Comparison of Values in Great Expectations and The Great...

The very essence of money creates an urge in human nature to obtain it and have an excess of it. When people come into wealth and begin rising on the social ladder, they usually become corrupted, and compromise their personal values. In the novels, Great Expectations and The Great Gatsby, the protagonists, Pip and Jay Gatsby respectively, believe their wealth is used for the common good, but in reality many values are being compromised. Pip and Gatsby both utilize their money in an attempt to bring the women they love into their lives. Along the way toward achieving their goal, they violate ethics, which, in turn, change them as people. Despite the two novels possessing differences, they coincide in many aspects. When†¦show more content†¦His feelings for Daisy are so strong that he practices many illegal acts he learns via Meyer Wolfsheim who even, â€Å"fixed the 1919 World Series† (author page #). Dan Cody and Wolfsheim showed Gatsby how to make a fortune by way of illegal business, and it appears they lead him to believe it was acceptable to carry out these deeds as long as a proper goal was being reached. In both of the novels, Pip and Gatsby receive, or earn their great quantities of money and do not realize at first the money is tainted. Pip’s benefactor was none other than Abel Magwitch, a known felon who he encountered at a church graveyard and who threatened Pip for food and a file. In appreciation of Pip’s deed in fetching the items for him, Magwitch nobly decides to endow Pip with a large sum of money. The money was gained through evil deeds. Since Compeyson and Magwitch acquired the money through fraud, and conning people out of their hard-earned money, it rendered the money evil, or tainted. Even though Pip’s relationship with Magwitch progresses and he virtually becomes a father to Pip, the money remains blemished due to the way it was obtained. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby abandons the army a poor man, but has visions of making money, climbing the social ladder, and getting Daisy back in his life. Gatsby thinks he is succeeding when he meets Dan Cody and Wolfsheim, yet he is actually tarnishing hisShow MoreRelatedA Separate Peace And The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1111 Words   |  5 PagesBonjour AP English 12 22 February 2016 Resembling Relationships Novels can develop ties despite being written in different times, with very different plots. Such novels deserve the exploration of comparison between them. Both John Knowles and F. Scott Fitzgerald, in the novels A Separate Peace and The Great Gatsby respectively, show relationships between two male characters and detail how a dream can become out of hand. 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