People who lived in the 1920s had a skewed sense of morality. The American Dream was changed when the men serving the country came back from World War I. They had left the country as sheltered boys and came back as corrupted men wanting to drink, smoke, and have sex. This type of behavior contributed to the novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. People were no longer hard-working citizens, but rather self indulgent individuals. In The Great Gatsby, skewed morality is portrayed through Jordan Baker, who displays dishonesty, and Tom Buchanan, who displays hypocrisy. Jordan Baker’s skewed morality lies within her incurable dishonesty. She owes all her popularity to her golfing success; however, her success is based on lies. It was made known that Jordan Baker cheated at golf; this proves her ability to be dishonest. Nick Carraway also accuses Jordan of cheating at life, saying she chooses men that she will be able to lie to in order to maintain her advanced persona. Jordan Baker sees nothing wrong with lying to get people to believe she is better than them. Her ethic approved dishonesty, just as Tom Buchanan’s ethic approved hypocrisy. …show more content…
When Tom discovers the affair his wife Daisy has been having with Jay Gatsby, he was outraged. He disproved of Daisy being with another man even though he had had multiple affairs, even one that caused his family to have to pack up their home and move to a new city. Tom’s affairs were anything but discrete. While Daisy was with Gatsby, Tom had been with Myrtle Wilson and he did not keep this a secret. Myrtle was even introduced to Nick by Tom as his “girlfriend.” By failing to see the similarities in his and his wife’s actions, Tom believes he is right to accuse Daisy of her actions. His sense of morality was no longer one of a hard working man, but of a self indulged
At her first big golf tournament, there had been speculation concerning Jordan moving her ball from a bad lie, indicating her defiance of the rules of the game as well as her habits of being dishonest and being a cheater. Many women of this time would not find the need to cheat and be dishonest, and therefore it just shows Miss Baker's ability to free herself from conformity, to do what she believes and feels is right -- whatever is needed to be successful in the world. Another important scene is when, at the end of the story, Jordan tells Nick she is engaged to another man, showing her ability to make her own decisions. She figures out that Nick is having second thoughts, tries to forget about him, and stops wasting her time with him, saying, 'I don't give a damn about you now.'; She has the ability to think for herself -- a quality many women from her time lacked.
First of all, Nick knew from almost the very beginning about Tom’s affair with George Wilson’s wife, Myrtle. Tom introduced Nick to her personally and the three of them, among another couple, spent the afternoon in a hotel getting drunk and partying. Tom clearly had no shame about cheating on Daisy if he was willing to introduce his mistress to his wife’s second cousin. Despite the fact that Tom having a mistress was “insisted upon wherever he was known,” (pg. 24),
Tom is unloyal to his wife, Daisy as he has cheated on her multiple times. In the novel, it shows that Tom starts cheating on Daisy only a few months after their marriage with a chambermaid. The chambermaid and Tom have gotten into a road incident and went on the newspaper: “Tom ran into a wagon on the Ventura road one night, and ripped a front wheel off his car. The girl who was with him got into the papers, too, because her arm was broken — she was one of the chambermaids in the Santa Barbara Hotel” (Fitzgerald 77). Which infers that Tom is cheating on Daisy with a chambermaid, as for why else would a chambermaid be alone with Tom in his car? Later, Tom hooks up with Myrtle and doesn’t feel ashamed of himself cheating on Daisy. He gets phone calls from Myrtle in front of Daisy’s face and he delightfully introduces Myrtle to Daisy’s cousin, Nick. Tom is not even making an effort of trying to hide his affair as he doesn’t feel that cheating on his wife is a disgraceful thing. He doesn’t care about Daisy’s feelings as she has to accept the fact that her husband
Throughout the story of the The Great Gatsby, secrecy is a recurring theme.Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan are a married couple who live a luxurious life on the East Egg in New York. While having dinner with Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker, Tom received a call and left the room. Daisy follows him, leaving Nick and Jordan alone. When Nick tries to speak Jordan shushes him and says she wants to hear what's happening between Tom and Daisy. “I thought everyone knew… Tom’s got some woman in New York"(Fitzgerald 15). Tom has a mistress in New York. The reader later finds out that her name Myrtle Wilson, the wife of George Wilson, who doesn't even know about the relationship between the his wife and Tom. As stated by Tom “Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister up in New York. He’s so dumb he doesn't even know he is alive”(Fitzgerald 26). The secret is kept between almost everyone as implied by Jordan but kept hidden from George Wilson. This secret creates dilemma in the relationship between Daisy and Tom causing Daisy to feel unwanted
Jordan Baker is careless, nosey and reckless throughout the novel and this behavior throughout the novel causes Nick Carraway to break off communication with her. “A subdued impassioned murmur was audible in the room beyond and Miss Baker leaned forward, unashamed, trying to hear.” (19), in this scene Jordan Baker and Nick Carraway have just met, and she is being nosey by snooping into the
So, Tom is able to continue his relationship with Daisy, even though he had no interest in her at the beginning, by moving her away from Gatsby. Therefore, it can be seen that due to his wealth, Tom is able to be careless and dangerous with his actions since he does little to stop the affair between Daisy and Gatsby, abuses Myrtle and cheats on Daisy. However, while Tom uses his money to continue his careless and dangerous action, Daisy uses her money to stay irresponsible with her actions.
Nick and Tom were best friends in college, but hadn’t really talked much since then. When Nick visits Tom and Daisy one afternoon, he learns from Jordan Baker, Daisy’s friend, that Tom has a mistress. “‘Why-’ she said hesitantly, ‘Tom’s got some woman in New York.’ ” (Fitzgerald 15) This gives Nick reason to not like Tom and give him reason to tell Daisy, but he doesn’t. The next morning, Tom invites Nick to go to lunch with him in the city and Tom takes him to see his mistress-Nick does not want to, but he humors Tom. Tom’s mistress’ name is Myrtle Wilson. Nick does not agree with this, although he does keep it a secret. Nick listens to Tom and keeps his secret from Daisy, even though she already knows. Even though Nick develops a negative impression of Tom, he plays a role as a major confidant towards him.
Daisy sees this as does almost the exact same thing, only with Gatsby. By expressing this carelessness for each other, one can only begin to imagine the carelessness they have for other human beings. Tom treats Myrtle even worse than he treats Daisy, but Myrtle doesn’t seem to care, because she is mainly interested in his money. Tom doesn’t seem to worry about anyone but himself. In his own spite he ruins his life, as well as Daisy’s, Gatsby’s, and Myrtle’s. Daisy shows her carelessness during the time where Jordan, Tom, Daisy, Nick and Gatsby go to town. Her and Gatsby act like they are in love and make Tom incredibly jealous even though he is having his own affair. Tom accuses Gatsby of trying to start trouble in the Buchanan house, and they begin to fight. Daisy yells at Tom and tells him that she no longer loves him and is in love with Gatsby. Tom proceeds to tell everyone how Gatsby came across his money, and once Daisy finds out it was by illegal gambling and crime, she seems much less interested in him. Daisy appears to be more interested on what is on the outside of people, rather than the inside.
Tom’s relationship with Myrtle has no intimacy; it is solely to avoid attachment to Daisy. Nick describes Myrtle as a “smoldering woman with an immediately perceptible vitality.”(30).Tom brings Myrtle to fancy restaurants around his male friends so he can boost his selfdom which proves his distance from emotion to Myrtle and Daisy rather than love and devotion to the women. Tom’s interest in other woman has become so habitual that Daisy has come to be accustomed with it. At one of Gatsby’s parties, Tom tells Daisy he wants to eat dinner with a group of strangers rather than her and Daisy responds by offering a “little gold pencil” in case he wants to take adresses down of other women.
The Great Gatsby is a novel that illustrates the society in the 1920's and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up be what is termed the "American Dream", a dream of money, wealth, prosperity and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of American upper-class society. This underworld infiltrated the upper echelons and created such a moral decay within general society that paved the way for the ruining of dreams and dashing of hopes as they were placed confidently in the chance for opportunities that could be seized by one and all. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the
In many instances, Gatsby showed signs of selflessness. But, if the reader were to dig deeper into the roots of the story, they will be able to see that under the kind acts and good deeds, Gatsby’s intentions were always selfish. After the car scene, Tom, Jordan, Daisy and Nick returned to Daisy and Tom’s house. As Gatsby waits outside of the home, Nick, unknowingly, asks Gatsby whether or not Daisy was driving. Gatsby replies saying, “Yes, but of course I’ll say I was” (Fitzgerald 143). When Gatsby took Daisy’s place in the murder of Myrtle, although seeming kind-hearted, his only reason for this was to earn Daisy’s love and to impress her. Gatsby has somewhat put up an image of himself to be the pure and almighty man that deserves Daisy more. Meyer Wolfshiem, Gatsby’s business partner, mentions to Nick of Gatsby’s chivalrous actions towards women saying, “Yeah, Gatsby’s very careful about women. He would never so much look at a friend’s wife” (Fitzgerald 72). Although Meyer Wolfshiem’s comment on Gatsby about him being a gentleman, and how he would never look at another man’s wife, Gatsby proceeds to exceed all expectations and have an affair with Tom’s wife, Daisy Buchanan. Yes, some might say his only reason for doing so was out of true love and destiny but, in either case, it was morally wrong. In every action that Gatsby commits for Daisy, his selfishness secretly hides beneath it, shading itself from light so no one will approach the real man that lurks behind the curtains of self pride.
Continuing with the examination of the characters we come to Daisy. In chapter 1, the reader will read of how Tom had been having an adulterous relationship with Myrtle. One may actually have some type of sympathy for Daisy. However there is a time in which Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy were all at Gatsby’s house. While in the house Gatsby was giving a tour of the house with Nick and Daisy,
His actions show that he is not loyal nor respectful towards Daisy, instead displaying apathy and disinterest. In addition to acting uncompassionate towards Daisy, he is also not taking into consideration Myrtle’s feelings. In fact, he lies to her in order to stop himself from being forced into a committed relationship. This lie that Tom tells Myrtle is not only extremely false, but also shows he is simply using her. “It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce” (Fitzgerald 33). Tom lying to Myrtle shows he has no intention of marrying her, instead he only wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state. Myrtle is unhappy and desperate to fulfill her dream of moving up social classes. Instead of acting sympathetically towards her situation, he exploits her weakness. Likewise, Daisy and Gatsby’s affair shows similar exploitation for one’s own personal needs over the emotions of their counterpart. Without Tom’s knowledge, Daisy has an affair with her long lost love, Gatsby. Then they sauntered over to my house and sat on the steps for half an hour… (Fitzgerald 105). During this affair Daisy shows no acknowledgement of Tom’s feelings, the man she married and pledged to be loyal to. At the same time, she is also exploiting Gatsby. Authors say, “...his desire to marry Daisy as an attempt to enter/create
The Great Gatsby a, novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, follows a cast of characters abiding in the town of East and West Egg on affluent Long Island in the summer of 1922. Each of the characters, while part of the same story line, have different priorities and agendas, each character working towards achieving what they think would benefit them the most. As The Great Gatsby’s plot thickens the characters constantly show their discontent of the American Dream that they are living, always expressing their greed for more, three particular offenders of this deadly sin are Tom, Daisy and Gatsby himself. The characters motives stem from a mixture of boredom, a need and longing for the american dream, and simple selfish human
As seen in society today as well as in Fitzgerald’s time, men will have affairs outside of their marriages, and the wife, falls victim to this violation of faith. Daisy falls victim to Tom’s affair with Myrtle: “Daisy’s affection for Tom…was soon shattered by his breech of her trust” (Fryer 51). Matters take an abrupt turn in the novel however, when Daisy’s sudden insistence for honesty emerges. At the hotel in the city, when Gatsby pressures her into proclaiming that she never loved Tom she can no longer bear the anxiety. She refuses to deny her love of Tom.