Who Is Responsible For Gatsby's Downfall

Gatsby was murdered by Wilson, because he thought that Gatsby was the one that hit his wife and killed her. Tom is a main contributor to Gatsby’s death because Myrtle was his mistress. Tom was the one that suggested he drive Gatsby’s car to town with Jordan and Nick. Myrtle saw them that day and Nick noticed “her eyes, [which became] wide with jealous terror were fixed not on Tom, but on Jordan Baker, whom she took to be his wife” (125). On the way back home, Gatsby and Daisy were driving the yellow car, which was the car that Tom was driving earlier. Myrtle ran out in front of the car as if “she wanted to speak to [them], [thinking they] were somebody she knew” (143). She ran thinking that it was Tom and that he would stop but, it wasn’t.

Tom, Nick and Jordan are driving home when at Wilson's garage they come to find that Myrtle has been hit and killed by a yellow car. Tom immediately knows that it is Gatsby who was driving the car and seeks revenge. What he does not know is that the actual driver was Daisy. Gatsby does not tell anyone but Nick that Daisy was driving the car because he does not want anything bad to happen to her. This shows how much he truly cares for Daisy. It also shows that by not letting anyone else know the truth regarding the accident that Gatsby will only trust key people. This trust issue causes many problems for Gatsby and others.

In the beginning of the novel the narrator Nick Carraway says, “Gatsby turned out all right in the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men”. Well we don’t know how justified Nick is saying this since it’s in the beginning of the novel. So we only see Gatsby through Nick’s eyes, so all of our opinions of him are based on what Nick sees and thinks. I can assume what he writes about Gatsby is the truth, since Nick says he reserves all judgments. I believe what he says because he makes us trust him through his comments on the first few pages. For example, on the very first page of the book Nick says, “Gatsby represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn”. Even though, Nick had doubts towards he could not help but admire him. From the beginning when Nick first met Gatsby he recognized his faults, but Nick still liked Gatsby. Nick is attracted to Gatsby’s bright and understanding smile. That’s why I feel like Nick said “Gatsby turned out all right in the end”.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed novel The Great Gatsby incorporates many dynamic characters and situations into the world of the Roaring Twenties. Given the title, many readers will argue over whether the main character, Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man who throws elaborate parties, was truly great or not. The true definition of great is one who is selfless, pure of any illegal actions, and who doesn’t lie. Gatsby rebelled against all of these characteristics. Gatsby was selfish, committed illegal actions and lied about his overall past. Using these three reasons, one can prove that Jay Gatsby was not as great as some believed him to be.

Gatsby is a symbolic figure created by James Gatz; an idea of who he wanted to become to please himself and fill his incompleteness. Freud said the symbolic was an “idea of the self that depends on an idea of the loss of the self because we cannot recognize selfhood unless we compare it to its absence” (Parker. 140). James Gatz’ absences come primarily from his low self-esteem, insecurities, and regression.

The book begs an interesting question about morals, especially during the time where money was the end-all-be-all. Bootlegging seems innately wrong, and we are so quick to label it as such. However, a character like Gatsby is morally ambiguous and it is difficult to label him as truly good or evil.

Gatsby was a gorgeous man who spent his whole life sleeping, Dreaming up his spectacular ending, with Daisy for safekeeping. But while he was asleep he missed out on the harsh reality: Below his rose tinted sleeping mask, he was a Buchanan wannabe. Gatsby often stood with his arm outstretched in longing, Towards the luminescent green light, whose distance seemed prolonging.

The novel The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. The novel is set in the 1920s in New York. The main character, Jay Gatsby, is on a journey to achieve acceptance in society. Fitzgerald uses motifs to emphasize that the characters Tom, Daisy, and Myrtle are indirectly responsible for Gatsby’s death.

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays society’s role in transforming one’s identity by creating complex and realistic characters. Jay Gatsby is a prime example of how one will change themselves to accommodate society. Once a poor son from a farming family, Gatsby puts up an extravagant facade to hopefully win a woman over, however in the process, puts aside morals and values. Fitzgerald demonstrates the importance of social expectations, wealth and the perception of the American Dream are in determining one’s identity.

Gatsby’s mentality of obtaining wealth through illegitimate means adds to the idea that such ambition results in a loss of human morals and identity. Jay Gatsby, once a poor farmer of the Midwest, transforms himself into a wealthy and charming man living amongst the rich in Long Island, New York. As a child, Gatsby dreams of a future where he will become someone better, more specifically someone richer. Over time, his wish manifests in him transforming himself into an entirely different person. In fact, Jay Gatsby is not even his real name, rather James Gatz. The truth is “that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his

When Daisy tells hims she cannot claim she does not love her husband Tom, it deflates Gatsby. He can't believe it. But Daisy is also deceitful because she does still love Gatsby but won't confess it either. Tom sees something going on, but in an attempt to prove that Gatsby does not threaten him, he lets Gatsby and Daisy drive together from the city back to their homes in West Egg. This drives turns tragic as well when Gatsby's car hits and kills Myrtle, Tom's lover and Mr. Wilson girlfriend. There is more deception when Gatsby tells everyone it was himself driving the car when in fact it really was Daisy. Tom tells Mr. Wilson about the accident and Mr. Wilson goes mad, killing Gatsby and then himself.

The act of deception could be done for many reasons, whether it be for love or personal gain. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby deceives others for both his personal gain and love. While Jay Gatsby lives day by day deceiving others, he thinks not much of it. Fitzgerald portrays Jay Gatsby as a man who is wealthy and as some may say “living the life” however, Jay Gatsby is merely a mask put on by James Gatz, the same man, to live the life he has always wanted. Once known as Jay Gatsby to all, he is living a two sided life and as time goes by he finds it hard to manage. In this novel, Fitzgerald shows the struggles and consequences of deception through Jay Gatsby putting on a mask and living a false life.

Gatsby’s story, to many, is one of perseverance and determination at its finest. He devotes all his money and energy to the relatable dream of making life as fulfilling as possible. Gatsby is named “great” because of the desirable prosperity that he accumulates in a short time. Despite this material accomplishment, he should be condemned for turning into a criminal to actualize his dream. Secrets about his money are only revealed later in the book, horrifying readers who were kept in suspense about his past. “He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter” (Fitzgerald 133) is one example of confirmation that Gatsby was involved in illegal activities. He is an immoral man. There is an absence of discretion or guilt when Gatsby spends his unlawful earnings on lavish parties and a mansion. Clearly, he is not ashamed. Readers understand the statement

Without rules and regulations the wealthy can live very extravagant lushes lives but there are consequences for dishonesty. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby dishonesty supplies a method of creating escape from consequence for the wealthy. The wealthy feels as if they are better than the other classes and can lie. Without consequences, Fitzgerald shows this by using diction to show how dishonest behavior, manmade privileges, and social mannerisms cause the wealthy to live recklessly without consequences. Throughout this book gatsby's choice lead him to his ultimate downfall.

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby manifests of the corruption of American society through his immoral values and manipulative nature.