What Is The Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby

Words: 822
Pages: 4
Open Document
The world is overflowing with honest, compassionate people; if one cannot be found, become one. Nick Carraway, of The Great Gatsby, chose to be one of these people when he discovered that the East was full of selfish and dishonest people. “As we see throughout the novel, Nick does inspire people to moments of candor, of confession, such that he is not only a witness but he’s the only person privy to the real characters of individuals he encounters” (“List of Characters and Summary Analysis”). F. Scott Fitzgerald intended Nick to be the most honest character in the novel. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the moral decay and deceit of the other characters in the book contribute to uncovering the only ethical character in the …show more content…
All the characters show some type of dishonesty through their words, actions or feelings.“Many of the characters thrive on emotional dishonesty, and live for the appearance rather than substance of character” (Beetz 499). The characters from the novel have been changed morally by the East in hopes that they will gain their own version of the American Dream. Tom and Daisy, originally from the West, have changed since their move to the East. Tom physically cheats on his wife with Myrtle, and Daisy emotionally cheats on her husband with Gatsby. The moral decline is so obvious that it is apparent to Nick within the first few days of interacting with the diverse life forms of the East. “Ultimately Nick understands the meaning of their lives and the sadness of their worlds” (Beetz 499). Unfortunately, the members of the elite East never obtain the type of satisfaction they have been looking for. “This is the world where the dream has died” (Beetz …show more content…
“He was left with his singularly appropriate education; the vague contour of Jay Gatsby had filled out to the sustainability of a man” (Fitzgerald 101). Jay Gatsby, previously known as small town James Gatz, created the illusion of a perfect life to gain the affection of Daisy. The novel is appropriately named after him because he entails every example of moral decay. Gatsby started his spiral of moral decay after he inherited his fortune. “And it was from Cody that he inherited the money-- a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars” (Fitzgerald 100). Gatsby inherited his money from a man named Dan Cody, but this was not always a fact. Rumors about Gatsby being a murderer, a spy, and bootlegger circled him day in and day out. The rumors about him being a bootlegger only intensified when his friendship with Meyer Wolfsheim flourished. “He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919” (Fitzgerald 73). Wolfsheim was a gambler and overall bad guy who, in the end, only ruined Gatsby’s
Show More

Related Documents: What Is The Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby

Essay 2

V 4 October 2012 Dishonesty of the “whole damn bunch” Honesty is the major human trait that can separate an admirable person from a deceptive person. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, most of his characters are dishonest. Each character that lies or is dishonest affects someone else. Through the perspective of his narrator, Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald demonstrates that dishonesty can tear apart friendships and can affect society as a whole. Jay Gatsby is one of the most well-liked…

Words 885 - Pages 4

Jay Gatsby Selfish

Jay Gatsby, the young, rich gentleman in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, pursues his dream of becoming rich and powerful, even if he has to break the law to do it. His most prominent personality trait is his capacity for hope. Gatsby has a complexity of a great person; like all people, he has good and bad sides. Jay Gatsby is not born in a wealthy family; therefore, he has a dream and is very ambitious about becoming rich. Nick explains how Gatsby first meet Dan Cody: “It was James Gatz…

Words 920 - Pages 4

Morality In The Great Gatsby

1920’s, several factors resulted in a more loose morality, much of which encouraged dishonesty, including drinking in backlash against prohibition laws. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, characters constantly lie to or outright deceive each other. The narrator, Nick Carraway, extols his own honesty, but as his audience we see how he repeatedly withholds information from his peers in important scenarios. Jay Gatsby, the man Nick follows in the story, much more blatantly lies to others about his…

Words 1430 - Pages 6

Comparative Essay- the Great Gatsby

Behind every great man lies a great women. In some cases the women herself may not always be good or ideal according to society. Nevertheless it seems to add character to the man,and also influences his actions and maybe even his morals. In Shakespearean literature,Shakespeare tends to use people to develop certain characters throughout the play. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is the person with the most influence on Romeo. This influence allows him to develop as a character and also helps develop…

Words 4178 - Pages 17

Great Gatsby Conflict Quotes

properly taken care of. Taking a look at the two novels The Great Gatsby and the Things They Carried the characters involved develop love interests that create conflict. When the characters in the two novels are conflicted, they act upon their emotions which displays the attributions of an unhealthy relationship. In the novel…

Words 1273 - Pages 6

Examples Of Heroism In The Great Gatsby

characters toward the tragic hero. Gatsby in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an example of a tragic hero. Certain events that occur in The Great Gatsby, prove that Gatsby is indeed a tragic hero. Hamartia, peripetia, and catharsis are tragic hero traits that Gatsby has that eventually leads to his unfortunate death. Gatsby is understood to have hamartia because he is such a naive person, meaning that he cannot see the selfishness…

Words 995 - Pages 4

Essay about Summer Assignment

AP Literature and Composition Question #6 Fitzgerald tells the story of The Great Gatsby through the nonjudgmental point of view of Nick Carraway. We build a trust for the narrator as he claims he is “one of the few honest people” (59), waits to be invited to parties, and works for the money he receives (rather than inheriting it). Because of this, we blindly assume that the conclusions we are left with as we reach the final pages - are our own. Instead, Fitzgerald gently guides us like dogs…

Words 1078 - Pages 5

AP ENGLISH ESSAY

Alvarez 1 Mirna B. Alvarez Professor Whooley AP English Literature December 14, 2012 The 'Great' Pursuit of Happiness Part of the American dream is to live long and die young. The idea of the American dream represents the qualities of wealth, ambition, conquering one's goals and significantly the pursuit of happiness. This dream starts low on the economic or social level but with hard work it is possible to obtain prosperity. Having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a…

Words 1145 - Pages 5

Gatsby: The Great Gatsby and Gatsby Essay

11 (3) 22 April 2013 Lies and Deceit Frederick Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby portrays a rich man who obsesses over the love of his past and as a result ends his life. Lies and deceit take a major role during the novel, the biggest lie of them all being Mr. Jay Gatsby himself. All humans are innately dishonest and superficial which reveals the characters true disposition and as a result leads to discontent and in Gatsbys case, death. Frederick uses Symbolism, Characterization, and Diction to…

Words 1001 - Pages 5

Theme Of Feminism In The Great Gatsby

Anti-feminism is a repeating theme in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The narrator, Nick Carraway particularly develops this by how he describes women and his interactions with them. Throughout the story, women are not only portrayed as inferior to men, but the novel establishes undesirable attributes as innate feminine characteristics. Therefore, The Great Gatsby represents an anti-feminist culture because it illustrates male characters as independent and dominant while depicting female…

Words 1021 - Pages 5