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Responsibility In The Great Gatsby

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As we grow up, we are faced the inevitability of ignoring our responsibilities. Responsibilities can be used as a way for us to grow as individuals, but they can also have the ability to destroy us in unimaginable ways. The protagonist of The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, made the choice to take responsibility for his past lover, and ultimately suffered the consequences from that decision. The instinct for Gatsby to take responsibility for Daisy stems from love and compassion for her. However, this love and compassion blinded Gatsby and prevented him from coming to terms with reality, and its true consequences. This limitation ultimately put Gatsby in a situation where his life was ended tragically, yet his death was seen as a way to embrace his …show more content…

Gatsby uses his affection for Daisy to motivate him when he confronts a challenging situation. When Nick and Gatsby were discussing whether Daisy was pleased with Gatsby’s party or not, Nick reminds Gatsby that he “cannot repeat the past.” Gatsby simply disregarded the comment and challenged this by stating that he could in fact repeat the past. Later in the novel, after Gatsby’s dispute with Tom over who Daisy truly loved, a significant conflict arises from the situation. Daisy and Gatsby leave the scene together, however, Daisy was driving the car and runs over Myrtle Wilson with the car, which tragically killed Myrtle. Despite the fact that the current situation was already extremely problematic, Gatsby builds up the courage to take responsibility for Daisy’s actions. Gatsby made the decision to sacrifice his reputation and future, to keep Daisy out of trouble. Taking responsibility for another individual itself is already a challenging concept to consider in decision making, let alone taking responsibility for someone else’s crime. However, Gatsby unsurprisingly acted out of love for Daisy, and felt that whatever consequences that came his way, would be worth it in the end because his reward would be Daisy’s love and affection. With Gatsby’s reputation and well-being on the line, the future did not faze Gatsby, because he was ultimately too busy trying to pursue his

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