doing wrong

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Doing wrong: the morality of 

the 1920’s

By Reyanne

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Immorality of 

the 1920’s

Criminal

activity

Hypocrisy Selfishness

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Hypocrisy 

 Tom has a hypocritical characteristicthat shows that he is only satisfiedwhen he gets everything his way

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“Only the shallowest of humanaspirations are met by decisions that

are guided by marginal cost benefitevaluations” (Steele, pg 8)

“’I know I’m not very popular. I don’tgive big parties. I suppose you’vegot to make your house into a pigsty

in order to have any friends- in themodern world’” (137)

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 Tom’s ignorance is a characteristic that isshown by the way he reacts to Daisy’s

actions towards Gatsby. Though Daisy ishaving an affair with Gatsby, before, Tomwas having an affair with Myrtle Wilsonlong before Gatsby and Daisy were

together. His hypocritical views show thathe feels like it doesn’t matter that he ishaving an affair; if Daisy is, it is immoral tohis point of view. Perhaps he feels that he

owns Daisy like she is property, not ahuman being with a heart and feelings.

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Criminal Activity

Gatsby had done business inbootlegging to receive money

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“’Oh I’ve been in several things,’ hecorrected himself. “I was in the drugbusiness.” (95)

"It is his first offense. We might as well

let him go" (pg 1)

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It seems like to commit a crime, in the1920’s, is just an ordinary thing to the

people of society. In order to get moneyor what they want they are willing to breakthe law for it. Gatsby in his quote issaying that he used to be involved with

people that sold drugs. He speaks it like heit is just a statement like something thathe just used to do when he was younger.As if the consequences of the act is minor

and will not result in jail time because hecan just buy his way out of court.

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Selfish Views

All Characters show selfishness in the way

they act with one another.

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“They were carless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up thing and creatures and

then retreated back into their money ortheir vast carelessness or whatever it wasthat kept them together, and let otherpeople clean up the mess they had made.”(188)

“In the late nineteenth century had its ownparticular system of moral and socialvalues and created an ideological

framework that reflected the desires, fearsand aspirations of those who werepolitically dominant” (pg 6)

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When the death of Myrtle Wilson was madeby Daisy, it seemed as if both Daisy and

 Tom didn’t care about what happened.Daisy, without even the slightesthesitation allowed Gatsby to take theblame for her killing Myrtle. After Myrtledied it was as if Tom didn’t even care that

she was dead, though he spent all his timewith her. Tom told George Wilson that itwas Gatsby that ran Myrtle over, whichresulted in George killing Gatsby andcommitting suicide. It was because of 

their actions that the results of othersended so terribly.

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 The Great Gatsby portrait the examples of how in the 1920’s, society was based onself desired views and criminal actions. Though the flaws of the characters were

not directly shown, the personality traitsobviously caused damage to all the peoplearound them as well as themselves. Andbecause of them the lives of the

characters will never be the same.

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 The End

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Works Cited

• Steele, G.R. "Understanding economic man: psychology,rationality, and values." Infotrac. 2006. Web. 14 Dec. 2009.

• Guinote, Paulo. "The old bohemian Lisbon (c. 1870-c.1920): prostitutes, criminals and bohemians." Infotrac.2002. Web. 12 Dec 2009.

• Nussbaum-Gomes, Mina. "The subconscious in organizationalcontrol: the case of Mitsubishi Heavy Industry." Infotrac. 2004. Web. 14 Dec. 2009.

• Adler, Jeffrey S. "'It is his first offense. We might as well let himgo': homicide and criminal justice in Chicago, 1875-1920." I

nfotrac. 2006. Web. 12 Dec. 2009.

• "A letter to character educators." Infotrac. 1993. Web. 14 Dec.2009.