Examples Of Internal Conflict In The Great Gatsby

“The Great Gatsby” is one of the best novels that I have ever read so far because it contains tones of conflicts both between characters and society and within themselves. For this reason, the novel by F.Scott Fitzgerald allows readers to discover the complicated inner feelings of main characters Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan and the narrator Nick Carraway.
In the first place, Nick seems to be the man of internal conflict. He introduces himself as a tolerant and honest man: ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’…‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’ (p3).but throughout the novel, he keeps judging person to person: Jodan is “incurably dishonest”(p64). It comes to my mind that Nick is not truly honest as he said. Furthermore, He appears to be elegant and highly respectable, however, he still arranges a tea party in order to help Gatsby meet Daisy – his married cousin. Nick’s conflict is also shown his change in career choice from writer to bond man. Everything seems so flashy outside but actually it is a maze inside his mind.

Secondly, Daisy Buchanan, a beautiful woman, gives up on love to live in wealth.

In her young age, Daisy felt in love with Gatsby but decides to marry Tom Buchanan – a wealthy but cheating husband who can take care of her luxury lifestyle and his mistress’s. ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’(p20) . What she said about her daughter is an implication of her destiny – be a fool in wealth. However, her internal conflicts seems to be resolved since she meets Gatsby at Nick’s house, but in the end, Daisy still stays with her husband and little

daughter.
Finally, the person who has both external and internal conflicts is Mr. Gatsby. Despite poor childhood, the seventeen-year-old boy start to change his life and become a fabulously wealthy gentleman who holds fancy parties just to make impression on his lover living across the bay. His internal conflict is easily recognized in the 1920s when USA’s economy booms, everybody wants to be rich and money can never be earned so quickly. Besides, he always has an affair with Daisy which causes him external conflicts with her and her husband. Gatsby is deeply in love with Daisy while she belong to an old-money, conservative Tom. ‘Your wife doesn’t love you,’ said Gatsby. ‘She’s never loved you. She loves me.’(p139) His saying certainly put the conflicts between him and the Buchanans to the top.
In short, “The Great Gatsby” is a cycle of conflicts which as a result reveals step by step the complicated mentality of each character. Nick and Daisy finally have decisions for themselves but Gatsby who can do anything for his love still believes “in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.”(p193)