Final answer:
In 'The Great Gatsby,' Tom Buchanan speculates about the illegitimate sources of Gatsby's wealth, reflecting the mysteriousness and possible corruption of the American Dream as portrayed by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Step-by-step explanation:
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's narrative world, the source of Jay Gatsby's wealth is shrouded in mystery, reflecting the enigmatic aura that surrounds him. Tom Buchanan, a character in The Great Gatsby, suspects that Gatsby's fortune did not come from legitimate business ventures. Fitzgerald deliberately leaves Gatsby's past and the origins of his wealth ambiguous, portraying Gatsby as a symbol of the American Dream and its potential for corruption. This lack of clarity about Gatsby's wealth sources accentuates the novel's theme of the illusionary nature of the American Dream and the decadence of the Jazz Age. In Fitzgerald's work, characters like Tom conjecture and gossip, but the truth remains elusive, highlighting the distance between appearance and reality in the novel's social landscape.