Money Devalues America: Dreams and Corruption in The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald is set in post-World War I New York. Long hailed as one of the greatest American works, the novel presents a set of questionable values through an array of characters. The title character traverses class and economical differences, rising from poverty at a North Dakota farm to apparent glamour and success in New York. James Gatsby acts with relentless determination in pursuit of the woman of his dreams. Instead of a romantic tale of attainment, however, The Great Gatsby is a story of disappointment and disaster, at the core of which lies the corrupting, blinding motivator- money. Initially, Gatsby is presented as a somewhat mysterious figure, the obscure host of glamorous, exorbitant parties. He owns a huge house, much too big for the mere purpose of housing him. The vast majority of the guests at his parties come uninvited; most of them do not know who Gatsby is (47). He does not seem to be invested in his guests but rather in the spectacle...