All throughout the turn of the century and the early 1900s, the working class and progressive lawmakers worked towards removing the corporate stranglehold on the layman. While The Great Gatsby may not directly talk about progressive ideals and corporations, Fitzgerald shows himself to have beliefs related to that cause. All throughout the novel, Fitzgerald argues that the wealthy only care about themselves and their own wants, and will leave others in their dust to deal with the mess. From affairs to love to death to illicit activities, the wealthy, most notably Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom, among others, consistently disregard the consequences of their actions. Exemplary of this is Meyer Wolfsheim’s rigging of the 1919 World Series, an event that …show more content…
It is fitting that the prime example supporting the thesis would be Gatsby. Throughout the novel it becomes increasingly clear that Gatsby’s life is centered upon Daisy, and he will do whatever it takes to have her. While he may partake in more innocent activity, such as throwing lavish parties, in order to attract his beloved, Gatsby didn’t shy away from illegalities. As exposed by Tom on page 133, Gatsby sold bootlegged alcohol, in conflict with the 18th Amendment. This was a discrepancy that the Women’s Temperance Movement would have surely deemed the cause of household distress and income losses across the nation. Gatsby acted illegally in order to make money to impress Daisy, but by being selfish, he didn’t care about the consequences of his actions. Most tellingly, when he and Daisy ran over Myrtle, they keep driving, not even stopping to see if she’s okay (143). Gatsby later tells Nick that he had told Daisy that Myrtle was probably dead. Nick notes that “he spoke as if Daisy’s reaction was the only thing that mattered” (143). The feelings of …show more content…
Then, at the end of the book, she drops this bomb on Nick, leaving him “Angry, and half in love with her, and tremendously sorry” (177). Nick is left behind as just a fling, and Jordan goes on being engaged -- The way Jordan spent her summer was a selfish move, and she didn’t care about the emotions of those she left in her