An Illusion of Love
Relationships are crucial components of human social life and are a common topic in most literary works. Many argue that romantic relationships are the most interesting and popular because of their appeal to human emotions. However, not everyone sees these connections between characters as positive, which was quite evident in Fitzgerald 's timeless classic, The Great Gatsby. Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship is centered upon personal gain rather than pure love for one another.
Gatsby sees Daisy as a goal he spends years trying to achieve. Jordan Baker describes when she first saw the two together: “The officer looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at sometime, and
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Jordan concludes her recollection of Daisy and Gatsby’s past by stating Gatsby’s motivations behind his large parties: “‘I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties some night,’ went on Jordan, ‘but she never did. Then he started asking people casually if they knew her, and I was the first one he found,’” (84). Gatsby is well aware that he cannot outright go and see Daisy because of her marriage to Tom, but he also does not want to “do anything out of the way,” (84). He takes a passive approach in all of his attempts to find Daisy. She becomes a motivating factor that drove him to obtain his wealth and position in society. Therefore, she also becomes more of an idea rather than a flawed human, and Gatsby is afraid to meet her again. Overall, Gatsby’s actions reflect that he sees Daisy as his final objective instead of the love of his life.
Daisy sees how much Gatsby adores her and likes feeling beautiful and wanted. Daisy describes to Nick the being alone in the hospital after the birth of her daughter: “She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. ‘All right,’ I said, ‘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 the world, a beautiful little fool,’” (21). Daisy contemplates her life and realizes that she was simply a prize Tom won. She is not and never will be the only woman in his life, which leaves her feeling unappreciated and insignificant. Daisy wishes her daughter will
Gatsby and Daisy had met years prior, but ended up going their separate ways. However, Gatsby remained in love with Daisy and longed for her affection. The two reconcile, and Daisy starts seeing Gatsby outside of her marriage with Tom. In this, Daisy is leading Gatsby on by making him believe he will attain his ultimate dream: a life with her. However, Daisy knows deep down she will not leave Tom for Gatsby. This is proven when a confrontation about the affair sparks between Tom and Gatsby, and Daisy attempts to defend Gatsby and stick up to Tom, but ultimately fails and retreats back to her husband. “Her frightened eyes told that whatever intentions, whatever courage she had had, were definitely gone” (Fitzgerald 135). Daisy’s carelessness shines through in leading Gatsby to believe she would abandon Tom for him, but fails to follow through. She recklessly broke the heart of the man who had been in love with her for many
Because Gatsby is standing alone, searching for the elusive Daisy, he is shown to not be content. He finds no joy in having all these people here if he cannot find his Daisy. He views Daisy as the person that will bring him to an even higher social class, because even though he is rich, he still remembers the social value Daisy encompasses because of her abundance of lovers. Ultimately he wants to swell his ego, to tame the wild beast, because Daisy wasn’t settled down before with any one man. Even though she is now married, he still views her with the same awe of when he first laid eyes on her at camp, even remarking that “‘Her voice is full of money’”(127) in reference to his percieved value of her when they first met. Quintessentially, Gatsby has narcissism flowing through his veins because he is attempting to recreate a past to soothe his remorse from when he initially left Daisy to fight in the war.
He goes out of his way to do many things such as throwing lavish parties every night just for Daisy to notice him. He often seems like a modest man as he never goes out of get her to notice him. He asks Nick for aid in becoming closer to her, which was him using Nick in actuality. Everything that Gatsby had ever done in his life was based upon his pursuit of this dream of his perfect life with her. He moved to New York and bought his mansion because of Daisy. Jordan Baker says, "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.” He held many expensive parties in the hope that Daisy might show up at one of them. Jordan also said, "I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night, but she never did." His daily life was also controlled by this dream. Gatsby was naive to the fact his money could not buy him what he wanted. Daisy’s values were different from Gatsbys. Gatsby, knowing his past, is a self sufficient, made to be what he is kind of man. Whereas Daisy was given everything and is always bored and moving from one shiny new object to the next. Daisy is childish in this way. When she first goes to Gatsby's house after their meeting set up by Nick, she says "It makes me sad because I've never seen such - such beautiful shirts before." She is focused on the material, finding another source of entertainment who has substantial wealth. Gatsby is too caught up in having her around to actually notice
‘ "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone," he told me, "just remember the advantages that you 've had..." In consequence I 'm inclined to reserve all judgments.’
The roaring twenties was the period known for its exuberant, overwhelming and free pop culture of all time. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, represent the past historical modernization of a male subjugated social system. The Great Gatsby is a mysterious love tale, and a social interpretation towards the American Life. This story explores the journey for happiness and wealth through the American Dream, and shows how perfectionism, deteriorated relationships, and deceitfulness occur during the Jazz Age. The Great Gatsby, however, is not the story about a woman’s journey for happiness and improperly shows the representation of females during 1920. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby shows the historically male controlled social system through women being portrayed as shallow beings, which are dominated by men, and seen as flawed individuals.
There was a recollection of the moments that Gatsby and Daisy had together and Daisy was the first “nice” girl that Gatsby had ever known. Gatsby cuddled with Daisy before he left for the Armistice, but after it instead of getting sent home he was sent to Oxford instead. Daisy wanted to shape her life and that decision had to be made by a force of love or money. The force that she was looking for was fulfilled in Tom. Gatsby had told Nick that he thought that Daisy had never loved Tom. Nick made it clear that he was no longer talking to Jordan after an abrupt conversation that they had on the phone with each
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald begins by portraying Gatsby as a wealthy, charming man; however, as time goes on, Gatsby’s real personality and intentions are shown, including his obsession with Daisy. This is first shown when Jordan Baker (a friend of Daisy’s) tells Nick, “It wasn’t a coincidence at all. Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (“Fitzgerald” 78). Even though Gatsby had not seen or talked to Daisy in over five years, he bought a house in West Egg that was located very near to her own residence. Therefore, he can know where she is, what she is doing, and try to see her once again. Another example of Gatsby’s obsessiveness towards Daisy is shown everytime he throws lavish, all inclusive parties. He reveals this to Jordan who then tells Nick, “I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night. Then he began asking people casually if they knew her, and I was the first one he found” (79). This shows that Gatsby is not only obsessed with Daisy but is willing to spend his time and money trying to lure her into his home. The whole reason that the parties are thrown and no invitations are given out, is that so anybody and everyone can come. He hopes that Daisy will hear about them, come to a party, see him in his mansion, and fall in love with him once again.
It is clear why Daisy’s relationship with Gatsby ultimately fails in the end, because despite of the unconditional love that Gatsby has for Daisy, it is still not a good enough reason for Daisy to settle with Gatsby. Since Daisy needs stability in her life. When faced with the idea of escaping with Gatsby, she is confronted with the consequences and the harsh reality of her decision. Instead, she looks towards Jordan and Nick, “with a sort of appeal, as though she realized at last what she was doing,” and it is apparent that “she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all,” (Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby entails of a story of a bright young man, Nick Carraway, who moved to New York City in search of a successful life in the bonds business, but becomes suffocated by the lifestyles of those in wealth and power at the time. As Nick settles himself in a new job and new city, in the only cottage among mansions on West and East Egg, he finds himself neighbor to a mysterious, wealthy man known for his extravagant parties and elusive persona. This neighbor, Jay Gatsby, emerges to be one of the main characters of the novel and the only person in all of New York that Nick can call a friend. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, encompasses the hollowness of the upper class as well as the deterioration of the “American Dream” within the plotline of the lives of Nick, Gatsby, and the Buchanan’s. Because of the themes Fitzgerald created, it prompts people, such as Bruccoli, to make the claim “The Great Gatsby does not proclaim the nobility of the human spirit; it is not politically correct; it does not reveal how to solve the problems of life; it delivers no fashionable or comforting messages. It is just a masterpiece.” While the Great Gatsby is a masterpiece, Bruccoli correctly examines the text in revealing no nobility of the human spirit, no solutions to the problems of life, and it is politically incorrect. However, despite the dismal themes, Fitzgerald does deliver fashionable/comforting messages to the audience. Bruccoli’s claim brings to light the
Despite Daisy being a dislikeable character, there are some instances in which the reader feels sympathetic towards her. A big factor is the affair that Tom has with Myrtle. Daisy knows that what her husband is doing, but she still stays with him for the fact that they have a daughter together and for financial support. When Nick first sees Daisy's daughter, she says, "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." By this she means that if her daughter is in the same position she is in her marriage, she won't know of the affair that her husband might have. The reader feels bad for Daisy because she is not being treated the way a wife is supposed to be treated. That is why she is yearning for love, and Gatsby was there to give it to her. Another time is at the hotel suite scene. She doesn't know who to choose from-Tom or Gatsby. She's torn between two lovers, and both of them have their own reasons for loving her, and why she should choose them. Gatsby has a lot to offer her, and loves her for who she is. He succeeded in life just to be with her. Although Tom is having an affair, he questions her about their love, and that Gatsby cannot take his place.
“In his blue gardens men and women came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (Fitzgerald 39). In his character, his relationships, and his gatherings, Jay Gatsby epitomized the illusion of a perfect romance. When Gatsby and Daisy met in 1917, he was searching for money, but ended up profoundly falling in love with her. “[H]e set out for gold and stumbled upon a dream” (Ornstein 37). Only a few weeks after meeting one another, Gatsby had to leave for war, which led to a separation between the two for nearly five years. As “war-torn lovers” Gatsby and Daisy reach the quintessential ideal of archetypical romance. When Gatsby returned from the war, his goal was to rekindle the relationship he once had with Daisy. In order to do this, he believed he would have to work hard to gain new wealth and a new persona. “Jay Gatsby loses his life even though he makes his millions because they are not the kind of safe, respectable money that echoes in Daisy’s lovely voice” (Ornstein 36). Gatsby then meets Daisy’s cousin, Nick Carraway, who helps to reunite the pair. Finally being brought together after years of separation, Gatsby stops throwing the extravagant parties at his home, and “to preserve [Daisy’s] reputation, [he] empties his mansion of lights and servants” (Ornstein 37). Subsequent to their reconciliation, Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, begins to reveal sordid information about Gatsby’s career which causes Daisy to
Gatsby’s goal in the book is to regain the pure and innocent love he initially shared with Daisy, unfortunetly both the actions he took to gain money and power as well as the tumultoulus events that took place in Daisy’s life have made that pureness of love impossible to attain. Gatsby refuses to accept this, even going so far as to say “Why of course you can!” when told he could not, “repeat the past.” Gatsby’s
Gatsby feels like he is still close with Daisy as he once was. In reality, he isn't and doesn't know her as well as he thought. He thought she would leave Tom and tell him she never loved him, which is such a high expectation of Daisy. He comes to reality towards the end of the book before he was sadly murdered by
Daisy grew up spoiled due to the vast wealth she obtained from being ‘old money’, which caused her to become selfish and self-centred. Daisy had become selfish to the point that she has an expensive and materialistic desire or want. When Gatsby shows Daisy his mansion, she gazed in awe as “she admired […] the gardens, the sparkling odor of jonquils […] and the pale gold odor of kiss-me-at-the-gate.”(Fitzgerald,97) Daisy, all along, does not have feelings for Gatsby, but more for his money and expensive possessions, as she revealed her true self during Tom and Gatsby’s argument. Daisy is selfish even if money was not involved, as she does not feel grateful for Gatsby taking the blame for her killing Myrtle Wilson. For instance, when Nick tells Gatsby about Mrytle dying, Gatsby replies “’Yes,’ he said after the moment, ‘but of course I’ll say I was.’” (Fitzgerald, 154) When Daisy cried in Gatsby’s mansion, she was crying about her actions in killing Myrtle, meanwhile she does not care about Gatsby’s act of chivalry. Furthermore, Daisy takes advantage of Gatsby by taking Tom along to Gatsby’s party, when Daisy was personally invited to essentially go alone. When Gatsby saw Tom appearing to his party, Gastby with a light temper has a conversation with Tom. He says “I know your wife’, continued Gatsby, almost aggressively.”
Gatsby’s aspirations are destroyed when he comes to the realization that certain dreams can never be converted into reality. When Gatsby and Daisy re-meet for the first time in years, he still refuses to see how self-absorbed, shallow, and greedy she truly is. As more events occur, he becomes aware of her intentions and can finally see how blinded he was by her charm and beauty so many years ago. Even though Gatsby has come to this