The American Dream is what fathers of this country set out for, but yet, sometime between present day and 1776 the dream became skewed as F. Scott Fitzgerald shows in the classic book The Great Gatsby.
Fitzgerald illustrates the demise of the American dream. The lying, scheming, cheating, and unethical characters, shown in The Great Gatsby represent the same people with different names in today's society. Corruption has been part of politics and wealth even before the turn of the twentieth century, but the corruption of this last century seems to be greater than in the one before.
Fitzgerald painted with his words, characters that were far from the legends we have heard about in the 1920's.
James Gatz, otherwise know as Jay Gatsby, a millionaire who was wrapped up in his money and also his love for Daisy, a married women. His money's origin unknown until late in the book, but yet, even when they were made know it was considered shady.
The cover of the first edition of The Great Gatsby...
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby"Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men" (6).
Another character in the book was a hypocritical man who was also wrapped up in his wealth he was Tom Buchanan. His social attitudes are laced with racism and sexism, and also, he never even considers trying to live up to the moral standard he demands from those around him. He cheated others out of what was rightfully theirs, usually when it came to women. "They're a rotten crowd.... You're worth the whole damn bunch put together" (162).
The love of two men's life was a southern bell that had grace on the outside, but yet,