Essay Moral Destruction In The Great Gatsby - 893 Words

The Great Gatsby: The Destruction of Morals nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the destruction of morals in society. The characters in this novel, all lose their morals in attempt to find their desired place in the social world. They trade their beliefs for the hope of being acceptance. Myrtle believes she can scorn her true social class in an attempt to be accepted into Tons, Jay Gatsby who bases his whole life on buying love with wealth, and Daisy, who instead of marrying the man she truly loves, marries someone with wealth. The romance of money lures the characters in The Great Gatsby into surrendering their values, but in the end, quot;the streets paved with gold led to a dead†¦show more content†¦quot;I married him because I thought he was a gentleman. She said finally. I thought he knew something about breeding but he wasnt fit enough to lick my shoe.quot; (Fitzgerald, 39). With the hope of being accepted into an upper social class, Myrtles morals and prior beliefs are gone, being replaced by the false impression that by betraying her loving husband, this new social world will embrace her. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A second character that falls victim to the destruction of their morals, is Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is the supposed hero of this novel quot;who believes that the riches he traded for honor can buy love and happiness and bring back the pastquot;(Vogue, December 1999). He too abandons his morals; illegally earning the money that he believes will win back the heart of his lost love Daisy. When they had a love affair long ago, she wouldnt marry him because of his financial standing. The details of his business are sketchy, when asked he usually ignores the question. Tom though, after some investigating finds the true nature of his profession. quot;I found out what your drug stores were. He turned to us and spoke rapidly. He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. Thats one of his little stunts, I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasnt far wrong.quot; (Fitzgerald, 141). Gatsby makes it his lifes mission to become rich,Show MoreRelatedMoral Destruction in the Great Gatsby Essay918 Words   |  4 PagesThe Great Gatsby: The Destruction of Morals In The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the destruction of morals in society. The characters in this novel, all lose their morals in attempt to find their desired place in the social world. They trade their beliefs for the hope of being acceptance. Myrtle believes she can scorn her true social class in an attempt to be accepted into Tons, Jay Gatsby who bases his whole life on buying love with wealth, and Daisy, who instead of marryingRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. 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