Theme Of Morality In The Great Gatsby
Morality is a belief or set of beliefs about what it right behavior and what is wrong behavior. What is acceptable by society, and the degree of ‘rightness’ and ‘wrongness’, varies among different individuals.
The most moral character in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is Myrtle Wilson. She is the least corrupt out of the six, as she was only trying to fulfill her desire of class, social acceptance, and wealth. She chases this dream because she is bored with her own life, and wants to improve her situation by dating Tom; thereby attempting to fit into his wealthy lifestyle. “With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change.” (33) Myrtle flaunts the dress as if it were a part of her everyday life, pretending to fit into the world of material wealth. However, her efforts to insert herself into the circle of riches and social class she wants prove useless, as Tom treats her as a mere object of his desire.
Nick Carraway is one of the most morally sound characters, however, he possesses several flaws that are too deep to overlook. While he does not have the careless attitude of Daisy or the brutish …show more content…
“Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible. She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile…” (57-58). Nick realizes that she cheated during her first tournament by moving her ball, but this does not seem to matter to him. Jordan’s naked self-interest is contrasting to the ideals of the other characters; she does not seem to be as caught up with wealth as they
The most moral character in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is Myrtle Wilson. She is the least corrupt out of the six, as she was only trying to fulfill her desire of class, social acceptance, and wealth. She chases this dream because she is bored with her own life, and wants to improve her situation by dating Tom; thereby attempting to fit into his wealthy lifestyle. “With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change.” (33) Myrtle flaunts the dress as if it were a part of her everyday life, pretending to fit into the world of material wealth. However, her efforts to insert herself into the circle of riches and social class she wants prove useless, as Tom treats her as a mere object of his desire.
Nick Carraway is one of the most morally sound characters, however, he possesses several flaws that are too deep to overlook. While he does not have the careless attitude of Daisy or the brutish …show more content…
“Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible. She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile…” (57-58). Nick realizes that she cheated during her first tournament by moving her ball, but this does not seem to matter to him. Jordan’s naked self-interest is contrasting to the ideals of the other characters; she does not seem to be as caught up with wealth as they