Was Gatsby An Immoral Person Or Not

? Essay, Research Paper

This question about Gatsby is hard to answer, and it is wondered whether he is a moral

person or not. They are many reasons for both sides of the story. To support that he was an

immoral man it is said that he made his living in a unlawful manner, he has lived his life as a

crook just to impress a woman, and mostly because he never does anything to help anyone.

Saying this, there is also another side of things. Gatsby is a bad person that has an alternate

personality which is loved. The reasons for this are, he has showed compassion for a woman and

is willing to do anything to for her, and mostly because of his quest to live out the American

Dream. For the fact alone that it is wanted for Gatsby to get his most wanted possession, which is

Daisy, a love of his character is developed. But is this enough to outweigh his immoral lifestyle?

Gatsby has lived his life in an unlawful manner, he has lived his life as a crook just to

impress a woman, and he has never truly done anything to help anyone, because he is selfish and

only cares about two things. These things are Daisy, and himself. Gatsby is a crook, and a

bootlegger. He is also involved with one of the most villainous people around, Meyer

Wolfsheim. He has lived his life as a liar, and a cheat. Nobody really knows where Gatsby gets

his money, and he had many rumors going around by how he has obtained it. This is for two

reasons, because he has been very secretive and does not talk to many people about this subject,

and because of the way the people in the town are, and they have expanded and changed the

rumors in which they have heard. All that he has worked to obtain in his life has only been for

one person, Daisy. She is a person who only loves the wealthy lifestyle, and didn?t really love

any man, but she loved their money. Gatsby was not smart enough to realize this. He let his

infatuation with a horrible woman take over his mind. Lastly, throughout the whole novel they

speak about what Gatsby does for Daisy. What did he do for anyone else? He did absolutely

nothing, except maybe making a friend in Nick. Even though it is saddening that Gatsby has

struggled to fulfill his dream of getting Daisy, the whole time he did it for all the wrong reasons.

This is what makes him a corrupt person. Even his only true friend didn?t think he was a good

man. Nick says, ? It was the only complement I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him

from beginning to end ?( Fitzgerald 162).

There is also a whole other side to Gatsby that can be described in two ways. That he had

a deep compassion for a woman that anyone could respect, and how he fought his whole life to

live the American dream. Even though Gatsby has lived an immoral lifestyle, and has done

numerous bad things, you must look at why he did them. He was striving for the thing he wanted

the most, and he would do anything he possibly could to try and get it. This love he had shows

another side of Gatsby that is not really exposed. Gatsby has done what a lot of people have tried

to do, and he has had the same unhappy outcome. It can be looked at what he is trying so hard to

accomplish, and he is loved for it. As Nick said, ?You are worth the whole damn bunch put

together ?(Fitzgerald 162). Nick has realized what Gatsby has lived for, and even though he may

not agree he still understands.

In conclusion, Gatsby has lived his life in the totally wrong fashion, but he also has done

something that you can only show respect for. He wanted something, and he tried as hard as he

possibly could to get it. So, as the book goes on it is realized that Gatsby gets worse and worse as

a person, and this is why it is believed that he is immoral and is a very wicked person. This

should not be thought, because the only reason he keeps getting worse is because at the same

time his love grows stronger and stronger towards Daisy. He is just trying to win her heart, and

he never will because even if he was not killed, his chances were slim because they were two

opposite people. This is why from the start Daisy married Tom, because all she needed was the

rich lifestyle provided by a man, and not the companionship and love from the actual man.