In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is coming to the end of his journey of love to have Daisy. Gatsby’s love for Daisy was purely based that it was his first and only love. While Gatsby was fighting in war, he was building the American dream, while Daisy was enjoying the fact that her beauty could get her almost anything she wanted. The difference between Gatsby and Daisy is in their character and devotion for each other that differentiate them. While Gatsby was just a young man, he was highly awed by Daisy’s representation of old money and her life of luxuries. Gatsby was intensely in love with “young” Daisy, so he wanted to become the best possible version of himself for her. When Gatsby was off at war, Daisy continued in her quest for wealth in her false life. Gatsby “was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprison[ed] and preserv[ed],” however if he promised her money, that’d be his life long goal: money for Daisy (150). Although Daisy loved Gatsby when she was young, the aspect of being rich was a higher priority. For Gatsby, the distance made his love for Daisy even more desirable. Unfortunately Daisy’s “voice is full of money, [for]…that was [her] inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it…high in a white palace the kings daughter, [to be] the golden girl” was all Daisy truly desired (120). In the end, the easier decision for wealth was to marry a man whom she liked the idea of, but never actually loved: Tom Buchanan. According to Gatsby’s own opinion of himself, “James Gatz of North Dakota isn’t easy to say, [whereas]…Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself” (98). James Gatz came from... ... middle of paper ... ... they had made” (180). As Nick is leaving Gatsby for a final time he compliments him by saying, “they’re a rotten crowd…you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” (154). "As [Daisy] went over to say good-bye [she could see] the expression of bewilderment [on] Gatsby's face, as though a faint doubt had occurred to him of his present happiness… [For] Daisy tumbled short of his dreams, not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." (92) Gatsby's expectations of his past love for the young eighteen year old girl he fell in love with was not everything he had dreamed. Their dream of true love was hindered by their different social backgrounds and the difference in their focus on reality. Gatsby's dedication was admirable, however Daisy's abandonment in the end was what killed him on the inside, not the bullet from Wilson's gun.
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby functions under the illusion that Daisy is perfect and is living in such distress because she was forced to marry Tom due to Gatsby being away at war and being poor. This illusion leads Gatsby to spend his entire adult life pining after Daisy and cheating his way up the social and economic ladder in order to win her over. Gatsby believes that Daisy will someday come back to him because she loves him so much and they will live happily ever after together.
No one can be perfect in everything; it is good to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. Jay Gatsby was a man of secrets; he leaves an insightful mark on every person he talks to. Gatsby’s neighbor, Nick, says “it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”(Fitzgerald 6-7). Nick was simply appalled by Gatsby and wanted to know about him and any secrets he may have, Nick felt Gatsby was a great man of mystery and was extremely interesting. Gatsby told Nick “I don’t want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear” (69), then opened himself up to Nick and told him “My family all died and I came into
As a young man, Jay Gatsby was poor with nothing but his love for Daisy. He had attempted to woe her, but a stronger attraction to money led her to marry another man. This did not stop Gatsby’s goal of winning this woman for himself though, and he decided to improve his life anyway he could until he could measure up to Daisy’s standards. He eventually gained connections in what would seem to be the wrong places, but these gave him the opportunity he needed to "get rich quick." Gatsby’s enormous desire for Daisy controlled his life to the point that he did not even question the immorality of the dealings that he involved himself in to acquire wealth. Eventually though, he was able to afford a "castle" in a location where he could pursue Daisy effectively. His life ambition had successfully moved him to the top of the "new money" class of society, but he lacked the education of how to promote his wealth properly. Despite the way that Gatsby flaunted his money, he did catch Daisy’s attention. A chaotic affair followed for a while until Daisy was overcome by pressures from Gatsby to leave her husband and by the realization that she belonged to "old money" and a more proper society.
Instead of investing in their marriage, they chose to actively destroy it by looking for fulfillment in other uncalled for relationships. Their true love for each other is doubted. When Tom finds out that Daisy and Gatsby are having an affair, Tom says to Gatsby, “...what 's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (“Great Gatsby” 19). Tom does not seem to view his “spree” as he views Daisy. He wants Daisy to be loyal to him even though he himself is not loyal to her. Though Tom claims to love Daisy and does not like that she is after Gatsby, he says that he loves her in his heart, and meanwhile is still interested in Myrtle. Love is an action, not just a feeling, so his statement of “love” contradicts him. Interestingly enough, though Daisy loves Gatsby, her love for him is not enough to persuade her to completely give Tom up. Gatsby tells her, "‘Daisy... Just tell him the truth-that you never loved him...’ She hesitated...she realized at last what she was doing-and as though she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late” (“Great Gatsby” 20). Her hesitance shows that she was torn between Tom and Gatsby, but when she realized the tight spot she was in, she gave in to Gatsby- for the time
Daisy's dependence on men with wealth and status, and Gatsby's underhanded attempts at gaining it illustrate America's belief that money and extravagance are the easiest means of finding success and happiness. The following statement from page 149 strongly illustrates Gatsby's belief that his only means of captivating Daisy would be through deception. "He might have despised himself, for he had certainly taken her in under false pretenses. I don't mean that he had traded in his phantom millions, but he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe he was a person from much the same stratum as herselfthat he was fully able to take care of her. As a matter of fact, he had no such facilitieshe had no comfortable family standing behind him, and he was liable at the whim of an impersonal government to blow anywhere about the world (p. 149, paragraph 2)."
Apparently being wealthy is not all Gatsby wants, but also wants love from Daisy. He loves her so much he wants her to break Tom’s heart and come with him. This man is clever and cold hearted like Lord Voldemort and Sauron. Jordan glanced at Nick and told him in a calm tone, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 78). Gatsby’s way of being in love with Daisy is to be a creepy stalker, never giving her space and always spying on her.
For five years, Gatsby was denied the one thing that he desired more than anything in the world: Daisy. While she was willing to wait for him until after the war, he did not want to return to her a poor man who would, in his eyes, be unworthy of her love. Gatsby did not want to force Daisy to choose between the comfortable lifestyle she was used to and his love. Before he would return to her, he was determined to make something of himself so that Daisy would not lose the affluence that she was accustomed to possessing. His desire for Daisy made Gatsby willing to do whatever was necessary to earn the money that would in turn lead to Daisy’s love, even if it meant participating in actions...
...ces throughout the novel demonstrate how he is not as innocent or quiet as readers think. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as not being a Romantic hero due to Gatsby`s attempts in faking his identity, his selfish acts and desperation for Daisy`s love and his fixation with wealth, proving that love is nothing like obsession. Gatsby does not understand love; instead he views Daisy as another goal in his life because he is obsessed with her and is willing to do anything to buy her love. Obsession and love are two different things: love is something that sticks with a person till his or her death, while obsession can cause a person to change his or her mind after reaching their goals. Thus Gatsby`s story teaches people that a true relationship can only be attained when there is pure love between both people, untainted by materialism and superficiality.
Daisy Buchanan, in reality, is unable to live up the illusory Daisy that Gatsby has invented in his fantasy. After Daisy and Tom Buchanan leave another one of Gatsby’s splendid parties, Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into what Gatsby’s expectations are. Fitzgerald claims that “he wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’” (109). Here it is revealed that Gatsby’s one main desire is for Daisy to go willingly...
Gatsby is a dreamer, he dreams that one day he and Daisy will be able to be together once again. To achieve this dream Gatsby has made himself a rich man. He knows that in order to win Daisy back he must be wealthy and of high social stature. Gatsby becomes rich, has a beautiful mansion, nice things, things like shirts “They’re such beautiful shirts. . . it makes me sad because I’ve never seen such-such beautiful clothes” (pg.98).Gatsby believes his dream will come true because of all the money and nice things he has. The way that Gatsby becomes rich is in a way the demise of his dream. Gatsby becomes wealthy by participating in organized crime, including distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities. Daisy eventually learns about this and it is one of the reasons she will never again be with Gatsby. The other reason is Daisy a...
The Great Gatsby presents the main character Jay Gatsby, as a poor man who is in love with his best friends cousin, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby was in love with Daisy, his first real love. He was impressed with what she represented, great comfort with extravagant living. Gatsby knew he was not good enough for her, but he was deeply in love. “For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man’s”(Fitzgerald 107). Gatsby could not think of the right words to say. Daisy was too perfect beyond anything he was able to think of. Soon Gatsby and Daisy went their separate ways. Jay Gatsby went into the war while telling Daisy to find someone better for her, someone that will be able to keep her happy and provide for her. Gatsby and Daisy loved one another, but he had to do what was best for her. Gatsby knew the two might not meet again, but if they did, he wanted things to be the same. “I 'm going to fix everything just the way it was before”(Fitzgerald 106). He wanted Daisy to fall in love with him all over again. Unsure if Daisy would ever see Gatsby again, she got married while he was away. The two were still hugely in love with one another, but had to go separate ways in their
...y have truly loved Gatsby at some point, perhaps when she met him in college, but now that she has grown all she cares about is money and finical security. She even says that she loves Gatsby and that she is going to leave Tom. Yes, Gatsby could have given all the money he had and finical security but since he didn’t earn his money in a legal way it is just not the same. Daisy wishes the same thing for her daughter. She thinks that the only way her daughter will be able to accomplish this is for her daughter to be beautiful and foolish. If you truly love someone you would attend his or her funeral, in this case Gatsby’s. The only person who I feel was truly in love was Gatsby. All these points that I have talked about help prove Fitzgerald’s theme that people try to find love in each other but instead they usually find love in money.
In The Great Gatsby, Daisy would rather much marry a rich man then to marry a man whom was not wealthy. F.Scott Fitzgerald refers in the novel for The Great Gatsby stating,”She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me.”thegreatgatsbychapter7. This is evidence of Daisy deciding wealth over a true love. Daisy was blinded by the wealth that grew up with her which made her decide to keep living wealthy. F.Scott Fitzgerald described how Daisy was a wealthy woman,”Her voice is full of money...It was full of money -”(120) This happens to describe how other people’s perspective were towards Daisy. In the end, Daisy was soon married to a wealthy man unlike Gatsby at the moment . She was undecided on who to marry but the money and all the rich blinded her in loving and choosing Gatsby. Myrtle was not satisfied with her husband George because he was not rich. She had a long affair with Tom, Daisy’s husband who is a very wealthy man. Myrtle thought that being with Tom would make her wealthy, but to only see how Tom would only use her for himself. F.Scott Fitzgerald refers to when Myrtle only
Gatsby was a rich man, but that doesn't mean he is happy in life. He lived a some what boring life. All he wanted was to be together with Daisy. He always had the idea of winning her back for all these years. Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay." and threw big parties all the time hoping Daisy would just show up and be in love with him. He also made many stupid mistakes that got some people to very much dislike him, and some to like him, but not many. His dreams were almost unattainable; he coldly win back Daisy from Tom or any way. His mistakes along the way of trying to impress Daisy, may have been a reason he got
In "The Great Gatsby" money is one of the most important things in the world. In the beginning there was Daisy Buchanan who got to know a military man by the name of Jay Gatsby. These two spent a lot of time together and grew to love each other despite the fact that Gatsby was poor. However, there came a time when Gatsby had to go to war and left Daisy at home. He continued to write to her and asked her to wait for him until he returned. She agreed at first , but along came a rich man by the name of Tom Buchanan and began having relations with Daisy. She didn’t really love Tom but he had money and power so as any girl in the 1920’s would do she married him for his wealth. Her one true love was Gatsby but he was away and didn’t have any money so she wouldn’t marry him just out of love.