‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald presents Gatsby as a charming, well-mannered and mysterious. The narrator reveals his most unrealistic of his dreams, to recapture the past by luring Daisy. Some of Gatsby’s traits do not depict him as “admirable” and “pure” but instead as ‘obsessive’ and ‘dangerous’. In order to acknowledge Gatsby’s ‘obsessive’ and ‘dangerous’ side. It is important to understand how Gatsby’s dreams interact with reality and variety of symbolism used in the text. Firstly, F. Scott Fitzgerald highlights some characteristics of Gatsby that suggest an obsessive character, due to his passionate love for Daisy extended to an abnormal degree. Gatsby was in love with a memory he wanted to recreate in the present, "It was …show more content…
Some rumours surrounding Gatsby and his immense wealth had said, “Somebody told me that he killed a man once,” “It’s more that he was a German spy during the war.” This indicates that Gatsby has a dark past and shrouded in mystery. Stating Gatsby as “a bootlegger” is an actual fact - his “dangerous” side increased his determination to seek wealth to get noticed by Daisy. When Daisy discovered how rich Gatsby was, she was attracted to him. This is clear when Gatsby first shows her his huge mansion. In the scene which Gatsby shows her his expensive shirts, she responds by saying, "They 're such beautiful shirts it makes me sad because I have never seen such beautiful shirts.” Daisy is over excited about how rich Gatsby is and could no longer contain herself. “The beautiful shirts” represented wealth and when Daisy sobs into the shirt, it is displaying her interest in materialism. Gatsby knows Wolfsheim, this in fact links him with the underworld business. Gatsby tells Nick that Wolfsheim is his ‘friend’ and a ‘gambler’ so we know he’s aware of his habits and lifestyle but is still close to him. Gatsby’s acceptance indicate that perhaps he lives in a similar lifestyle as he seems so casual about it and has some connection to bootlegging, showing his extreme wealth is probably not honestly
Gatsby’s Obsessive and Compulsive Spirit In life, everyone develops the human nature of obsession no matter how large or minute it is. Obsession could be over something like an object or item, a dream, a philosophy, or even someone meaningful. Jay Gatsby finds himself in a parallel situation when pursuing the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. The psychological lens is apparent in this book because it focuses on the motivation of certain characters.
Mark Barrowcliffe, an English writer known for his book about a picky man in search of the perfect woman, once voiced, “An obsession is a way for damaged people to damage themselves more.” Barrowcliffe argues that obsession means compulsion, obsession means insatiable desire, and obsession means blindly and foolishly pursuing one's demise. Correspondingly, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel that tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious, new-money millionaire, and his tragic journey to acquire the American Dream and revive his past love with Daisy Buchanan, a generationally wealthy, married woman, with the help of the protagonist. The development of Gatsby's obsessive, compulsive desire to recreate a deluded fantasy
“He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong.” In this paragraph Tom revealed Gatsby’s crime saying that Gatsby was doing illegal stuff, such as drugs and alcohol to make money. Gatsby is trying to become rich faster so he can be with Daisy because since her parents would rather have Daisy marry a rich man.
Firstly, being selfless and accommodating to others needs and wants is not something that the society in this time period can be proud of. Daisy, Tom and Gatsby develop the trait of selfishness in many ways throughout the novel. Daisy Buchanan is a wealthy woman who lives in the East egg and is married to Tom Buchanan. Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, Jordan and Nick all go to town when Tom and Gatsby break into an argument because Tom finds out that Gatsby and Daisy are having an affair. Gatsby tells Tom the truth about Daisy and himself because Tom bombards him with questions when he says, “’She never loves you, do you hear?’
Gatsby’s “Greatness” Greatness is showed by the choices we make in life. From how we see the circumstances and how we react to them. Gatsby is not as great of a man as Nick claims that he is. Gatsby makes foolish, childish and delusional decisions and not at all great.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays love, obsession, and objectification through the characters Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. Some might say their love was true and Gatsby’s feelings for her was pure affection, while others say that he objectifies and is obsessed with her. Perhaps Gatsby confuses lust and obsession with love, and throughout the novel, he is determined to win his old love back. At the end of the novel, Gatsby is met with an untimely death and never got to be with Daisy. The reader is left to determined if Gatsby’s and Daisy’s love was pure and real, or just wasn’t meant to be.
Gatsby’s dreams and aspirations in life are rather interesting and amazing as he goes about his life in the book. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald helps highlight the social, moral, and political issue that were very present during the 1920’s and today. Gatsby is the focus of the book as before the book began, he was an ex-soldier who came to wealth by some rather illegal ways. Daisy a married woman is his person of interest, who was his ex-lover 5 years before the book started. Gatsby’s actions, and words demonstrate a clear obsession with Daisy that seems to have no end.
Pursuing this further, Gatsby shows off his wealth to Daisy again by flaunting his expensive clothing. At this point in the story, Gatsby shows off his money in any way that he can. Daisy states to Gatsby, " 'It makes me sad because I 've never seen such – such beautiful shirts before '" (92; Ch 5). Gatsby 's shirts are part of his lifestyle, they were made to impress others. Daisy 's world is made up of wealth and flashy materials, and when she realizes that Gatsby is now connected to money, she breaks down.
In an attempt to win Daisy back from her lifestyle of “Old Money”, Gatsby becomes excessively greedy with his money. While he himself may not care about wealth, he knows Daisy does. Therefore, when Daisy comes to his mansion, he flaunts his expensive shirts. “‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.’”
He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong.” (7.127) Gatsby earned his fortune through the illegal sale and distribution of liquor. Rumors of Gatsby’s being a bootlegger circulated with partygoers in chapter four while indications that Gatsby may be involved in criminal activity are suggested in chapter five.
In a book about a tragic love story, one would not expect to find a deeper meaning behind the dangers of jealousy or peril of lust. However, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a deeper meaning beyond jealousy and love. In The Great Gatsby, the author uses an empathetic storyline as a symbol to unwittingly give a complex depiction of the nuisance that people create that not only destroy our world but our society and gives warning to what will occur if we continue the path of destruction. With this intention, the brilliant opinionated writer, expressed his opinion through symbols such as the characters he uses, the setting the story takes place in, and the objects he uses in the book.
In today’s duplicitous society, men often pursue the “perfect woman”. This woman is construed to be; fit, provocative and ravishing. However, in greatly distinguished American novel, The Great Gatsby, the men have strayed from stalking women for their looks. Instead, Gatsby chases Daisy to achieve her as a prize of his bounty and any affection Gatsby demonstrates toward her, is simply to appease to her sense of status and wealth. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald, exhibits Gatsby’s these feelings for Daisy through the clever usage of connotation, symbolism and metaphors.
Customarily, an author will construct a narrative in which the protagonist, a character contrived to be implausible, as well as honorable is destined to decline along the path of tragedy leading to suffering and misfortune. Distinctive writing strategies corresponding to the theme, motifs, symbols and characters contently allow the scripter to plot the flaws dominating the descent of the advocate. Amongst Fitzgerald and Shakespeare’s central characters, Jay Gatsby and Othello, both filled with passionate love for their significant other are corrupted by their lack of judgement causing them to lose the one they lust over. Similarly, both characters originated from a meager past which they were forced to struggle to achieve a position where they
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays the themes of love, lust and obsession, through the character of Jay Gatsby, who confuses lust and obsession with love. The character of Jay Gatsby was a wealthy business man, who the author developed as arrogant and tasteless. Gatsby 's love interest, Daisy Buchanan, was a subdued socialite who was married to the dim witted Tom Buchanan. She is the perfect example of how women of her level of society were supposed to act in her day. The circumstances surrounding Gatsby and Daisy 's relationship kept them eternally apart.
The Great Gatsby, written by Scott Fitzgerald, features the “American dream”. This dream comes with the fake perception of a person receiving everything they could only hope for. Scott’s romanticism plays as a major influence in his writings and his idea of reaching his own American dream. Scott Fitzgerald’s image of the good life is portrayed the through his writings of binging and a better self-image, but can he interpret the difference between fantasy and his own life realities? .