and others who touch their lives.
Lies are a treacherous thing, yet everyone tells a few lies during their lifetime. Deceit surrounds us all the time; even when one reads classic literature. For example, F. Scott Fitzgerald makes dishonesty a major theme in his novel The Great Gatsby. The falsehoods told by the characters in this novel leads to inevitable tragedy when the truth is revealed.
The Great Gatsby, is a classic American novel about an obsessed man named Jay Gatsby who will do anything to be reunited with the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. The book is told through the point of view of Nick Caraway, Daisy's cousin once removed, who rented a little cottage in West Egg, Long Island across the bay from Daisy's home. Nick was Jay Gatsby's neighbor. Tom Buchanan is Daisy's abusive, rich husband and their friend, Jordan Baker, has caught the eye of Nick and Nick is rather smitten by her. Gatsby himself is a very ostentatious man and carries a rather mysterious aura about himself which leads to the question: Is Gatsby's fortune a house of cards built to win the love of his life or has Daisy entranced him enough to give him the motivation to be so successful? While from a distance Jay Gatsby appears to be a well-educated man of integrity, in reality he is a corrupt, naive fool.
Myrtle is, as Daisy, impressed with Tom's wealth and appearance, but, like Jay Gatsby, is stuck in a fantastic, idealized perception of her object of affection. Even when abused and trampled over by Tom, Myrtle continues to adore him, just as Gatsby continues to dote upon Daisy after being obviously rejected by her. As far as ethical considerations, Gatsby tends to prove himself a sincere and caring person, while Daisy and Tom just destroy the lives of two people and then leave town to escape the consequences of their actions.