Great Gatsby - Corruption
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilized characterization in order to expose the corruption of the inhabitants of East Egg. Three inhabitants of "the wasteland": Tom, Myrtle, and Daisy are depicted as self-absorbed aristocrats whose love for themselves by far outweighs their love for each other. The way Tom composes himself around other characters reveals how self-absorbed he is. Myrtle is an impulsive person that uses other characters, namely Tom and George Wilson. Daisy, also self-absorbed, is portrayed as parasitic because of the way she uses and betrays Gatsby. Tom is a character of direct action based on his self-preservation. When Nick and Jordan were eating dinner at the Buchanans' house, Tom "frowned, pushed back his chair and without a word went inside." This gives the impression that he is only interested in his own affair and not the least bit concerned that he left his guests alone. Tom cheats on Daisy with Myrtle and does not feel the least bit guilty. When Tom, Nick, and Myrtle were in their New York apartment, Tom broke Myrtle's nose because he wan
ted to keep his dignity when she was shouting daisy's name. "Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." This clearly exposes Tom as a man of direct action based on his self-preservation. After Myrtle was killed, Tom becomes scared when George Wilson says he knew "what kind of car" killed his wife. "Watching Tom I saw the wad of muscle on the back of his shoulder tighten under his shirt." Tom, in another episode of his self-preservation, picked up George Wilson and shut him into the garage office. Ultimately, Tom's self-preservation led to the destruction of Jay Gatsby and like a coward, he fled from New York. Daisy Buchanan is introduced as self-centered and parasitic, and lives up to each of these traits. Nick's first impression of her, when he sees her on the couch, is essentially cold, "with a conscientious expression", showing that she is cautious about how others perceive her. Daisy's love for her husband is materialistic, she loves him only for his money and possessions, but deep down inside she is still longing for Gatsby's gesture
Some common words found in the essay are:
Daisy Buchanan, South Seas, Myrtle Daisy, Myrtle Tom, Tom Buchanan, Nick Jordan, George Wilson, Myrtle York, Watching Tom, York Myrtle's, george wilson, direct action based, protect social status, myrtle daisy, protect social, self-absorbed aristocrats, social status, myrtle's death, direct action, action based, action based self-preservation, tom myrtle daisy, based self-preservation, betrays gatsby,
Approximate Word count = 733
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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