What Is The Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby

Due to humanity's obsession with success, people feel obligated to reach their goals as quickly as possible. Although this competitive nature encourages people to achieve, an ambitious mentality becomes dangerous when seeking fortune and fame. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, exemplifies how the 1920s era transforms the proclaimed "American Dream" into an unhealthy fixation with materialism. Various events within the novel verify that greed and dishonesty potentially lead to prosperity, but the happiness it creates is only temporary. Gatsby's funeral illustrates how much characters desire self-improvement, causing them to prioritize their reputations over their relationships.
In reminiscence of Gatsby's life, his loved

ones define him by his consuming dedication to reformation. Even his father faces a shortage of memories, only remembering Gatsby's drive to experience a life of luxury. Prior to his funeral, Mr. Gatz shares Gatsby's hopeful plans for the future with Nick: "It just shows you...[Jay] was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he's got about improving [himself]?" (Fitzgerald 173). The numerous accomplishments Gatsby attains is commendable, but he never finds satisfaction. The demand for a high status within this culture forces Gatsby to forego any appreciation he feels; instead, he wastes time and effort on an empty search for external gain. Although Gatsby believes that monetary changes cause internal changes, he will not find contentment until he accepts how fortunate he already is. This lack of fulfillment is not exclusive to Gatsby; ambition tricks everyone into relying on misguided hopes and promises. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...," resolves Nick as he ponders the tangibility of Gatsby's dream (180). The both literal and figurative green light symbolizes Gatsby's anticipation for a future of eternal wealth and happiness with Daisy. Gatsby, in addition to society holistically, understands that aspirations such as his lack sensibility, yet he pursues that sliver of a chance relentlessly. Just as the term "American Dream" suggests, he trusts the fallacy in which hard work and dedication always equate to success. Unless Gatsby reaches the lifestyle he envisions, his ambition traps him in a cyclical pattern of hope and disappointment.
By refusing to honor Gatsby's life, the other characters reveal that they care more about maintaining their statuses than appreciating his sacrifices.

His proclaimed friends, caught in their own lives, are too selfish to forfeit a small amount of time for Gatsby. As Nick asks Meyer Wolfsheim to attend Gatsby's funeral, Wolfsheim creates the excuse that "[w]hen a man gets killed I never like to get mixed up in it in any way. I keep out...Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead...After that, my own rule is to let everything alone" (171-172). Business negotiations with Wolfsheim are extremely dangerous; participating in his illegal activities requires partners to trust one another. Despite this dependable friendship Gatsby and Wolfsheim built throughout the years, Wolfsheim dismisses their relationship to protect his career. The amount of rejection Gatsby faces, although indirectly, supports the misconception that in order for individuals to secure their reputations, they must ignore human instinct and disregard their care for others. Even Daisy, who declares that her love for Gatsby is unconditional, flees from Long Island when his death tests her loyalty. At the point when Tom claims that his and Daisy's suffering is equitable to Gatsby's murder, Nick reaches the frustrating realization that "[t]hey [are] careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast

carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..." (179). Daisy and Tom serve as examples as to how selfish this "Eastern mindset" truly is. Individuals mercilessly climb the social chain and scavenge for empty wealth, regardless of how their greed harms others. Gatsby's funeral demonstrates how impermanent a lavish lifestyle actually is; once dead, Gatsby's supposed friends label him as worthless and unimportant. Fitzgerald successfully creates an intense bond between all of the characters, but society confuses the characters into believing that people are dispensable and tangible happiness easily replaces the void of relationships.
Ambition - a combination of hard work and determination - is a necessary component of achievement. Nevertheless, excessive ambition misleads people into expecting a life of success, in addition to encouraging them to solely focus on their statuses. Despite the amount of effort an individual applies, success is not guaranteed, nor does it solve every problem. In order to avoid this unrewarding emptiness, society must forego their obsession with materialism and appreciate the consistent blessings in their lives.