Great GatsbyA Moral Issue
The Roaring Twenties was a time of parties and illegal practices; it was a time of change. This change affected society as a whole- both how the people viewed their lives as well as the way they viewed the importance of morality. Before the Roaring Twenties the American people were very traditional in their values. Their values included simple things such as being true to your spouse, raising your family with love and attention and earning an honest living. In the twenties, however, these traditional values seemed to be devalued. This was the time when things such as the bootlegging business became very popular. The Great Gatsby helped to portray the moral degradation happening throughout the time in which it takes place. The Great Gatsby exposes the moral decadence of the Roaring Twenties through its three main characters, Gatsby, Daisy and Tom. "The parties were bigger...the pace was faster, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser..." (Rayburn) During the twenties, peoples morals seemed to be a lot looser than they had been previous to that decade. The work week went from being a sixty hour week to being a forty-eight hour week giving people more free tim
" (Dilling) Tom plays a major role in the moral degradation happening throughout the book. On top of that, he lowers himself to committing adultery. Although the information about Gatsby's earlier life is somewhat ambiguous, I assume, at least, that Gatsby at one point was a decent, and honest man. She was very much in love with Gatsby, but because he wasn't wealthy, she married someone who was. " Another indicator of this change in morality was that sex became more common as well as more discussed. " And this is exactly what Gatsby allows to happen. This book is an example of society in the Roaring Twenties. He cares only about getting what he wants, not caring who he takes down in the process. And when Tom comes along and desires her hand in marriage and his proposal is accompanied by a three hundred thousand dollar necklace she can't turn him down: she is in love with his money. However, some people view the situation in a different way. "Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her (Myrtle's) nose with his open hand. She also has a daughter at home who she chose to have but is rarely mentioned throughout the book.
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