Berg 1

Anne Berg

Dr. Ferd Asya

English 323 American Modernism

19 April 2017

Wealth Destroys Morals in The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the reader is introduced to a group of

individuals living in the Jazz Age, a time of chaotic change in which almost all morals are lost,

who are doing anything and everything to gain and keep access to money. The narrator, Nick, is

able to show that Tom, Daisy, Jordan, Gatsby, and Myrtle all view money, and the amount they

believe they need, in a different way, and yet, the entire group believes that money is the one

thing that will give them complete happiness. Whether they have it, they are making it, they want

it, or they have gained access to it, the characters in this novel firmly believe that money has the

power to make their dreams come true. Unfortunately, throughout the novel, Nick is able to show

that the power money truly has, is its ability to destroy dreams and morals, as well as alienate

each of the characters from the life he or she originally wanted to live. As a modernist, F. Scott

Fitzgerald uses each characters obsession with money to show the extent of the loss of morals

during the Jazz Age. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is redolent with the illusion that

money can buy happiness, and it is as a result of this pursuit of illusion, that Nick is able to show

that Tom, Daisy, Jordan, Gatsby, and Myrtle lose track of their morals, and consequently their

happiness.

During the Jazz Age there are two social statuses that seem to matter the most above any

other: Old and New Money. Tom, Daisy, and Jordan are all Old Money, and have therefore

grown up with, and now have control of, huge amounts of money. It is because of this that they
 Berg 2

see money as the most important thing that they have, while at the same time seeing it as mostly

disposable. They have been surrounded by money their entire lives and do not know how to live

without it, and as a result, they understand that it is important that they always have it. Yet, they

are also capable of throwing it away on unnecessary items, as well as treating others that are less

fortunate as disposable. They are selfish, care about money more than anything else, and truly

believe that they are better than any other group. New Money contains the group of people that

could possibly have even more money than Old Money, but that will always be lower on the

rungs of the social ladder. This group of people did not grow up with money, but, whether

through luck, hard work, or illegal actions, they have become extremely rich. Besides being new

to money, they are also new to everything that comes with money. They do not understand the

social rules that come with money, and because of this, those that are affiliated with Old Money

look down on those qualified as New Money. Gatsby represents the New Money group and he

definitely does not understand the world of money. He has an air of mystery around him because

no one really knows how he got his money. He also throws extravagant parties to garner the

attention of those around him, but specifically Daisy. Because he did not grow up with money,

he has an actual purpose for making money and showing it off. Old and New Money are the

biggest social groups in The Great Gatsby and they show the reader a lot about the topic of

money.

Tom is the first of the Old Money that the reader is introduced to, and Nick states that,

His family were enormously wealthy Even in college his freedom with money was a matter of

reproach but now hed left Chicago and come East in a fashion that rather took your breath

away (Fitzgerald, 6). Not only does he have an extreme amount of money, but he also knows

how to show it. He does not care about spending his money sparingly; rather he spends his vast
 Berg 3

money on a large home and property in order to make everyone around him jealous of his

wealth. He is extremely arrogant, something obvious not only in the way he acts, but also in the

way he looks. Nick describes him as having Two shining arrogant eyes that established

dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward

(Fitzgerald, 7). Tom knows what he has and what it means to everyone around him, and he uses

this to his benefit, intimidating others to get what he wants. This act of intimidation, as well as

his constant supply of arrogance, makes Tom a person that many others do not want to be around

for long periods of time. In fact, his money is the one thing that keeps him from spending all of

his time alone. His money is what gets him a mistress in Myrtle, as well as what keeps Daisy

from leaving him. Tom realizes that he is not very well liked, although he does not necessarily

grasp the real reason. This is evident when he states, I know Im not very popular. I dont give

big parties. I suppose youve got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have any friends

in the modern world (Fitzgerald, 130). He believes that the only reason he is not well liked is

because he does not throw enormous parties like Gatsby. Tom is so blinded by his wealth based

superiority that lacking friends does not bother him nearly as much as someone below him

socially, having relationships with the few people he considers friends. Tom does not like that

times are changing. He believes that the Jazz Age is full of ignorant people who believe that they

are on his level, and even though he is not entirely participating in these times, he has still lost

his morals because of his obsession with his wealth and the way that it sets him apart from

everyone else. One of the most obvious examples of his lost morals is his relationship with

Myrtle. Not only is having an adulterous relationship a sign of lost morals, but Tom also does not

care who knows about it. This is evident when Nick says, His acquaintances resented the fact

that he turned up in popular restaurants with her and, leaving her at a table, sauntered about,
 Berg 4

chatting with whomsoever he knew (Fitzgerald, 24). The fact that others resent the way that

Tom acts with Myrtle, but he does it anyway, also shows that he does not care for anyone else in

the world but himself, which just further establishes his lack of morals.

Daisy is the second Old Money character that the reader is introduced to, and she seems

to be the one who cares the most about holding on to her money, even if it means losing out on a

chance at happiness. Daisy knows that Tom is cheating on her, and yet she stays with him. She

should care about herself enough to at least want to leave him, but she cares only about the

stability that this marriage supplies her. This shows that Daisy never really had morals to begin

with, which can be attributed to not only the time period, but also the wealth she was raised in.

Her complete lack of morals is evident when she is talking about the birth of her daughter and

she states, Im glad its a girl. And I hope shell be a fool thats the best thing a girl can be in

this world, a beautiful little fool (Fitzgerald, 17). Daisy realizes that everyone, including herself,

is starting to lose his or her morals, and she decides that it is a good thing not to have morals.

Without morals she cannot care what other people do, because she does not even care what she

does. And of course, she also has an affair with Gatsby. Not only does the affair show a lack of

morals, but also her reasoning for not staying with him shows her obsession with money. Daisy

does love Gatsby and seems genuinely happy with him, but that is not enough of a reason for her

to stay. She realizes that Gatsbys income might not be as constant as she would like it to be, and

as a result she chooses Tom over him. When she realizes the truth behind Gatsbys money and

where it comes from she quickly withdraws from the situation. This is noticeable when Nick

states, Her frightened eyes told that whatever intentions, whatever courage she had had, were

definitely gone (Fitzgerald, 135). She abandons her chance at happiness and stays with her

cheating husband, not because she is worried about how Gatsby gets his money, but about how
 Berg 5

long he will be able to keep the money. And of course, the biggest indicator for her lack of

morals is when she kills Myrtle and lets Gatsby take the fall for it. This just shows her Old

Money status, and the fact that no matter what she does she can get away with it because of her

money and status. A perfect quote to describe Daisy, as well as Tom, is shown when Nick states,

They were careless people, Tom and Daisy they smashed up things and creatures and then

retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them

together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made (Fitzgerald, 179). In the end

Daisy does not care what happens to anyone but herself. This is as a result of her Old Money

ties, as well as her lack of morals due to the time, as well as her obsession with money.

Jordan is the last of the Old Money and the most modern of the three. She spends a lot of

time doing things on her own, like golfing, and she uses her money in order to seem more

powerful. The way she spends her time, along with her upbringing is relevant with the time and

the reason she has lost her morals. She is also very careless and believes that it is the job of

others to keep out of her way. This is obvious when she is having a conversation with Nick about

driving and he accuses her of being a bad driver. She says it does not matter if she is a good

driver or not, Theyll keep out of my wayIt takes two to make an accident (Fitzgerald, 58).

She trusts others to take care of her own mistakes, rather than being more careful herself. This is

due, in part, to her upbringing. Having money makes one significantly more careless than having

no money does. If a person is poor, he or she has to be extremely careful not to get in to a sticky

situation, because there really is not a way out. However, once money is thrown about, it

becomes extremely easy to get out of any situation. Jordan is not only careless in the way she

acts; she is also careless in the way she speaks. She is basically incapable of telling the truth.

This is noted when Nick describes her as, incurably dishonest (Fitzgerald, 58). She lies about
 Berg 6

everything, even when it is extremely unnecessary, just because she can. Because of wealth she

can easily get away with lying. If someone else, especially someone with less money than her,

claims that she is lying, she can easily turn the tables on him or her because she has more power.

This is noticeable when Nick remembers an incident involving her golfing, in which she was

accused of moving the ball so she could get a better spot. He states, The thing approached the

proportions of a scandal then died away. A caddy retracted his statement, and the only other

witness admitted that he might have been mistaken (Fitzgerald, 57). Because it was only a

caddy that made the statement about her cheating, it was easy to get rid of the whole ordeal. The

caddy does not have money, but Jordan does, therefore he was mistaken about the whole issue.

Jordan only cares about getting to, and staying at, the top, and she does not care about how she

gets there, or who she hurts along the way. Of course, just like the other characters, her obsession

with money results in her losing her happiness. Her and Nick are in a relationship for most of the

book, and they might actually love each other. But in the end he leaves New York and, as a

result, her because he needs to get away from this extreme obsession with money. Rather than

realizing that it is half her fault, Jordan continues to blame others, in this case Nick, for her

mistakes when she says, You said a bad driver was only safe until she met another bad driver?

Well, I met another bad driver, didnt I? I mean it was careless of me to take such a wrong guess.

I thought you were rather an honest, straightforward person (Fitzgerald, 177). She finally admits

that she was careless, yet, she still holds on to the belief that if she had not met another careless

person she would have been fine. Instead of blaming herself for losing Nick, she blames Nick for

leaving her. In the end she is left alone with her unhappiness, but overall she still has her money

and her pride, and that is all that really matters to her.
 Berg 7

There are so many issues involved with Old Money, but that does not necessarily mean

that those in the New Money group are any better off. Gatsby spent the beginning of his life with

barely any money, but he always wanted more with his life. This becomes extremely evident

when he meets and falls in love with Daisy, the only problem being that he does not have enough

money to keep her. Even though Gatsby has always wanted to make something of himself, it is

not until he loses Daisy that he decides that extreme wealth is the best way for this to happen. In

his search for wealth, and Daisys heart, Gatsby loses his morals because he wants wealth as

quickly as possible. Prohibition is a huge issue at this time and Gatsby makes the most of it by

selling illegal alcohol. And he does not seem to see anything wrong with this, because it is a

means to get what he wants. These illegal activities come to the readers attention when Tom

tells everyone about it, saying, He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores

here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter (Fitzgerald, 133). The reader can

tell that this is not a good thing for Gatsby to be doing because of Toms reaction to the subject.

And yet, Gatsby sees nothing wrong with this at first, simply responding, What about it?

(Fitzgerald, 134). Even though it is illegal, Gatsby is so far gone, because of his lost morals, that

he does not see anything wrong with it at first. It is not until he realizes that Daisy is reacting

negatively to the news, that he begins to back track and act like this news is not true. This is

evident when Nick says that; He began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything,

defending his name against accusations that had not been made (Fitzgerald, 134). Gatsby does

not care about what any of the others in the group think of him, Daisy and his continued wealth

is all that matters to him. This only becomes even more evident after Daisy kills Myrtle and

Gatsby is only worried about Daisys feelings. Nick makes this known when he says, He spoke

as if Daisys reaction was the only thing that mattered (Fitzgerald, 143). He does not want to
 Berg 8

hear about Myrtle or her husband. He does not want to think about the fact that Daisy killed

someone, except for how it affected her. This shows that Gatsby has completely lost his morals

in his search for wealth and Daisys heart. In the end, his loss of morals results in him losing

Daisy, as well as his life.

Besides the two social statuses of Old and New Money, there is an underrated group, the

group of people that are at the extreme bottom of the social ladder, but whom still want to move

to the top, and quickly. Myrtle belongs to this group and she is extremely poor because of her

marriage to George Wilson. Their extreme lack of money is easily ascertained when Nick first

describes the garage that George owns, saying, The interior was unprosperous and bare; the

only car visible was the dust-covered wreck of a Ford which was crouched in a dim corner

(Fitzgerald, 25). Because of her extremely low place in life, Myrtle has to try even harder to

make it to the top, which means an even more rapid loss of morals. Out of anything in the world,

Myrtle cares the most about gaining wealth. This is why she chooses to have an affair with Tom.

She does not care that he is already married, or that he is not nice to her. All she cares about is

his extreme amount of wealth. It is because of this wealth that she holds on to the hope that he

will leave Daisy and marry her, not because she loves him, but because she wants away from her

husband and their poor life. This is evident when she is talking about when she first married

George and she states, The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made

a mistake. He borrowed somebodys best suit to get married in, and never even told me about it

(Fitzgerald, 35). Myrtle is horrified that George had to borrow a suit to get married in. It is not

until she realizes how poor they are that she decides she should not have married him. Of course

it is actually her relationship with Tom that causes her to lose all of her morals, as well as her

life. If she had cared more about her happiness and less about money, she would not have stayed
 Berg 9

in a relationship with Tom, especially when that relationship is abusive. The abusiveness of this

relationship becomes evident when Nick says, Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan

broke her nose with his open hand (Fitzgerald, 37). Not only is Myrtle having an affair, but also

it is an abusive one. This means she cares so little about her happiness that she is willing to not

only stay in an unhappy marriage, but an unhappy affair too, just for the hope of money. It is

because of this affair and strong attraction to wealth, that Myrtle loses her morals, and as a result,

her life.

The Jazz Age was a time in which money held a great concern for many people, and it is

as a result of this, that people from any walk of life, but especially those attached to Old Money,

New Money, and extreme poverty, lost their morals and consequently their happiness. F. Scott

Fitzgerald takes this focus of the Jazz Age and uses it in his novel, The Great Gatsby, to explain

why the characters of Tom, Daisy, Jordan, Gatsby, and Myrtle have the experiences and

reactions that they do throughout the book. As a modernist, Fitzgerald does not agree with the

chaotic time of the Jazz Age and he writes this book to show the extremely negative impacts that

living without morals can create. Fitzgerald uses Nick, the narrator of the story, and the only one

to realize the effect of wealth, to shine a harsh light on all of these characters. Nick describes all

of these characters and their actions in a way that the reader is able to truly see the toll that

wealth takes on them. Fitzgerald also uses Nick as the one honest person in this novel, so that the

reader is able to truly trust his accounts. This is evident when Nick describes himself, saying,

Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of

the few honest people that I have ever known (Fitzgerald, 59). Fitzgerald makes Nick the one

honest character in The Great Gatsby, and it is because of this that Nick is able to showcase that
 Berg 10

Tom, Daisy, Jordan, Gatsby, and Myrtle lose track of their morals, and as a result their

happiness, because of their obsession with wealth.

 Berg 11

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.