Superficial Love and Realistic Love in The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

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How does the idea of superficial love for one’s self-interest conquer idealistic love?

Every 13 seconds, couples in America get divorced (Palacios). What is pushing these couples to get married if half of the marriages fail anyway? Leading into the 21st century, people decide to choose the single life over the married life, and use their energy and time towards rebounding, money, material love, power, freedom, pride, and their career. Superficial love often conquers idealistic love in today’s society due to one’s self-interest persuading them away from love.

Previous failed relationships tend to lead toward fake love, mainly known as rebounding, as an alternative of pursuing their true love. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan’s relationship with Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan is ruined. Nick Carraway writes, “I waited, and sure enough, in a moment she looked at me with an absolute smirk, on her lovely face as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society to which she and Tom belonged” (Fitzgerald 22). As Nick is talking to Daisy, her facial expression proclaims that both her and Tom’s social status is above Nick’s. She proves that she enjoys living the lavish lifestyle, therefore her motive in marrying Tom is clear. All she desires is his wealth. In this scene, Daisy already knows that her relationship with Tom is broken, still she stays with him and not with Gatsby, the love of her life. The day of Tom and Daisy’s wedding day, one sees that Daisy is not marrying Tom because she loves him. While drunk and devastated after reading a letter from Gatsby, she wants to change her mind about her commitment. Daisy rips off the pearls around her neck, symbolizing that she does not want the wealth from Tom, ...

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Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York, New York: Charles Scribner’s sons,, 1926.

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Palacios, Jasmin. "Divorce in America [infographic]." Daily Infographic RSS. Daily Infographic, 24

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