Examples Of Madness In The Great Gatsby

“No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness” (Aristotle). The general definition of madness is “mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it,” but many writers see it differently; many writers like Emily Dickinson believe madness to be the “divinest sense” and that it should be viewed with a “discerning eye.” Madness is a part of life, and although difficult for a time, it enriches the understanding each person shares with another about the world: whether or not this understanding is in fact positive or negative knowledge. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald examines the corrupt madness induced by the consumption of and seemingly reasonable desire for wealth.

Fitzgerald displays the reasonable appearance of the

desire of wealth through his integration of many characters’ back stories. The novel begins with Nick explaining his reasoning for traveling East; he viewed his mid-western home as “the ragged edge of the universe—so [he] decide[s] to go east and learn the bond business,” because “everybody [he] knew was in the bond business” (Fitzgerald 7).

Nick’s original purpose of traveling East to become a hopefully successful bondsmen, seems quite reasonable; his friends have been moderately successful, so why not. The desire for wealth through the improvement of one’s occupational position is completely justifiable, as is George Wilson’s desire to improve his social status. George is desperate for money, although he claims he “can’t complain,” he states it quite “unconvincingly” (29). Wilson scrambles at the “damp gleam of hope” Tom presents in offering to sell him a car. This demonstrates his want and need for wealth, as it is reasonable to want for more, especially when living in the fantastic Valley of Ashes. Wilson just desires to move up in life; he wants to stop struggling as vastly as he currently does. This sentiment is quite similar to Nick’s, in that all he craves is improvement in life; he wants to rise economically in order to ensure a better life. Finally, Jay Gatsby’s long held desire for wealth is, originally, quite reasonable; he wants to make something of himself, something better than his “shiftless and unsuccessful” upbringing. Gatsby’s parents were “farm people” and he wants more: he

wants to be “safe...above the hot struggles of the poor” (104,157). He creates a plan, a list of “general resolves” to become wealthy; the desire to avoid the treacherous, struggling world of the poor is entirely justifiable, because not many want to struggle in life (182). Jay Gatsby creates a “conception” of himself; he is “a son of God” (104, 105). Fitzgerald alludes to God in connotation to Gatsby a few times throughout the novel, and in doing so, gives the reader a godly image of Gatsby; he is holy. This causes the reader to view Gatsby and his actions as possibly holy, thus insinuating that his desire for wealth is a godly action, something entirely justifiable in its own devine virtue. The desire for wealth often begins as a reasonable goal, but when taken to the extreme it corrupts the individual it preys upon. Fitzgerald presents the justifiability within the madness created from wealth and the desire for it.
After presenting the seemingly justifiable desire for wealth, Fitzgerald critiques the madness and corruption caused by this desire.

Fitzgerald creates the madness due to the corruption of the desire for wealth in the form of Jay Gatsby, who possesses “an extraordinary gift for hope”, is the “son of God”, and is also a man consumed by his desire for wealth (6, 104). This desire comes full force with the introduction of Daisy into Gatsby’s life. Daisy is representative of Gatsby’s true desires: wealth and love. Gatsby and Daisy meet and fall immediately for one another; Daisy “blossomed for him like a flower” and Gatsby became “forever wed” (117). Fitzgerald is specific in his diction when saying that Gatsby is “forever wed”, because the phrase explains to the reader that Gatsby is bound to Daisy for the eternity, whether she continues to blossom or not. Gatsby and Daisy are separated, but upon their reunion he recounts their departure from one another as exactly “five years next November,” whereas Daisy describes it much more unattentive way, saying that it has been “many years” since they last met (92). “The automatic quality of Gatsby’s answer” demonstrates to the reader that Gatsby engrosses himself in loving Daisy (92). This causes the reader to begin questioning the reasonable qualities of Gatsby’s desire for wealth as it uncovers itself as a madness. This continues as Gatsby begins to integrate Daisy back into his reality. For example, as Gatsby shows Daisy his

house “...he revalue[s] everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well loved eyes”; he begins to reevaluate and revalue his life based off Daisy’s approval (97). Fitzgerald causes the reader to, once again, question Gatsby’s judgement because it is quite mad to base one’s life off another’s approval; it is Gatsby’s life, not Daisy’s; he should live it in a way that makes him happy. Fitzgerald then causes the reader to question Gatsby’s sanity as Gatsby obsession with repeating him and Daisy’s past grows and Gatsby reveals that he believes that one “can repeat the past” and acts “as if the past [is] lurking” behind him (116). It is absurd to believe that one can repeat or reverse the past, because that is simply impossible; Fitzgerald’s presentation of Gatsby in this crazy and deranged manner clearly displays the madness that often follows the corruption of wealth. Gatsby is only consumed by this life with Daisy because Daisy represents something greater for Gatsby; she is “the king’s daughter, the golden girl,” and Gatsby has put something he wants to recover, “some idea of himself...that had gone into loving Daisy” (127, 117). Gatsby has lost himself in Daisy, while searching for the wealth he desires through her. Gatsby is held most by Daisy’s voice. Fitzgerald repeatedly uses Daisy’s voice a metaphor for wealth, thus making it a motif. Daisy’s voice is “a deathless song,” it lures one in, and then throws them to the rocks to parish; Daisy’s “...voice is full of money” (101, 127). Fitzgerald’s ghostly diction instills an eerie sense of death within this description, specifically with the use of the word “deathless” as oppose to a more joyful word. Thus, telling the reader that Daisy’s voice and wealth are destructive and corrupt their captures, much like sirens. Gatsby’s madness reaches the point of no-return as he plans to take the blame for Daisy’s murder. Daisy kills Myrtle Wilson by car crash; she is driving back home with Gatsby from their tumultuous day in the city, and while driving through The Valley of Ashes, she runs Myrtle to her death and continues driving on. Gatsby automatically assumes the blame saying that he will “of course” say he was driving; the idea of taking the blame for another’s murder is preposterous. Fitzgerald gives a final look at Gatsby’s insanity as he is consumed by his love for Daisy which stems from his burning desire for wealth. The reader must question both Gatsby’s ethics and sanity as he is willing to take responsibility for one of the worst crimes a human can commit. Fitzgerald clearly criticizes the desire for wealth by displaying its corruption of an individuals sanity.