Corruption of the American Dream
...ltimately denies him the right to his child, so instead of being proud and excited over what he has obtained, he feels disappointed and “so alone”(1153). This displays the extreme corruption of a belief that has become focused on materialistic acquisition. If attaining wealth was an indication of success and well being then Charlie would be a happy man. Charlie has financial stability but he does not have his daughter and this leaves him feeling empty. Charlie has an understanding for this corruption yet is unable to avoid it. He realizes that society has lost its values. Charlie is an individual who “believed in character” and wanted to hold it as “the eternal valuable element” (1142). He recognizes the need to return to the fundamental principles of character and trust yet is unable to escape the cycle. His realization comes too late. Charlie has already made too many mistakes in his past and is stuck in this never ending succession. Charlie gets so caught up in establishing financial security that he “recognizes too late the worth of old values” (Higgins 124). He is stuck in the mindset that financial success will set him free. He puts forth a great deal of effort but he is unable to obtain happiness. Charlie regains his financial status but in the end he “lost everything he wanted in the boom” (1152). He is left with his money but is very lonely and unsatisfied. To those around Charlie, he appears to have it all. He has made up his lost wealth and he feels that he is on the right track. Ironically, in working to provide substance of a better life for Honoria, the corruption of wealth again hinders his dream. He thinks that all these possessions will persuade Marion to give Honoria back to him but instead this causes Marion to become jealous of him and she decides to prevent Charlie from fulfilling his goal. Marion claims to be angry with Charlie over her dead sister when in fact she appears to be “jealous over [his] former wealth” and “present financial security” (Petry 155). Again, money which mistakenly becomes the driving force behind the “American Dream”, is the cause of corruption. The money does not bring any joy to anyone but rather splits this family apart. There are unkind feelings exchanged between Marion and Charlie. Also, Marion becomes so bothered by his success that she chooses to keep Charlie from obtaining the one thing he wants most in his life. Charlie works to earn money but there is no happy ending, only the continued separation of two people that love each other. Jay Gatsby is another prime example of how an individual can mistake the accumulation of wealth as a road to automatic happiness. Through his actions it becomes clear that Gatsby lacks the understanding that money is not everything. In fact, he believes quite the opposite, that “money can accomplish anything” (Higgins 55). For Gatsby money is the end all tool for accomplishing his goals. He is so intent on acquiring riches that he even goes about doing it in very suspect and corrupt way. This conveys the lack of honesty found in the original ideals of this dream. For an individual to be so engulfed in material possessions Fitzgerald makes it clear that the “corruption of wealth” is one of the major “aspects of the fallacious American dream” (Higgins 59-60). Gatsby’s actions as a character reflect the poor misconception held by many Americans at the time when it was written. By showing Gatsby’s distorted views one can get a clear understanding for what Fitzgerald is saying about society. The audience can get a sense of “the inadequacy of Gatsby’s romantic view of wealth” (Donaldson 266). Gatsby appears ridiculous because he is so consumed in pleasing Daisy with wealth. He has to have everything to make her happy and believes that all his money is what will bring her to him. There is no rational thought involved in his ideas. He is very much like Charlie in that he feels by gaining wealth that he will be capable to have the person he wants to be with. He becomes so stuck in this pattern that he can not escape it. Although this financial success is almost enough to draw in a shallow individual like Daisy, his thought process reflects the lack of consideration for values and personality. Gatsby has an “insecure grasp of social and human values” and this leads him to “the pitfalls that surround him” and his eventual downfall (Bewley 140). In showing these qualities in Gatsby, Fitzgerald is commenting on how society lost focus of the important characteristics in life. He illustrates how such a focus on wealth and material gain can lead to such severe corruption. Gatsby’s largest problem is that he does not understand morals and character. He has lost all sense of honor and respect in a quest of great wealth. Through him one can get an understanding of how those traits are forgotten in a dream where money appears to equal pleasure. Despite his drive for material possessions, Gatsby mentions a love for Daisy. However, this is very ironic because Daisy herself is a shallow individual. Gatsby’s trying to win her over is like trying to obtain another possession. Gatsby is so lost in her beauty and elegance that he neglects to see her for who she is. He has spent so much time trying to get her to be with him that it no longer matters. Gatsby is under the misconception that since he has reached great financial status that he is ready to have her and his expected happiness. He gets really close and has “brie...