How Is Daisy Successful In The Great Gatsby

Sarah Weno
Mrs. Schmit
College English
May 9, 2023
The True “Greatness” of Gatsby The word “great” can be defined in several ways, but to truly reach greatness, one must exhibit a variety of positive traits. Greatness is defined as the expression of qualities that distinguish one individual from the general public, which further allows for said individual to achieve admiration from others within society. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Nick Callaway, a Midwestern man who moved east to explore the business of selling bonds, describes his experience living next door to a wealthy individual who hosts multiple glamorous parties in an effort to attract the attention of a certain woman. This man, Jay Gatsby, is largely a mystery. There are several

When Gatsby, Nick, Daisy, Jordan, and Tom are in town together, an argument breaks out between Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby, and one of Gatsby’s expectations of Daisy is revealed: he wants Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved him. However, this expectation is unachievable, and even Daisy notices: “‘Oh, you want too much!’ she cried to Gatsby. ‘I love you now–isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past.’ She began to sob helplessly. ‘I did love him once–but I loved you too” (Fitzgerald 140). Daisy’s words not only describe Gatsby’s high expectations, but also her reaction to them. Gatsby’s unattainable wishes prove that he does not truly love Daisy for who she is now, and instead yearns for their past relationship. An argument can be made that Gatsby truly loved Daisy, due to the fact that he worked hard to obtain money to provide a luxurious life for her. While this action may seem to prove Gatsby’s love for Daisy, he devotes himself to becoming wealthy after working for Dan Cody, which is long before Gatsby even meets

In the beginning of the novel, Jay Gatsby’s accumulation of wealth is a mystery, and is speculated by others to be from a variety of sources, both respectable and illegal. While it is never directly explained by Gatsby, his riches are likely the result of an illicit bootlegging scheme: “‘He and this Wolfshiem brought 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’” (Fitzgerald 141). This revelation, made by Tom, demonstrates that Gatsby has participated in illegal activity to gain his riches, further proving that he is not truly great. Becoming rich through these means shows that Gatsby did not work for his wealth, and instead cheated the system. Others may argue that Gatsby’s illegal accumulation of wealth does not disprove the claim of his greatness, since his actions are not harmful to others. While this may seem true, Gatsby’s participation in bootlegging is an unfair way of obtaining his riches, which further degrades the efforts of others who have made money through honorable