Essay On The Great Gatsby Not Really Great

Instead Gatsby works with gangsters and crooks in his bond ploy and role as a bootlegger. If Jay were truly great, he would be able to make a living off legal practices. Rumors of Gatsby’s illegal practices have spread, and these words have significantly damaged Jay’s reputation as his party guest discuss what they have heard: “’I'm scared of him. I'd hate to have him get anything on me’" (Fitzgerald __).

“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively”, said by Bob Marley. That quote helps contrast my theme for The Great Gatsby. Few people with money ever acknowledge and care for what their personas may have done. As I explain this theme it’ll unravel all the secrets of the book and place them out for you to grab. We’ll start with a little bit of character analysis.

All Gatsby turns out to be in the end is fallacious. He lied; he manipulated people and was naive. This is not the kind of person you would want to refer to as ‘great’. Gatsby was never one for honesty. His whole identity of ‘Jay Gatsby’ is a lie itself as Nick tells us the story

He tries to act like he is a very elated successful man that throws all these lively parties to share his wealth with others. While in reality he feels incredibly isolated. Nick, the narrator, says while talking about Gatsby, “The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself”(95). This quote talks about how Gatsby came up with an idea of who he wanted to be and put his entire life purpose into becoming this conception of himself. He would put his success before everything else, even his own happiness.

Although Gatsby does not explain how he funds his lavish lifestyle filled with parties, it is assumed that he engaged in illegal business adhering to World War I. From being labeled a murderer to a German spy to a feasible bootlegger through speculation, Gatsby hides his identity from even his closest friends (Fitzgerald 48, 103). By establishing an erroneous persona for himself, Gatsby was able to separate himself from his past and start anew, however muddied his image was. Ceasing to be held down by his lowborn roots, Gatsby can live the American Dream luxuriant life he has been striving

As mentioned in this essay, Gatbsy leveraged crime to amass his wealth. In addition, Gatsby has no respect for said laws, as seen through his characterization. For example, in Chapter 4, when Gatsby speeds through New York City and is pulled over by a cop, he "[takes] a white card from his wallet [and] he waves it before the man's eyes''(Fitzgerald, 54). Although it was not murder, Gatsby found no problem bribing the commissioner, allowing him to function above the law, stating, "I was able to do the commissioner a favor once"(Fitzgerald, 54). To emphasize this point, small trivialities often provide the most insight into one’s morality.

As a young man, Gatsby worked jobs all along Lake Superior in order to continue paying his expenses and to acquire money. These jobs were clearly not elegant but Gatsby was a daring young man who made money however he could. However, a different side of Gatsby can be seen when he “pulled out to the Tuolomee and informed [Dan] Cody a wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour” (Fitzgerald 98). This image of a hardworking young man shows that Gatsby is also a true soul. With his true spirit, he was able to befriend anyone and everyone in order to complete his goal of extreme wealth.

He was trying to do that by showing off and throwing these parties. Gatsby is trying to become rich, to draw the love of his life back to him with what he is trying to show

Greatness is not being moral, nor is it being well-liked. In reality, greatness is fame, impact, and being distinguished from others. In the fictional world, Gatsby is set apart by his wealth and mystique, but his parties are what make him truly great. His extravagant wealth is put on display at his parties, and at his parties, he is the subject of gossip over the mysteries of his life, which contributes to his fame. However, among the Eggers and elites Gatsby is known for his parties; people may idly wonder about his education and background, but as long as his parties are lavish

Dating back to his childhood, Gatsby developed a deadly sin during his early teenage years, ultimately leading him to his wealthy lifestyle. “[Gatsby’s] heart was in a constant, turbulent riot. The most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night. A universe of ineffable gaudiness spun itself out in his brain… each night he added to the pattern of his fancies… these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination… they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality” (99). Gatsby’s envy of the wealthy life caused him to develop a deep desire to stray away from his life of clam digging and salmon fishing and become a wealthy man in an upper class society.

Gatsby wanted to make his dream a reality and didn’t stop until he had achieved it. Jay showed his greatness in many ways especially through his determination, grit, and willingness to put anything on the line in order to achieve his goal. Many people see Gatsby and his life and get led to the assumption that he wasn’t great due to the fact that he attained his money through illegal means. Although this is true I disagree. Money is one of the most important and crucial things in life and you should put everything on the line in order to obtain it.

In reality, Gatsby started out like many others doing any job he could to survive like salmon fisher and clam digger. He came from very humble beginnings as his dad had to keep reminding him, “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (Great Gatsby, #2). However, Gatsby grew to become one of the few richer men after his work with millionaire Dan Cody. This life of the rich also isn’t everything the American dream is hyped up to be as even the wealthiest weren’t happy. “You see, I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad thing that happened to me” (Great Gastby, # 51).

Gatsby was a man who came up from essentially nothing by gaining his money through bootlegging and other illegal acts in order to gain a reputation in society. Gatsby’s constant desire to accomplish more in his life demonstrates the corruption of the American Dream. It is evident that Gatsby has had a thirst for the American dream since a young age, this is shown when Gatsby’s father says: “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind?

Although the mass of wealth and power may seem to greatly contribute in improving one’s social class, it does not, however, guarantee a higher status. With Gatsby’s background as an officer and a student at Oxford, Fitzgerald illustrates that there are other factors aside from wealth that determines status. Gatsby has undoubtedly achieved success financially as a result of his own hard work, although this was achieved illegally. Gatsby lived in the West Egg, and as portrayed by Fitzgerald, he is flashy, and lacking in taste. His house is overly fancy and lacks finesse, being “a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden.”

While on the surface, Gatsby does have a ‘rags-to-riches’ story, it is not a virtuous one; he amasses his wealth through illegal channels by working with Meyer Wolfsheim, and never fulfills his dream, Daisy. Also, He changes his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby when he first encounters Dan Cody. Because Gatsby has to take on an entirely different persona to achieve success, disguising his poor upbringing and suggesting that James Gatz could never achieve the American dream. Gatsby first attempts to earn his financial success by performing menial labor for Cody, but when Cody’s ex-wife swindles Gatsby out of his inheritance, he turns to illegal means of getting rich. Not only does Gatsby illegally gain his wealth my selling grain liquor over the counter, but he also does so under the direction of Meyer Wolfsheim, breaking two essential qualities of the self-made man, virtue, and independence.