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How Does Daisy Corrupt In The Great Gatsby

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Jay Gatsby from Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is a complex character. He is shrouded by an aura of mystery from the beginning of the novel and certain aspects of his personality are unclear. Gatsby’s corrupt route to wealth and the fake front that he displays, both to win the love Daisy, make him an ambiguous character. His moral ambiguity expresses the corrupt American dream of the 1920’s, a fake concept that influenced people to obtain wealth and social status in illicit ways. Everything that Gatsby ever did, his wealth, his social status, and his complete new personality, have all been for Daisy. The corrupted and illegal ways in which Gatsby achieved his great wealth make it unclear whether good or evil notions drive him. Nick notes his immense wealth when he exclaims that Gatsby’s mansion is a “colossal affair by any standard” (5). Nick later learns from Jordan that “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (79). These two quotes show that Gatsby’s wealth is not just for his own personal …show more content…

This declaration hints that Gatsby earned his wealth in a distasteful manner. Mr. Wolfshiem has ties in the bootlegging business and supposedly “He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919”(74). Tom assumes that Gatsby got his money from the bootlegging business since he is acquainted with a man like Mr. Wolfshiem. The calls that Gatsby receives in his home are suspicious and draw to the conclusion that Gatsby earns his money in illicit ways. However, his money is new money, which is not held to the same standard as old money. Owl Eyes catches this fact when he states “This fella’s a regular Belasco”(46) meaning that Gatsby isn’t from old money. So Gatsby builds a new personality, trying to act and look like he’s from old money and that he belongs in the same social class as

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