Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, "The Great Gatsby," provides a commentary on a variety of themes, including justice, power, greed, time, betrayal, and the pursuit of the American Dream. One of these themes, the American Dream is announced by Nick Carraway, the narrator of the book and main character and at the end of the novel when he talks about the collapse of the American dream of happiness and individuality. In particular, he exposes the lie that one can use money to transform one's dreams into reality. Jay Gatsby, who tries desperately to recapture the past with his attempts to win Daisy back, develops another theme, time. However, as important as these themes are to the novel, another message that is even more central to the story is moral corruption. Three characters that develop this theme are Meyer Wolfsheim, Tom Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby.
Meyer Wolfsheim, a mysterious person and Jay Gatsby's business associate, is quite loyal. Mr. Wolfsheim is Gatsby's friend, a prominent figure in organized crime. Before the events of the novel take place, Wolfsheim helped Gatsby to make his fortune bootlegging illegal liquor. His continued acquaintance with Gatsby suggests that Gatsby is still involved in illegal business. At lunch, Mr. Gatsby introduces Nick to Mr. Wolfsheim at a restaurant. During this first meeting, Wolfsheim is talking to Gatsby about a transaction with another person in which Wolfsheim would not pay "him a penny till he shuts his mouth" (Fitzgerald 55). This bribery-tainted business deal is the first indication of Wolfsheim's nefarious nature. Mr. Wolfsheim caught Nick's attention when he was looking at something appealing. Mr. Wolfsheim says, "I see you're looking at my cuff buttons" (57). He then later explains that they are the "finest specimens of human molars" (57). .
Nick becomes curious where Mr. Wolfsheim could have gotten the human that Meyer fixed the World Series back in 1919" between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox (58) and Nick is staggered that Mr.