The Role Of George Wilson In The Great Gatsby

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The roaring 20’s was a decade unique to itself. Viewed as a thriving era; one of prosperity, wealth and of the abundance of dreams come true. It was a time of great celebration and of exuberant lifestyles, that for many camouflaged their happiness and contentment. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, achieving the American Dream seems to escape some, dispute opportunity and good fortune. Fitzgerald’s novel takes place in New York, narrated through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a young man who seemingly manages to gain the confidence of those who have secrets that brings the meaning of tragic hero to life. One such crucial character is that of hard working George W. Wilson. A struggling car mechanic who’s life takes the turn for that worst. …show more content…

George lives and works in the valley of ashes and clearly deserves wealth more than other characters in the novel. The american dream is flawed and proven to be unable to achieve through hard work. The character Gatsby, unlike George cheated his way to the top of the social class “I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong."(Pg. 133) When these words were spoken, Gatsby did not tried to hide the truth because he knows there is no way to reach the american dream from pure work ethic, although may not be proud of it. George distortion is that he feels his hard work must pay off and deserves the american dream. He does not realise that this is a faulty system and somebody has to do the hard work, if there is such a thing as the american dream. George looks highly upon Tom Buchanan because of his success, which makes him believe that Gatsby killed his wife. George's failure to be open to the truth about the american dream contributes to the further judgement errors that

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