Gatsby’s Corrupted Dream in F. Scott Fitgerald's The Great Gatsby

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Jay Gatsby, taken in by a bittersweet fruit, drags himself through filth. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby becomes wealthy to achieve his American Dream, but he fails to achieve it because of the corruption and disillusioning effects of materialistic society. Gatsby’s dream is corrupted by the opulence surrounding him; therefore, he fallaciously assumes that material wealth is synonymous to happiness and wealth. In response to Gatsby’s demand Nick Carraway states "the modesty of the demand shook [him]. He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths so that he could "come over" some afternoon to a stranger's garden" (83). Gatsby throws lavish parties in hope of attracting Daisy, but Daisy never goes to any of his parties making Gatsby’s attempt seem futile. People in East Egg inherit their money and already have everything they want, they did not work for their money and do not appreciate the same way West Egg does. Daisy already has money meaning there is no reason to be with Gatsby because of money. The parties that Gatsby throws wastes money in an obscene fashion and those parties host shallow attendees only trying to increase their social status. Those parties may appear to East Egg as the vulgarity of nouveau riche, only lowering Gatsby’s social status among those in East Egg. Jordan Baker thinks "[Gatsby] half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night, […] but she never did." (84). Gatsby believes that he can impress Daisy with wealth, but Daisy already has wealth making his parties not impressive. Corrupted by wealth, Gatsby tries too hard to buy his dream and a way into a society that would not fully accept him. While Gatsby has money, he d... ... middle of paper ... ...th Daisy, he based all his actions for winning Daisy over, but because of that, he does not achieve much else. Gatsby does not gain a good reputation or friends. The attendees of the parties he threw took advantage of him and did not attend his funeral. Klipspringer lived in Gatsby’s mansion taking advantage of the money and does not attend Gatsby’s funeral, but he does call Nick about a pair of shoes he misplaced. Because of his obsession with Daisy, Gatsby fails to achieve success. Corruption and disillusioning effects of materialistic society causes Gatsby to fail to achieve the American Dream. Gatsby fallaciously assumes that money brings happiness and his obsession with Daisy blinds him from seeing the corruption and carelessness surrounding her. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner,1996. Print.

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