The Great Gatsby; an American Love Story?
Many people say that The Great Gatsby is a great American love story. This isn’t the case. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is not a story of perfect love. It is a story of love and lust corrupting people’s lives. This novel follows many relationships, but focuses on one in particular; Daisy and Gatsby’s. If a reader was to base their judgment of Daisy solely on Gatsby’s perception of her, most people would say she is perfect. In reality, she is not. Although in Jay Gatsby’s opinion Daisy is everything desirable, she turns out to be materialistic and selfish.
Gatsby sees Daisy as someone who will stand up for their love. He believes that she really does love him and would do anything for him. When she’s faced with the decision between Gatsby and Tom, she chooses the one with the money and ignores Gatsby’s love. For example, David L. Minter says in an essay about The Great Gatsby, “When Gatsby confronts Tom with the reality of his love for Daisy, she is not able to fill Gatsby’s idealized vision of their relationship” (Minter) Although Gatsby has this vision of perfect love with Daisy, the vision is unrealistic. Daisy does not want what Gatsby wants.
Daisy’s selfishness is demonstrated when she does not tell anyone that she was driving the car that killed Myrtle. Since it was Gatsby’s car that killed Myrtle, many people assumed it was Gatsby that was driving. In actuality, it is Daisy that is driving the car. For example, Fitzgerald writes, “He [Gatsby] threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s, but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle like you would a dog and never even stopped the car” (Fitzgerald 178).
The Essay on American Dream Gatsby Daisy Love
During the 1920 s Jay Gatsby had been living out what Fitzgerald calls the American Dream. Fitzgerald s American Dream through the views of Gatsby was to be very wealthy, have a sense of class, infinite capacity of hope, and wonder. Gatsby had sense of style that made him fit in to the upper class of society which again is part of the American Dream. The novel depicts how this dream has ...
This quote shows that Tom was never informed that Daisy was driving the car that killed Myrtle. Tom is still blaming Gatsby for Myrtle’s death which implies that Daisy never admitted to the crime.
Daisy’s selfishness is also displayed when she does not show up to Gatsby’s funeral. After Gatsby is killed by Wilson, Daisy completely disappears. Nick cannot contact her. The funeral passes, and Daisy never shows her face.
They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made… (Fitzgerald 179)
This quote tells of Daisy’s selfishness. She may ruin someone’s life and not feel anything at all. She claims to have loved Gatsby, but does not even attend the man’s funeral because it is not convenient for her. She does not think about anyone else’s feelings and severely lacks empathy.
Daisy’s materialism is shown when she cries over his silk shirts. When Daisy goes to Gatsby’s house for tea, he piles his silk shirts in front of Daisy to demonstrate his wealth. Daisy then begins to cry.
“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.” (Fitzgerald 92)
Daisy is crying because the shirts are so beautiful. She is also cradling them and sobbing into them. She should be cradling Gatsby and crying to Gatsby. If she really loved Gatsby for who he was, the shirts would be overlooked. Daisy is so concerned with the material things that she misses the people who care the most for her.
Although through Gatsby’s eyes, Daisy seems flawless, the reader finds out that she is actually selfish and materialistic.
