Moral Corruption In The Great Gatsby

In the book The Great Gatsby, which is written by Scott F. Fitzgerald, it tells of the moral corruption that was prevalent in West Egg and East Egg. There was a difference between the two areas because East Egg was referred to as “old money” and West Egg was known as “new money”. How the two areas flaunted their money was on complete opposite spectrums because West Egg went over the top and flaunted their money openly, while East Egg was more reasonable with their money. The time period was in the 1920’s when bootleggers, speakeasies, and alcohol were the main talk of the nation. Also during this time, it was when the bond business was very popular too. This story takes place in New York where Wall Street is. The narrator of this story is

Nick Carraway who is originally from Minnesota. He is a spectator of all of the events that take place in this book. Nick has been one of the more honest and stable characters. .Nick Carraway is a representation in The Great Gatsby as a soul who hopes for the best in people, but is exposed to some of the worst morals he has ever come to know.
In the novel when the audience gets to know Nick better, it is imagined that he is a proper and well educated young man.

In the book, he seems to be a tolerant person and uses reasoning and logic rather than feelings when dealing with situations (“The Great Gatsby”). In the movie, he is depicted a well groomed man who lives in an orderly fashion. Nick is more of a thinker than a doer because he observes how things are done in great detail. For example, when he was describing Gatsby’s parties, there was much emphasis on what was taking place and how the decorations looked. He is seen as the confident because people are able to tell secrets to him. He is more reserved when it comes to speaking his opinion. Nick is also a great listener and it seems that that characteristic is hard to come by in West

Egg.
All throughout the book, Nick has not progressed too much as an individual. He has realized that people in the New York area have corrupt morals. His eyes has been open to the worst of people and this has affected how he sees the rest of the world. Nick realized that people hide behind their money in order to get away from their problems. In The Great Gatsby, Nick has also been exposed to the faults of people closest to him. For example, in the beginning of the book, the reader got a slight impression that Nick was obsessed with his cousin Daisy. He says how her voice was the “kind of voice that the ear follows up and down,as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again.” (Fitzgerald).Nick only has positive things said about her personality, her voice, and how she makes the atmosphere feel inviting. He has a type of tenderness towards his cousin Daisy.
The audience gets to grow with Nick in the book by understanding how he has matured in understanding relationships with the people he surrounds himself with (“The Great Gatsby”). A major relationship that takes place is between Nick and Gatsby. Initially, Nick is completely taken back by Gatsby’s personality saying how “gorgeous” it is (Fitzgerald). However, when Nick gets to know Gatsby more, he senses that something is off about him. The stories that Gatsby told Nick seem very far fetched and Nick found out that most of what Gatsby told him was not true. Nick first started out as a fresh young man who wanted to succeed in the bonds business, but by the end of the book, it seems that he has been exposed to almost too much. He understands more about morals and how money affects them.
As I was walking around a park one day, I was pondering what it would be like to know Nick Carraway. His personality was charming to me and I realized that I would possibly never meet a person with his type of personality. What would I even talk to him about?, I asked myself. Would I ask him how Gatsby has changed the way he saw the world? Would I talk to him about my problems to see if he could come up with a solution? Nick seems like a reliable person in The Great Gatsby, so what would be the difference some ninety years later? All of these thoughts were bombarding my mind and I felt like I needed to get answers as soon as possible.
I came across a well that looked like it was from the 1700’s.

I did not think anything of it, so I took out a penny that had been in my coat pocket for as long as I can remember. “Well, I am not sure how this works, but I am just going to say what I want.” I felt foolish standing there expecting a wish to come true out of this archaic well. “I wish that Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby was here with me for the rest of the day.” As I dropped the penny, I heard a faint whoosh noise and someone ask “Where in the world am I?” I looked down the well and my jaw nearly dropped to the ground. Nick Carraway was standing at the bottom of the well looking very confuzzled. “Oh my gosh,” I felt like I was fangirling hardcore over my high school crush all over again,” this can not be real.” Nick was already climbing out of the well and looking around. “What year is this and where am I?” I could hear his distinct New York accent and I answered him but I do not remember saying

anything.
As reality started to hit me, I realized that I only had a couple more minutes of his time. “Nick, my name is Chelsea and I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about Jay Gatsby.” The look on his face was like a comforting memory that came to his mind. “He was the most interesting person I have ever met in my lifetime. Nowhere else will I meet a young soul like him.” I talked to him about how he and Daisy never talk anymore and he misses her a lot. We then progressed into how he is doing now and how Nick was a father and a husband back in his day. “So is there anything that you would have done differently when you met Gatsby?” He looked at me and said somberly,” I would have been more supportive and speak my mind more.” I nodded and he explained how he was so caught up in the moment with the new sights, people, and atmosphere that he was just getting his bearings when Gatsby was shot. We walked through the park as the sun was setting and I told him,” I am really happy that got to meet you because you clarified a lot of confusion for me.” Nick looked at me and said,” It was a pleasure to meet you Chelsea and it was nice to get those heavy feelings off my chest.” We came back to the well and he took one leap in and that was the last time I have ever seen Nick. I walked home that night feeling as though I was on top of the world.
Overall, Nick was a character that went into New York wanting a positive experience, but was exposed to the harsh reality of life. He learned good morals growing up because his father made an impact on his life. Because Nick was a good listener, that enabled him to see inside the secret lives of his friends. He quickly found out that they were not good for him. By the end of the book, he understood more about relationships than he ever has before. With the type of experiences that Nick has been through, it is safe to say that he has matured even more together. If one were to talk to Nick present day, they would find that he is what Fitzgerald depicted in the book. Regardless of who Nick was around, he was always respectful to them. Despite the fact that Nick did not progress too much as an individual, it is safe to say that the lessons learned by Nick still sets him at a higher standard than any of the other characters.