Dreams are Costly
The Cost of Pursuing a Dream- Character
Sacrifice
Dreams are costly- one must be prepared for the consequences of pursuit.
The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby
The book The Great Gatsby has been converted into a movie that will hit theaters May 2013. Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured here) will star as Jay Gatsby.
Tom Buchanan
In the upcoming movie The Great Gatsby, Joel Edgerton (pictured here) will star as Tom Buchanan.
Daisy Buchanan
In the upcoming movie The Great Gatsby, Carey Mulligan (pictured here) will star as Daisy Buchanan.
Jay Gatsby
Throughout his pursuit of Daisy, Gatsby disregards his moral character. He involves himself in profitable, illegal activity in the bond market. This wealth is used to fund extravagant parties, buy expensive cars, and purchase classy clothes. This is all done to woo Daisy. Secondly, Gatsby begins a passionate affair with her- he completely disregards her marital covenant with Tom Buchanan. It is clear that Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy Buchanan experiences a loss of moral character.
Jay Gatsby- Textual Evidence
"...the phone rang that afternoon and Long Distance said Chicago was calling...'Young Parke's in trouble,' [Slagle] said rapidly. 'They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter. They got a circular from New York giving 'em the numbers just five minutes before. What d'you know about that, hey? You never can tell in these hick towns...'" (Fitzgerald 166).
This quote shows that Gatsby was involved in illegal activity. One of his work partners was arrested while doing dealings for Gatsby. These illegal actions provided large amounts of money meant to gain Daisy's favor.
"The next day Gatsby called me on the phone. 'Going away?' I inquired. 'No, old sport.' 'I hear you fired all your servants.' 'I wanted someone who wouldn't gossip. Daisy comes by quite often-in the afternoons.'" (Fitzgerald 114).
This quote shows the Gatsby was involved romantically with Daisy. They spent a great deal of time together behind Tom Buchanan's back implying that Gatsby and Daisy were involved in an adulterous affair.
These quotes both show the degradation of Gatsby's moral character in his pursuit of Daisy.
The Inside Job
Wall Street- Cocaine Use and Prostitution
Bankers and financiers in Wall Street drop all concern for morality and ethicality in order to pursue the dream of becoming richer and more influential within their company. The moral character of these men is seriously degraded- they have a "blatant disregard for the effect their actions will have on society" (Inside Job WWW). Due to the atmosphere of greed and excess on Wall-Street, workers sacrifice moral integrity-therefore character-in pursuit of their dreams.
Gordon Gekko- Wall Street
Gordon Gekko- Address to Teldar Paper Stockholders
Although Gekko speaks reasonably, the implication is that business and morality should not be mixed. Gekko's speech implies that without lowering one's moral standards, business will never be successful. He explains that in order to pursue wealth and success in business, one must disregard moral character. By doing this-by creating in one's self a sense of greed and selfishness-success is inevitable. The pursuit of success requires the sacrifice of moral character (Gekko WWW).
Gordon Gekko
Michael Douglas (pictured here) stars as Gordon Gekko in the 1987 motion picture hit, Wall Street.
Greed is Good
Gordon Gekko is pictured making an appeal to the stockholders of Teldar Paper company. It is here he makes the famous remark, "greed is good."
Teldar Paper
Gekko makes his speech in this room in front the managerial staff and the stockholders of Teldar Paper.
The Exceptions
Pursuing Unselfish Goals Increases character
Moral character is not lost when the dreams pursued has an unselfish nature. Both Barbara Ehrenreich, author of the acclaimed novel Nickel and Dimed, and Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS, did not pursue selfish dreams. Ehrenreich wanted to explore the difficulties living life on minimum wage while Mycoskie wanted to provide shoes to all those in need around the world. It is through pursuing these selfless dreams that both have experienced an increase in character. Ehrenreich learned to be more sympathetic towards the less fortunate, and Mycoskie learned to appreciate the concept of giving. This shows the growth of moral integrity/character within both Ehrenreich and Mycoskie.
Barbara Ehrenreich- Nickel and Dimed
Minimum Wage Living
Her goal was to experience the difficulties of faced by minimum wage workers- this was an unselfish goal. In her pursuit she discovers that America is full of "tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity." She develops a greater appreciation for the "exhausting mental and physical effort" it takes to live on such meager wages (Ehreneich WWW). By exploring this side of American life, Ehreneich character is seriously improved. As she experiences the hardships of minimum wage living, her character is strengthened. Not only does she become more appreciative of the luxuries of her previous life, she becomes more sympathetic towards those less fortunate.
Blake Mycoskie- TOMS
TOMS- One for One
In an interview with pastor Darren Whitehead at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, Mycoskie describes his inspiration behind the creation of TOMS. He explains that while he was on vacation in Argentina, he encountered "a group doing volunteer work" in Buenos Aires. This group was collecting "slightly used pairs of shoes from wealthy families" in the city- "what they called a shoe drive." After collection they took the shoes to children "who needed them outside the city." Mycoskie was "touched" by these actions, but he felt the organization of the group-from a business standpoint-could be seriously improved. They didn't have "a very sustainable model" because of they were completely dependent on donations. After seeing the work of this group, Mycoskie knew he wanted to help the effort, but he "didn't want to start a charity". Instead, he had the idea to create a for-profit shoe company in which he could employ the "one for one" method. This is the idea that for every pair of shoes sold, a pair of shoes is given to a someone in need. This model has been so successful that by 2010 TOMS had given over 1 million shoes to those in need (Mycoskie WWW).
Blake Mycoskie
Blake Mycoskie is the founder of the company TOMS. TOMS sells sunglasses and shoes using the "One for One" method.
TOMS Shoes
TOMS shoes are popular and unique. When a pair of TOMS is purchased, another is sent to a person in need of shoes.
TOMS Eyewear
TOMS eyewear is popular and unique. When a piece of TOMS eyewear is purchased, glasses are given to a person in need.