Accidental Murder and the American Dream in in "The Great Gatsby"

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Affairs and lies are just some of the things happing in West & East Egg, two communities on the outskirts of New York City. There is also an accidental murder and former lovers that find each other but they are not the same anymore. The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It follows the summer of 1922 told from sort of narration point of view. The story of the corruption of the American dream unfolds before the readers eyes. Throughout the reader realizes that the American dream of happiness and individualism has just become the quest to become wealthy. Nick Carraway is a young man who moves to East Egg, which is known for it’s nouveau riche style of living, in the summer of 1922. Nick is very different then the many people he meets, having grown up in the Midwest. He becomes entranced by Gatsby, his neighbor. Not much is known about him, only that he throws parties almost every Saturday. There many wild rumors fly from one person to another, though Nick can’t tell if any of them are true. Nick is then invited to dinner by Daisy, his cousin, who lives in West Egg. Here he learns that Tom, Daisy’s husband, has been cheating on her with a married woman. He is then invited to a party thrown by Gatsby. Through another source Nick is told that Gatsby and Daisy were lovers back in 1917. He meets with Gatsby and finds him to be a very enjoyable type of person. Gatsby asks him to invite Daisy over for tea so he can see her. This begins an affair between the two of them. Tom quickly catches wind of this and takes the group of him Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy to a hotel in New York City. Here he tells Daisy where all Gatsby’s money has come from. Daisy realizes that she can’t leave her husband and they drive back. On the way back... ... middle of paper ... ...w everything as wealth, Nick still saw the good in him. Everyone in the city and the surrounding area care more about how wealthy you are rather then your morals. Tom’s mistress is a perfect example of someone giving up individuality to have wealth. She thinks that if she can be what he wants she will move up. The former American dream gets lost and in its place is the search for wealth and power. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Collier, 1925. Print. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin, 1949. Print Purdue OWL. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 10 May 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2008. Sisco, Mason. “Past and Hope in The Great Gatsby”. http://reading.cornell.edu. Dec. 19 2009. SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Great Gatsby.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 7 Dec. 2009.

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