Corruption In The Great Gatsby

“The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is the most corrupt from all the characters portrayed in the novel.

For starters, the corruption with Gatsby starts with his false self proclaimed identity and origins. Throughout the novel, we come to know as this young millionaire takes on the name of Jay Gatsby. It isn't until chapter 6, that his true name is revealed, “James Gatz—that was really, or at least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career..” (Fitzgerald 105). Gatsby, by the age of seventeen, had created another identity in which he would go by in the future. He lies about his origins claiming “I am the son of some wealthy people in the middle-west,” (70), as to hide the truth on how he got …show more content…
For he, as mentioned before, has lied about his background and how he came to be rich. “I am the son of some wealthy people in the middle-west—all dead now.”(70), Gatsby lies to Nick about his life. For Gatsby was actually born to a poor family of farmers in North Dakota. “ ‘I thought you inherited your money.’
‘I did, old sport,’ he said automatically, ‘but I lost most of it in the big panic – the panic of the war.’ I think he hardly knew what he was saying,” (96), is another example of one of Gatsby’s lies in which Nick was able to catch him on. Gatsby is dishonest and is a character that can not be trusted. For he lies about his personal life making him a very shady and corrupt character. In conclusion, Gatsby is the most corrupt character compared to others in the novel. His false identity, shady business connections, and deceit personality makes him the more apparent corrupt figure from the novel. The emphasis in Jay Gatsby’s corruption is profoundly looked over and instead focused more on his dreams rather than his

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