Dishonesty in The Great Gatsby Essay - 1486 Words

Lies are a treacherous thing, yet everyone tells a few lies during their lifetime. Deceit surrounds us all the time; even when one reads classic literature. For example, F. Scott Fitzgerald makes dishonesty a major theme in his novel The Great Gatsby. The falsehoods told by the characters in this novel leads to inevitable tragedy when the truth is revealed. Jay Gatsby, one of the main characters in the novel, fails to realize that when one tells a lie, it comes back to bite you. For example, he initially tells his neighbor, and potential friend Nick, that he had inherited his redundant sums of money from his family. One night, the night Gatsby reunites with Daisy, he and Nick are admiring his substantial house. During the†¦show more content†¦As a matter of fact, he had no such facilities-he had no comfortable family standing behind him...† (Fitzgerald 149). This quote distinctly exemplifies how Gatsby lies to Daisy in order to win her love. While Gatsby is still in the war, Daisy marries Tom. Daisy sends him a letter with the news, but the letter reaches Gatsby while he is still at Oxford. Nevertheless, he never gives up on ultimately stealing Daisy’s heart back from Tom. He knew she wanted a man of prosperity and constancy, and Gatsby was willing to scam, lie, cheat, and get into very dirty work just get Daisy into his life again. Even critics say â€Å"Gatsbys attempts to attain an ideal of himself and then to put this ideal to the service of another ideal, romantic love, are attempts to rise above corruption in all its forms† (Hermanson 1). In other words, Hermanson is saying Gatsby tries to cover up his offences with the justification that he cheated for passion Lying did not get Gatsby anywhere, though. Even through all that merciless, perilous, corrupt work to get Daisy back for a split second, she still runs off with Tom to live happily ever after. In addition, all the underground work led him to have no real friends beside Nick. He is one of the very few that show up to the man’s funeral. Consequently, we see that dishonesty never turns out beneficial And in Gatsby’s case, it was a whole life’s work wasted. DaisyShow MoreRelatedDishonesty In The Great Gatsby Analysis934 Words   |  4 Pageshave in common is their dishonesty. They go through the motions of their daily lives and pretend to be happy. In reality, there is no such thing as happiness for them. They lie to themselves and say that they are living a fulfilling life but it is very clear from an outside perspective that they are not. For them, the have fulfilled the American Dream, they gained wealth and prosperity, but now they lack the internal drive that was once there to make them happy. The Great Gatsby is a satire that criticizesRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby957 Words   |  4 PagesJay Gatsby is scrutinized over and over for his role in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. His actions and character traits result in his character being deeply investigated by many literary scholars and critics worldwide. To the reader, Gatsby is a somewhat mysterious man for most of the novel. Other characters d iscuss Gatsby and speculate about how he became wealthy until Fitzgerald reveals towards the end of the novel that Gatsby is a crook and makes all of his money as a part of Meyer Wolfsheim’sRead More Importance of Nick Carraway, Narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby1044 Words   |  5 PagesScott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby   Ã‚   In The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator, Nick Carraway, tells a story in which Jay Gatsby tries to attain happiness through wealth.   Even though the novel is titled after Gatsby, Nick analyzes the actions of others and presents the story so that the reader can comprehend the theme. Throughout the novel, Nick is the vehicle used to gather all of the pieces together to learn about Gatsby.   Nick is the onlyRead More The Great Gatsby: Nick vs Gatsby Essay1001 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby: Nick vs Gatsby Mainframe computers analyze information and present it so that the observer is able to make accurate observations. In The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator, Nick Carraway, tells a story in which Jay Gatsby tries to attain happiness through wealth. Even though the novel is titled after Gatsby, Nick, just as a mainframe computer, analyzes the actions of others and presents the story so that the reader can comprehend the theme. Read More Feminist Criticism of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby810 Words   |  4 PagesFeminist Criticism of The Great Gatsby The pervasive male bias in American literature leads the reader to equate the experience of being American with the experience of being male. In F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, the background for the experience of disillusionment and betrayal revealed in the novel is the discovery of America. Daisys failure of Gatsby is symbolic of the failure of America to live up to the expectations in the imagination of the men who discovered it. AmericaRead MoreInfluence of Women in The Great Gatsby Essay750 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Female Great Gatsby Journal Though the Great Gatsby is a male dominated book, there are a few women who have great influences. Daisy Buchannan is the main female character, having romantic relations with both Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Myrtle Wilson is a woman who is married to a hardworking man, but she remained unfaithful throughout the length of the novel. Lastly, Jordan Baker is probably the least mentioned woman but had an equally important role as the others. Fitzgerald used the developmentRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1583 Words   |  7 Pages F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is renowned for its intricacy as well as the vast levels of symbolism that are present within it. The multitude of symbols allows for many interpretations of The relationships that take place within F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, when viewed through a psychoanalytic perspective, are seen as being hindered by each character’s aversion to emotional intimacy and their personal insecurities. Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s relationship is based not on a desireRead MoreJudging Characters Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald870 Words   |  4 Pages Judging characters in â€Å"The Great Gatsby† Judgments are made everyday whether we chose to acknowledge them or not: that is just something people do. Some people make judgments to feel better about themselves, and some people make judgments just because they can. Others like our main protagonist Nick caraway clam to â€Å"reserve all judgments† (Fitzgerald p.1), but in reality sit back: observe the world then pass judgments on situations he either should notRead MoreThe Great Gatsby - Nick Carroways Role905 Words   |  4 PagesIn his novel The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald had the main character Nick Carroway stand out as being overall, a decent person. Nick stands out especially when being compared to the other characters in the story. It is Nicks honesty with himself and toward others, his morality, and his unbiased, slow to judge qualities that make him the novels best character. br brThe chain of events that occur in the story begin with Nick meeting Jordan Baker at Gatsbys party. It was this meetingR ead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Nick Carraway1312 Words   |  4 PagesMoney has an effect on everyone in both good and bad ways. People who possess a great wealth and live in upper class society tend to exhibit decadence due to their high status. F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby contrasts differing moral aspects of wealthy lifestyles. In the artificial world of the East Coast, Nick Carraway distinguishes himself as a model of morality. Although the glory of power and money in the East Coast overwhelms Nick, he still clings to the values he learned while growing