The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald expresses many themes; however the most noteworthy relates to the corruption of the American dream. The American dream is set of ideas that show that United States freedom includes opportunities to obtain prosperity, success, and upward social mobility through hard work no matter what an individual’s racial, religious, or economic background is (Eliassen 1). The Great Gatsby shows what the American dream was like during the 1920’s. It was time where the dream corrupted people for many different reasons. But not only did it cause corruption, it also caused destruction. In the novel, Myrtle, Gatsby and Daisy were all corrupted and destroyed by the American dream. Myrtle desired a perfect, famous, and wealthy
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Her love for Tom was infinite until she finds out the secret he has been hiding from her. Jordan confesses, “She might have the decency not to telephone him a dinner time. Don’t you think?” (Fitzgerald 20). During dinner, Tom excuses himself from the table to answer a phone call. Jordan insists to Daisy that it is the women Tom is having an affair with that is always calling. Daisy’s mind was corrupted by the American dream. In her mind, she had a happy and loving relationship with a very wealthy and successful man who loved her dearly. In reality, she couldn’t have been more wrong. Tom was verbally abusive towards her, and didn’t care for her at all. Daisy thought she had all she had ever dreamed of, but really had nothing. It all came to her when she reconnected with Gatsby. After spending a few days with him, she started to see how marrying Tom was a huge mistake. “They’re such beautiful shirts, it makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts before” (Fitzgerald 89). It’s here where Daisy realized she had not married Tom for love, but more money. She broke down thinking that she could have had both love and money if she had married Gatsby. She was blinded by the American dream. It corrupted her mindset and destroyed her chance of
Her love for Tom was infinite until she finds out the secret he has been hiding from her. Jordan confesses, “She might have the decency not to telephone him a dinner time. Don’t you think?” (Fitzgerald 20). During dinner, Tom excuses himself from the table to answer a phone call. Jordan insists to Daisy that it is the women Tom is having an affair with that is always calling. Daisy’s mind was corrupted by the American dream. In her mind, she had a happy and loving relationship with a very wealthy and successful man who loved her dearly. In reality, she couldn’t have been more wrong. Tom was verbally abusive towards her, and didn’t care for her at all. Daisy thought she had all she had ever dreamed of, but really had nothing. It all came to her when she reconnected with Gatsby. After spending a few days with him, she started to see how marrying Tom was a huge mistake. “They’re such beautiful shirts, it makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts before” (Fitzgerald 89). It’s here where Daisy realized she had not married Tom for love, but more money. She broke down thinking that she could have had both love and money if she had married Gatsby. She was blinded by the American dream. It corrupted her mindset and destroyed her chance of