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The Great Gatsby Argumentative Essay

Decent Essays

At the onset of Gatsby’s introduction, we witness a man who is characterized with the utmost propriety and wealth. Consequently, this initial depiction evokes the prima facie assumption that Gatsby is a man who had basked in his opulence since his childhood. In actuality, his roots are humble and he comes from a poor background; escaping his destitute childhood, he reinvents himself as a new man after meeting a wealthy man named Dan Cody who serves the critical role of a mentor in Gatsby’s life. EXPLAIN HOW DAN CODY WAS A MENTOR.(start body paragraph from here maybe) Initially, Gatsby is known as “James Gatz;” moreover, he opted to change it in order to escape his past- a past characterized by failure and destitution. Unbeknownst to Gatsby, this new identity of his …show more content…

As a youngster, Gatsby only looked towards the future- his tenacity to escape his destitution is reflected by his adoption of illicit methods to make money, including bootlegging and other illegal ventures. Unsurprisingly, Gatsby changed his name after discovering that he could utilize these methods in order to make money, suggesting that he wanted to avoid experiencing guilt for his actions. One can infer that by changing his name, Gatsby subconsciously represses any emotions of guilt that would ultimately be a product of his pre-existing moral convictions. It is this very repression of guilt that prompts Gatsby to pursue his past, as if he wished to recover from the moral deficit that he had placed himself in. His superficial indifference of this moral deficit ultimately impels Gatsby to make things right by returning to the past and abandoning his hedonistic lifestyle. Furthermore, Gatsby’s intrinsic self rejects the contemporary life of crime that he leads, reflecting his former moral compass which was comprised of integrity and

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