The Great Gatsby Essay Most people are obsessed with something, whether it be cleanliness or money. Many characters in the Great Gatsby are obsessed with the dream of being wealthy, the American dream. Most of these characters are corrupted by this dream, for example Jay Gatsby, Meyer Wolfsheim, and Myrtle Wilson. The Great Gatsby show how the American dream when taken too far, can turn an innocent person into a person only seeking money.
Jay Gatsby makes himself look like an innocent rich man who inherited his wealth from diseased family members. Jay's desire for wealth shines through when Tom describes Jay as a bootlegger. The phrase "He's a bootlegger" (Fitzgerald 65) is not only heard from Tom but also from other people who attend Gatsby's parties. Gatsby makes his money from a drug store business, and from other secret activities, that later prove to be far from a secret.
My American Dream
The grave of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzger...
The cover of the first edition of The Great Gatsby...Because of his money Gatsby is able to a house described as a "colossal affair by any standard" (Fitzgerald 8). All of Jay's wealth upsets the love of his life, Daisy. While showing Daisy his collection of clothes Daisy expresses her emotion by saying "It makes me sad because I've never seen such-such beautiful shirts before" (Fitzgerald 97). The American dream made Jay Gatsby perform illegal acts, just for money.
McDonald 2 Not all the characters are as obviously as greedy as Gatsby, but that doesn't mean they still aren't as corrupted by the American dream. One such character is Meyer Wolfsheim, a friend of Gatsby's. He is first seen when Nick and Gatsby go out to lunch. Here Nick finds out that MeyerWolfsheim is responsible for "fixing" the World Series, and is also know for gambling. Meyer is so concerned with making money that he lies and...