Great Gatsby - The Corrupting Nature of Wealth by F Scott Fitzgerald - Essay Example

?Great Gatsby-The Corrupting Nature of Wealth by F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby is a very fascinating masterpiece that revolves around America’s withering dream. This masterpiece was written in the 1920s at a time when Americans began feeling the need to work hard to realize the American dream. Nevertheless, Fitzgerald appears to ridicule the American dream by portraying a fading American dream. The book begins by showing the characters in the novel very much determined and working hard to achieve the American dream. Because of hard work, the characters become wealthy and begin to live a lavish lifestyle (Lee 8). Nevertheless, these characters soon became corrupted by the amount of wealth they have and forgets pursuing the American dream of making the society a better place to live and do business. Instead, the characters begin to use the wealth they have accumulated to engage in immoral and things that deviate from the American dream. This book has generated controversies and criticism from several authors since its publication. Nevertheless, the theme that Fitzgerald tries to invoke in this masterpiece is that most people in the society tend to show signs of corruption as soon as they get wealthy. Even though some authors criticize Fitzgerald view, the book is a true reflection of the nature of human beings. To begin with, Tom Buchanan is one of the characters in the novel that Fitzgerald clearly portrays as having been corrupted by the wealth he amassed. Tom is a character portrayed in the entire novel as a very proud and arrogant character that has no respect to anyone around him, but to himself. Tom is a character who sees himself as a very special due to the amount of wealth he has acquired (Fitzgerald 184). Nevertheless, one can also argue that his physical size and the reputation he had in his football days, might also have contributed to his arrogance. The kind of comments that Nick makes about him makes it clear that he is blinded by the amount of wealth he has acquired. After making much money, he changes from being a humble and respectful man he used to be during his childhood days to become arrogant and proud character who despises everyone around him. Tom’s wealth also appears to have corrupted Daisy, as well. The way Daisy portrays herself in Tom’s house where she stays is a clear manifestation that the wealth they have corrupted his mind. This is attributable to the kind of lifestyle she lives, which makes her arrogant, as well. The fact that Tom has enough wealth makes him take advantage of Daisy. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald depicts Daisy being treated by Tom as a material possession. We find Tom treating her as if she was a property that can be used and dumped. In fact, because of large sums of money and wealth that Tom has; he does not see it as a big deal, having an affair with Myrtle. Instead of becoming satisfied with her wife daisy, the wealth he has drives him to searching and excitement in an extramarital affair (Lee 9). The corrupt nature of wealth that Tom has puts them together with Daisy despite the lies and infidelity that characterize their marriage. Ordinarily, no woman who would allow his husband to cheat with another woman and fail to react angrily. Nevertheless, in the case of Tom and Daisy, the unusual happens as the two continue to stay together. However, it is apparent that Daisy failed to react as would have been expected because she is obsessed with Tom’s wealth and would better stay married to him in order to live a lavish lifestyle than divorce him. The same applies to Tom, who, even after discovering that his wife Daisy had been involved infidelity and after the death of Myrtle, they still find it prudent to reunite to eat fried chicken and drink two bottles of ale together (Fitzgerald 186). In this regard, one can argue that the two characters seek earth other because they both understand and recognize each other’s strength in the corrupt wealth they have. Fitzgerald also portrays Toms as a character that has no compassion for others because of the material possession he has. His lack of compassion for others clearly came out when Tom deliberately failed to send his regard or show remorse following the murder of Myrtle and Gatsby. Instead, he decides to take his wife out for a vacation to relax and enjoy his wealth (Lee 9). This makes Nick perceive the two as heartless and careless characters whose minds are corrupted by the amount of wealth they have in their possession. Fitzgerald states, “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” (Fitzgerald 188). In this regard, Tom and Daisy actions were an indication of the immoral and detrimental effect that wealth might have on someone. This is because, instead of being empathetic and remorseful, they focus of their appearances and things of monetary value. Jay Gatsby is another character who shows clear signs of having been corrupted by the amount of wealth he has in his possession. At the beginning, he is portrayed as a character that comes from a humble family background. However, as time passes, he soon found himself in the company of friends who introduced him to shoddy deals as a way of making money (Lee 14). He obliged and before long; he became extremely wealthy. However, his main problem is that he is too much obsessed with Daisy to the extent that he is ready to do anything just to win her. The obsession he has for Daisy makes him become corrupted with the amount of wealth he has amassed. In fact, at one time, he became obsessed to the extent that he thought he could use the money he has to buy Daisy’s love. It is even surprising that, despite the amount of wealth that Jay has; he is not happy since a woman whom he dearly loves is married to another man, whom in this case happened to be tom, another rich man (Fitzgerald 187). Despite the fact that Daisy appears uninterested in marrying him, Jay decides to use his wealth to show him achievements by organizing extravagant and flamboyant parties, not to socialize with him friends, but just to impress and attract Daisy. The extravagance nature of the party organized by Jay is evident from the number of guests invited, food, lights, and entertainment going on at the party. His obsession for Daisy also comes out when we find him lonely in a house full of people who had come to the party. In fact, the guests who have come to the party do not even know about him. According to Fitzgerald, the guests who came to the party only did so as a matter of enjoying the glamour, which they believe to be the American Dream (Fitzgerald 189). The corrupting nature of wealth also became apparent in the party as Fitzgerald reveals that a majority of those who attended the party were never invited. However, they came voluntarily with the intention of being seen in the company of rich men. These people believed that by attending such flamboyant parties, they would be considered as members of the elite to which they dream to belong. In fact, their minds are corrupted to the level that they believe that attending such extravagant parties will make them meet the wealthy people who will help them become rich, as well. In this regard, Fitzgerald asserts that the mere fact that some people thought that Nick had money was enough to make them accept him as one of their own (Fitzgerald 190). In this context, Fitzgerald is trying to reveals how the wealthy is admired by the poor in the society. This is a dangerous trap since the wealthy tend to take advantage of the poor to exploit them as was seen, in the relationship between Tom and Daisy whose love revolved around wealth. Even though some authors and historians have strongly criticized Fitzgerald for publishing such a book, this book is undeniably a striking representation of the American society the way it used to be in the 1920s when the book was published. The 1920s is was a period of possibilities in which Americans strived so hard to ensure that the American Dream of a prosperous society is realized. However, Fitzgerald also portrays how some characters left pursuing the American Dream after amassing wealth. Fitzgerald explicitly depicted the corrupting nature of wealth through the two main characters in the novel namely Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. For instance, after amassing enough wealth, Tom became arrogant and disrespectful to everyone around him. This is a true representation of how wealth can corrupt the mind of an individual. Jay Gatsby, on the other hand, is corrupted with the amount of wealth he has to the extent that he believe he can use the money to buy love. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F.Scott. The Great Gatsby. London: Interactive Media, 2012. Print. Lee, Virginia. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Insight Publications, 2011. Print. Read More