Tracing Morality in The Great Gatsby

This is a book of lying, cheating, scamming, and corruption for the betterment of oneself. Though some have redeeming qualities, it is apparent that the characters in The Great Gatsby are all “morally blind” (Parkinson 94) in one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly. In the majority of cases these moral imperfections are not nearly as horrid as the label makes them seem. These actions are things that may not appear as something bad to the character or reader, but they are technically classified as morally corrupt.

Tom Buchanan is arguably the character who possesses the most corrupt set of morals. His actions can be described as “some of the most immoral and senseless actions in the entire novel” (“Ranking…). He cheats on Daisy “simply because he can” (“Ranking…”). This shows that he has no care or regard for anyone but himself. He is going to do what he wants no matter how it affects other people. It is this mindset that causes the deaths of Myrtle, Gatsby, and Mr. Wilson. He knows this, but “he runs away from the entire situation… as if he was never part of it in the first place” (“Ranking…”). He and Daisy mess things up and leave. They go back to their normal, careless life of wealth and leave someone else to fix their mess (Fitzgerald 187-188). Together Tom and Daisy are absolutely incorrigible people with no regard for others.

On the other hand, Mr. Jay Gatsby has the best of intentions, but he fails at upholding a well-developed moral code. One of the main things that causes these moral deficiencies is the amount of wealth he has acquired. This wealth is said to be an example of the “social and moral disorder of the time” (Parkinson 104). His goal is to be happy and to have a beautiful life and he thinks to achieve...

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...eople with such corrupt morals has made Nick Carraway into a judgmental person who is “experiencing a crisis of identity” (Parkinson 99).

He is not all bad; Carraway also has made the choice to compromise on some morals for the purpose of helping out friends. He witness Tom cheating on Daisy and does not say a thing about it. He also keeps the affair of Daisy and Gatsby a secret (“Ranking…”). In doing these things he is not intentionally making bad moral decisions. He sees his decisions as simply helping out some friends in need. There are no unethical or immoral motives for these actions, only good and pure intentions, but unfortunately, in this case “doing nothing is still doing something” (“Ranking…”).

The interesting part of it is how these characters are so intertwined. Gatsby is just as much of a cheater as Tom, and Jordan is just as much of a liar as Nick.