The Lack of Justice and Karma in the Conclusion of the Great Gatsby and Society
Herp Derp
Ms. Jones
ENG3U0
December, 17, 2012
The Lack of Justice and Karma in the Conclusion of The Great Gatsby and Society Good people are not always rewarded, and people who commit felonies and do wrong are not always punished. Imagine a man who tries to be nice, honest, and friendly. One night police end up at your door and you are suddenly the suspect for your friends’ murder. This is sadly the case for James Driskell (Howe). In September of 1990 his friend, Perry Harder, was shot in the chest several times. A year later James was convicted to a lifetime in prison. The evidence the police had for the crime were 3 hairs on Harder’s chest that apparently belonged to Mr. Driskell. Later tests revealed that those 3 hairs did not belong to Mr. Driskell. A few years later he was released from prison (Howe). This man deserved no punishments, yet he has to go through his friends’ death and go to prison for a crime he never committed. The absence of justice and karma is clear. As J.R.R. Tolkien said “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life.” (J.R.R Tolkien, 77) In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the absence of karma and justice is evident, and alters the punishments the characters should have faced. Jay Gatsby has pure intentions, and even though some things he did are considered wrong, his punishments are too severe and don’t fit the crime because he paid the ultimate consequence and was killed. George Wilson is a good person. He has been good all his life, yet he is punished severely with the death of his wife, and his own life. Tom has the worst personality and morals of any other character in the novel, yet he gets away with minimal consequences. Karma is an idea people thought of to encourage good behaviour, and live peacefully. In reality people have to enforce the law and give deserved punishments because karma is scarce in society and the conclusion to The Great Gatsby. Sometimes good people do bad things. In the
Ms. Jones
ENG3U0
December, 17, 2012
The Lack of Justice and Karma in the Conclusion of The Great Gatsby and Society Good people are not always rewarded, and people who commit felonies and do wrong are not always punished. Imagine a man who tries to be nice, honest, and friendly. One night police end up at your door and you are suddenly the suspect for your friends’ murder. This is sadly the case for James Driskell (Howe). In September of 1990 his friend, Perry Harder, was shot in the chest several times. A year later James was convicted to a lifetime in prison. The evidence the police had for the crime were 3 hairs on Harder’s chest that apparently belonged to Mr. Driskell. Later tests revealed that those 3 hairs did not belong to Mr. Driskell. A few years later he was released from prison (Howe). This man deserved no punishments, yet he has to go through his friends’ death and go to prison for a crime he never committed. The absence of justice and karma is clear. As J.R.R. Tolkien said “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life.” (J.R.R Tolkien, 77) In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the absence of karma and justice is evident, and alters the punishments the characters should have faced. Jay Gatsby has pure intentions, and even though some things he did are considered wrong, his punishments are too severe and don’t fit the crime because he paid the ultimate consequence and was killed. George Wilson is a good person. He has been good all his life, yet he is punished severely with the death of his wife, and his own life. Tom has the worst personality and morals of any other character in the novel, yet he gets away with minimal consequences. Karma is an idea people thought of to encourage good behaviour, and live peacefully. In reality people have to enforce the law and give deserved punishments because karma is scarce in society and the conclusion to The Great Gatsby. Sometimes good people do bad things. In the
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