Maid: the Great Gatsby Essay

Things gained through unjust fraud are never secure. -Sophocles. Up to chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are recurring rumors about Gatsbys background including that he had killed a man, is of German descent, and is a bootlegger. These rumors portray Gatsby as a man other than himself, but whether this is confessedly is still uncertain. However, Nicks stabbing awareness of Gatsbys servants raises suspicion and allows readers to attain evidence that reveals Gatsbys true identity. The maid, seen by Nick and portrayed through her actions, undermines Gatsbys status and reveals his identity as phony.In chapter V, narrator Nick observes Gatsbys house, but it is clear from Nicks observations that something is not right everything seems slushy and inconclusive. Nick notes that a brewer had built Gatsbys mansion, and Gatsby tried to pay five years taxes on all the neighboring cottages if the owners would have their roofs thatched (88) so that it would complement G atsbys house. It is important to emphasize that Gatsby had specifically paying(a) for the neighbors taxes in order to improve the looks of his house. This ostentatious action was d one and only(a) for reason to line Daisy. Nick also concludes that Americans have always been obstinate about being peasantry. At this point, he observes A maid began opening the upper windows of his house, appeared momentarily in each, and, leaning from a large central bay, bickering meditatively into the garden. (88) Nick sees the maid spit into the garden as if she disrespects Gatsby.It is important to note that the maid flap meditatively meaning that it was done with intention and with great thought. There was no reason for her to spit, nor was spitting a common action back in the 1920s, but her intentions were hidden. While she spat in Gatsbys garden, one of his valuable properties, her action was actually directed towards Gatsby himself. From this, it can be inferred that she disrespected him an d despised him for his wealth, upper class, and fame. While Gatsby employ his wealth, intending to impress Daisy, the maid, completely oblivious about Gatsbys goal, could also have despised him for his pretentious attitude.Maids were commonly part of the dispirit class, and it raises suspicion about why Gatsby would hire such a person. More importantly, it raises the doubt as to how she knows a lot about Gatsby and why she would hate Gatsby for his wealth. Her decision serves as a collocation Gatsby and the maid share similar qualities. Perhaps Gatsbys background does not match the image that he portrays. It raises suspicion that Gatsby might be from the lower class as well and lives his current life as a fraud.Fitzgerald puts the maid here in this chapter to insinuate something about Gatsbys background. Nicks keen observations and suspicious judgment gives the readers an opportunity to make connections. Ultimately, it is the connection that Gatsby and the maid were both raised in the lower class. Perhaps Gatsby was a bootlegger, and his ways of promoting himself into the upper class led to the maids actions, it was her reaction in contempt that spoils the true identity of the great Gatsby.