Corruption In The Great Gatsby

In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, we are introduced to the American Dream, where hard work can lead one from rags to riches, which has been a core facet of the American identity since its birth. Settlers came west to America from Europe seeking wealth and freedom. The Great Gatsby shows the tide turning east, this shift is a symbol of the American Dream's corruption. It is no longer a vision of building a life; it is just about getting rich.
To begin with, Fitzgerald opens our eyes to the 1920s, an era of decayed social and moral values, illustrated in its distrust, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. In The Great Gatsby, the extravagant parties that Jay Gatsby, the protagonist, throws every Saturday night are petty attempts to

prove the American Dream. Eventually, resulting in the corruption of the American dream, as the excessive desire for money and pleasure go beyond noble goals. The numerous social climbers and ambitious speculators who attend Gatsby’s parties embody the greedy scramble for wealth. The clash between “old money” and “new money” manifests itself in the novel’s symbolic geography: East Egg represents the established aristocracy, West Egg the self-made rich. The town or city, “Egg”, itself is a very effective symbol, exhibiting the fragility of dreams, wealth and status.
Subsequently, as Fitzgerald views it (and as Nick explains in Chapter 9), the American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness.

In the 1920s depicted in the novel, however, easy money and loose social values have corrupted this dream, especially on the East Coast. The main plotline of the novel proves this, as Gatsby’s dream of loving Daisy is ruined by the difference in their respective social statuses, his resorting to crime to make enough money to impress her, and the prevalent materialism that characterizes her lifestyle. Gatsby, himself symbolizes both the corrupted Dream and the original uncorrupted Dream. He sees wealth as the solution to his problems, pursues money through crooked schemes, and re-invents himself so much that he becomes hollow, detached from his past. Ironically, Gatsby's corrupt dream of wealth is motivated by an incorruptible love for Daisy. Similarly, to how Americans have given America meaning through their dreams for their own lives, Gatsby ornaments Daisy with glorified perfection that she does not deserve or possesses. Overall, Gatsby’s dream is ruined by the unworthiness of its object, just as the American dream in the 1920s is ruined by the unworthiness of its object, ergo money and pleasure. Generally, Americans in the 1920s, unsuccessfully sought an ancient age where their dreams had value, Gatsby longs to recreate a faded past, his time in Louisville with Daisy, but is incapable of doing so.

Gatsby's failure does not demonstrate the absurdity of the American Dream; rather it demonstrates the absurdity of stifling that dream by allowing corruption and materialism to prevail over hard work, integrity, and real love.
In Sam Becker’s “It’s 2015, And the American Dream Is On Life Support”, it states, “The dream is getting farther out of reach.” A study by USA Today shows that a six-figure income is required to achieve what most Americans strive for.

To be exact, the study indicates that Americans need to earn $130,357 annually, which was arrived at by calculating the cost of a family’s essential expenses, some extras, and taxes/savings. Take note that this amount is what is needed for the average family of four, two adults and two children. The study goes on stating that even with two adults working full-time, the target income is simply out of reach for most families. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income between 2008 and 2012 was $53,046 per year, less than half of what the USA Today study calls for. In my opinion, the American dream is indeed no longer feasible because living costs have increased dramatically, sooner or later it might cost an arm and a leg to buy a carton of milk or eggs, keep in mind the costs do not include healthcare or transportation, ironic right? The article continues stating “expenses have climbed, wages, on the other hand have plateaued.” The American Dream itself has escalated to a nation-wide issue, who is to say that its ambitions or ideology will not spread to other countries as well. In The Great Gatsby, Meyer Wolfsheim, Gatsby’s friend, a prominent figure in organized crime. Before the events of the novel take place, Wolfsheim

helps Gatsby to make his fortune from bootlegging illegal liquor. His continued acquaintance with Gatsby throughout the book suggests that Gatsby is still involved in illegal business, indicating, that it can also become a potential or has already become a potential for people to stoop to the level of illegal activities to achieve the lifestyle that they want because they are unable to work for their dreams. Therefore, Fitzgerald highlights that the American dream, is unrealistic and has become a vacant dream due to the exploitation of money and class. The Great Gatsby teaches us that if we spend all our lives vying for the unattainable to the point where we lose ourselves, will ultimately sooner or later cause our miserable demise.