Love In The Great Gatsby

True love can be defined in many different ways and is different for all people. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, love is explored in many different ways and with many relationships. When reading the novel, the reader is encouraged to wonder what motivates the characters to do what they do. Love is always an underlying theme when dealing with any subject in the book: whether it be an affair, a rekindling romance, or a broken relationship. As the plot of the book unfolds and relationships blossom and end, Fitzgerald addresses the topics of love and sexuality and how they apply to the characters and their relationships in the novel.
There are many complicated relationships in the novel, so a majority of the book tells how each

relationship plays out. For example, Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby have an affair after not seeing each other for five year, their rekindled relationship obviously making Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, furious. Tom, realizing what was happening, “was evidently perturbed at Daisy’s running around alone” (Fitzgerald 105). Tom Buchanan, although he is having an affair himself, is horrified at the idea that Daisy is involved with another man whom she used to be in love with. In a sense, Tom is compelled by love to shut out anything or anyone that might distract Daisy from him. He is blind to see that he is doing virtually the same exact thing with Myrtle Wilson. Daisy, out of what she thinks is love, throws her morals and decisions away to be with Jay Gatsby. She says to Nick Carraway, “Who is Tom? (Fitzgerald 84), implying that her husband isn’t important when it comes to visiting Jay Gatsby. Daisy knows very well what she is doing, but she completely disregards the feelings and emotions of the person that she’s married to. Although both Tom and Daisy are having affairs, they are driven by who they think they love. Their love changes depending on the situation and how the situation affects them personally. The kind of love they base their decisions off of isn’t real because it only serves themselves in the end.
In chapter two of The Great Gatsby, the topic of sexuality is brought up subtly. Fitzgerald describes a one night stand between Nick Carraway and Mr. McKee. Fitzgerald writes, “I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets… with a great portfolio in his hands” (Fitzgerald 38). Because of this information, we can assume that the narrator, Nick Carraway is gay. This is talked about as if completely nonchalant and is never really fully addressed outwardly but the message is there. Although things may seem unacceptable, love is really the only thing that matters. In Nick’s case, the only thing stopping him from loving someone is the fact that he gets caught in other people’s situations. His sexuality is put aside because he invests in the people in his life.
Despite all of the bizarre relationships and complicated feelings, love drives everything that happens in the novel. Daisy and Jay Gatsby are driven by love of the past, Tom is driven by love and jealousy for Daisy, and Nick is keeping himself from the love he has the potential to experience. Unfortunately, the love in The Great Gatsby is love based off of material things and self preservation. The complexities of the relationships overshadow the good times, and the love expressed isn’t true love.