Examples Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby

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Actions speak louder than words. In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows corruption of the American Dream through Gatsby, Myrtle and Tom’s actions. Gatsby’s attempts at trying to get Daisy to love him shows corruption of the American Dream. One of the things he first does is lie to Nick, Daisy’s cousin. He claims: “I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. It is a family tradition” (Fitzgerald 65). Gatsby mentions to Nick that he was educated at a prestigious school. Because Nick is related to Daisy, it can be interpreted that Gatsby is trying to impress Nick and hopefully get closer to Daisy through him. Later, it is revealed that he was never actually educated at Oxford. …show more content…

“It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce’. Daisy was not a Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the elaborateness of the lie” (Fitzgerald 33). While Tom is being corrupt for lying to Myrtle about his wife being a Catholic, Myrtle seems to be desperate to marry Tom. So much so that Tom had to make such a lie so that she won’t want to marry him. The quote implies that Myrtle has asked Tom to divorce Daisy. “The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake…” (Fitzgerald 35). Myrtle couldn’t care less about her husband. In the American Dream, the typical married couple treat each other with love and respect. In the quote, though, it is clear that she doesn't love him. After all, she cheats on him with Tom Buchanan. She strives to become rich through Tom, achieving the American Dream but also destroying it by being unfaithful. “For Myrtle Wilson, the truth gets in the way of her personal goal: to become a woman of class. She hides her affair with Tom Buchanan because the truth would prevent her from living life in the city as the well-kept mistress of a wealthy man. As Tom's lover, she can live a better life than George can provide” (Gale 271). Myrtle shows corruption of the American Dream by cheating on her husband for her own

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