F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, reveals much about the
             waste and wealth of America in the "roaring twenties." Through Jay Gatsby,
             Fitzgerald weaves a tale of excess and passion that leads to the
             destruction of the human soul. Gatsby, a self-made millionaire embodies the
             exorbitance of this era and pays the ultimate price. This paper will
             examine how the greed and endless desire of Jay Gatsby turned out to more
             than he could control despite his grandest efforts.
             Jay Gatsby is a complex character because he has admirable qualities and
             despicable qualities. We admire him because he able to attain the wealth
             he desired despite the fact that he came from a poor family. We dislike
             him because he was driven by greed and materialism. Gatsby is wealthy, no
             doubt, but he flaunts it in ways that are tasteless. We know from Nick that
             Gatsby went to great lengths to redefine himself. For example, we know
             that his real name is James Gatz and he was from an unsuccessful farm
             family in North Dakota. He changed his name when he was seventeen--a
             change inspired when he laid his eyes on Dan Cody's yacht. It was the
             taste of greed that Gatsby could never shake. It shaped him from an early
             age and from this fact, we can see how damaging greed can be to an
             individual. It is important to realize that Gatsby was not an inherently
             evil person. In fact, we know that he was kind to those who attended his
             lavish parties and wanted trouble from no one. However, the flip side of
             that coin is that his selfish drive for money and wealth that made him
             In fact, Gatsby possesses an incredible drive to succeed that many
             people never do. His mistake was focusing it on the wrong thing. It is
             important to note that it is not wrong to desire wealth, but Gatsby
             embodies materialism at its worst and displays it with an extravagance that
             is disgusting. He is also willing to become rich at...