Great Gatsby

2 Pages 526 Words

Fitzgerald exhibits the moral deterioration, the desire to obtain the ‘American Dream’, and how American ideals are different with the actual social conditions that exist in society, through Nick Caraway’s eyes in the novel The Great Gatsby.
Each one of the characters in the novel, have a certain dream that they want to live. They each have a picture of what they want, and selfishly, they stop at nothing to get it. All; to reach what they believe to be “happiness”, puts religion, morality and kindness aside.
Myrtle, whom entered her life striving to be wealthy, married a man who rented a tux for their wedding, and “wasn’t fit to lick her shoe”. She attempted to become a member of Tom’s wealthier, more sophisticated class. She begins an affair with Tom, resulting in her inheriting his values, and way of living. She begins to belittle people from her own class and loses all sense of the honor and respect she once had. Myrtle never reached the role she so desired. Instead, her life was cut short by the world she wanted to be apart of.
Gatsby, the mysterious neighbor and gentleman, turns out to be nothing more then a love crazed suitor of Daisy’s. Since Daisy would not wed Gatsby because he was not rich or able to support her luxurious lifestyle, he vowed he’d get rich, and return for her. Gatsby fought to fit himself into another social group, the one of ‘old money’, and made his fate rest upon it. Gatsby obtained the riches and admiration he worked so hard to achieve, but only to be spiritually killed when he failed to win Daisy’s love. His physical death didn’t really matter, for he had already died of a broken heart.
Jordan also exhibited a need for a better life. She lied herself to the top- within her golfing career and personality. Nick, who rarely talked negatively about anybody, made the comment that every word out of her mouth was a lie. Lying is a way of covering the truth, Jorda...