What is love? Communication? Trust? Excitement? Hope? Joy? Surrender? Selflessness? Intimacy? Commitment? As a child, you trust in love wholeheartedly. As a young teenager, you have surrender and hope in love. As a young adult, you have intimacy and excitement in love. As a parent, you have a deep connection and cherish your love. As a grandparent, you have commitment and strength in your love. And for some they have all those things in different orders, times and experiences. Love is not definable. Age and mental development are barely even definable. At every turn in life you will find a different way to love. Be it with a man, a woman, a child, or a friend. People have multiple explanations as to what love is, but in the end no one truly knows. What people ponder most is how relationships that seem so perfect, can end in a blink of an eye. Research shows that the problem pertaining to relationships ending is money. Money seems to be the controller in many situations. In the stories, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, money and the amount that you have, proves to be the leading control factor in relationships and can destroy them easily. Research shows that the leading cause to relationships failing or divorce, is stress from money issues. When there is too little, stress levels rise. Too much, believe it or not, some people can’t agree how the excess money should be spent. Then we have wastefulness V.S. miserliness, if one person is always buying things without thinking about it and the other wants to save every penny, arguments are inevitable. Last but not least, lying. Some people hide money from their significant other, out of habit or mistrust; whatever the reason, it causes relat... ... middle of paper ... ...winning Daisy over. Her voice contains the promise of vast riches. However, Gatsby is too late to realize that money is the only thing her voice promises. There is no compassion in Daisy, just as there is none in cold, hard cash. Gatsby’s lapse in judgment is in not realizing that Daisy represents both material success and the corruption that wealth can bring. Although she appears to be full of sweetness and light, she is at heart self-centered and cold. Daisy is careless with people’s lives; she lets Gatsby take the blame for her unintentional manslaughter of Myrtle Wilson. Her careless actions eventually result in Gatsby’s death, of which she shows no concern. She commits adultery, but she had no real intentions of leaving her husband. After she learns of Gatsby’s shady background, she quickly runs back into the arms of her equally self-absorbed, corrupt husband.
The first impression that the reader gets of Gatsby is Jay’s initial explanation of him. Nick describes Gatsby as having an “extraordinary gift for hope” (2) or the ability to always be hopeful for the best outcome. This “ability” directly correlates to Gatsby 's platonic conception of himself and the world. Gatsby’s gift was not that he was able to see the best out of the worst situation but rather assume that the best situation would always occur for him. This “ability” lead Gatsby to take many risks especially the risk of believing that Daisy had only loved him. Gatsby also hopes that Daisy would call him back, leaving the phone lines open for Daisy when swimming in his pool. These acts only further lead to Gatsby becoming enemies with Tom, who gave Gatsby’s life up to Myrtle’s husband whose final act was shooting
He never wanted to give up on her, so he tried to recreate their past in hopes of rekindling a love they once had. “Gatsby's gospel of hedonism is reflected in his house, wild parties, clothing, roadster, and particularly in his blatant wooing of another man's wife. Daisy, a rather soiled and cheapened figure, is Gatsby's ultimate goal in his concept of the American dream. However, he falls victim to his own preaching. He comes to believe himself omniscient-above the restrictions of society and morality. His presumption extends to a belief that he can even transcend the natural boundaries placed upon human beings. He will win back Daisy by recapturing the past” (Pearson). Gatsby lies about his lifestyle including the parties, clothing, and almost all of the other aspects he reveals about himself, to impress his teenage love, Daisy, who also happens to be Tom’s wife. He believes he can win Daisy back from her husband by throwing lavish parties, and putting on a deceitful lifestyle in an attempt to lead her in believing he qualified to be one of the elite. “The book's chief characters are blind, and they behave blindly. Gatsby does not see Daisy's vicious emptiness, and Daisy, deluded, thinks she will reward her gold-hatted lover until he tries to force from her an affirmation she is too weak to make. Tom is blind to his hypocrisy; with "a short deft movement" he breaks Myrtle's nose for daring to mention the
Gatsby’s distinct charisma indicates his struggle against moral corruption and sets him apart from the moral decay evident in the upper class. Owl eyes is very surprised when he finds out all the books in Gatsby’s library are real, “‘The books?...Absolutely real--have pages and everything...It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco’” (45). While most of the upper class uses outward displays of wealth to cover their inner moral corruption, Gatsby uses his extravagant opulence to mask his love for Daisy. In this way his morals and ability to conceal his love prove his willingness and drive to acquire Daisy’s love and acceptance. The majority of the upper class suffers from moral poverty, lacking internal morals to keep them grounded acting out in ways that diminishes their social status. Gatsby is so close to Daisy his whole life yet he is unable to get any closer until their relationship is destroyed forever. “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock...his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him” (180). Gatsby continually reaches out for Daisy with hope and optimism, but the distance between his dock and the Buchanan’s does not get any closer symbolic for the
When he first meets Daisy, Gatsby becomes infatuated with his idea of her, or rather, the false persona that she creates of herself. In fact, Gatsby reveals that “she was the first ‘nice’ girl he had ever known” (155). Gatsby was so impressed with Daisy mainly because of her wealth and her status; it is what he wants. However, Daisy chooses Tom Buchanan over Gatsby, solely because of his social status. As a result, Gatsby revolves his whole life around her: he becomes wealthy, creates a new image of himself, and buys a house across the bay from Daisy. For instance, he fabricates lies about how “ [he is] the son of some wealthy people in the middle-west” (69) and how “ [he] was brought up in America but educated at Oxford” (69) in order to impress her. These lies end up altering others’ perspectives of him - not necessarily in a positive way - and impacting his life as a whole. Daisy unwittingly transforms Gatsby into a picture-perfect image of the 1920s: lavish parties, showy cars, and a false illusion of the attainment of the American Dream. Despite Gatsby’s newfound wealth and success, he never fully accomplishes his dream: to get Daisy. Gatsby’s final act for the sake of Daisy has no impact on her feelings towards him. When Gatsby claims that he crashed into Myrtle and killed her, Daisy carelessly lets him do so, which ultimately results in his death. To make
What he believed would make him happy did not because of who Daisy was and Gatsby’s inability to understand that in his absence. Daisy is glad to entertain a husband who does not love her and gladly cheats on her because of the financial security he can provide her. Her little affair with Gatsby shows that there was passion there but it was not enough to split the bond of her marriage, and apparently her own dream, which was plays a role into his inability to succeed. Daisy came from a rich family with little need from an American Dream as they could easily make do with what they had. Daisy’s goal was to marry rich and that she did, even to a man that she cannot deny having once loved even in the privacy of another man that she loved, Gatsby. “Even alone I can’t say I never loved him, she admitted in a pitiful voice” (133). After that Gatsby had lost his footing and fell from grace. He could not topple what was crafted during his departure to the war. Daisy no longer believed in a we between her and Gatsby What Gatsby had worked so long for had fallen apart. Roxie experiences a different finale as she lets Billy Flynn dance around the courtroom, trusting his expertise. His lovingly crafted story of self-defense and motherhood gave her a fighting chance but what closed it off was the evidence that he planted that was given to the hands of the warden. This evidence made it
The central focus of the story is the enigma of Gatsby, his past life, and his perusal of Daisy. Desperate to rekindle their former love, Gatsby works tirelessly to achieve the pinnacle of the American dream, settles in a large, posh house, throws lavish parties, and seems on excellent terms with the world at large. That, however, is not what makes him truly happy. All he did, he did in pursuit of Daisy, and initially it appears to work. She insists that she still loves him ardently. However, when pressed, she chooses Tom once more, and Gatsby is shattered. Nick says that, “If that was true, he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream,” (161). In the end, Gatsby’s dream turns on him, betraying him to the caprice of the world. He had sincerely believed in the American Dream, and believed it would help him secure Daisy’s love. When both failed him, he was left with a lavish but empty house, and to Gatsby, his wealth and prosperity were nothing without someone to share them with. The final nail in the coffin is Gatsby’s funeral, where it becomes clear what his immense wealth gained him in terms of the human affection he was truly after. Nick Carraway jumps through all sorts of hoops and harasses many people in order to get them to go to Gatsby’s funeral, to no avail. When it came time for the burial,
Daisy’s society places her under strict social regulations based on wealth, which ultimately decide many aspects of her life. The 1920s society that is the setting for The Great Gatsby seems to consist of three social classes: the wealthy, socially connected, and old fashioned in East Egg; the newly rich and flamboyant lacking social connections in West Egg; and the poor living in the “Valley of Ashes.” Daisy Buchannan belongs to the upper East Egg class. Those who are part of this class are held to high social standards. Coming from a wealthy family, Da...
Her sequence of lies leads George Wilson to believe, senselessly, that this was all Gatsby’s fault. The shame of the affair eventually compels Wilson to shoot Gatsby and then commit suicide. Daisy, could have owned up to her mistakes and saved Gatsby’s life, but for Daisy Fay Buchanan, self-preservation is far more valuable than personal merit. This in fact proves “the greatest villain in the Great Gatsby is in fact Daisy herself, for her wanton lifestyle and selfish desires eventually lead to Gatsby’s death, and she has no regards for the lives she destroys” (Rosk 47). Nevertheless, Nick Carraway sees right through her disturbing ways and reflects upon the Buchanan’s. After Nick ponders a thought he muttered “They are 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 made” (Fitzgerald 170). Many people see Daisy Buchanan as a poised, pure, and elegant woman who is happily married; however, few like her cousin, Nick Carraway, suffer from knowing her true self: careless, deceptive, and selfish. Daisy is able to use money to get her out of every situation she runs
Tom’s jealousy compels him to “[tell Mr. Wilson] the truth” regarding the death of Myrtle Wilson (178). Full of rage and depression, Mr. Wilson murders Gatsby and proceeds to commit suicide. However, according to Nick Carraway, Tom feels “that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified” (179). Despite all that Tom and Daisy smash up, they can always “[retreat] back into their money or their vast carelessness” (179). It is as though money can solve any problem. Therefore, Tom and Daisy have no worries, which translates into carelessness. When Nick searches for them in order to inform them about Gatsby’s funeral, they were nowhere to be found. They simply took their “baggage with them,” “left no address,” and did not “say when they’d be back” (164). There was absolutely no method of contacting them. However, although money was a source of reliable protection for Tom and Daisy, Gatsby’s life was the ultimate price that has to be
Myrtle's condition, of course, is a weaker reflection of Gatsby's more significant struggle. While Myrtle's desire springs from social ambition, Gatsby's is related more to his idealism, his faith in life's possibilities. Undoubtedly, his desire is also influenced by social considerations; Daisy, who is wealthy and beautiful, represents a way of life which is remote from Gatsby's and therefore more attractive because it is out of reach. However, social consciousness is not a basic cause. It merely directs and increases Gatsby's belief in life's possibilities. Like Myrtle, Gatsby struggles to fit himself into another social group, but his attempt is more urgent because his whole faith in life is involved in it. Failure, therefore, is more terrible for him. His whole career, his confidence in himself and in life is totally shattered when he fails to win Daisy. His death when it comes is almost insignificant, for, with the collapse of his dream, Gatsby is already spiritually dead.
At first glance, The Great Gatsby is merely a classic American tragedy, portraying the story of a man's obsession with a fantasy, and his resulting downfall. However, Fitzgerald seems to weave much more than that into the intricate web of emotional interactions he creates for the reader. One interesting element is the concepts of greatness each has. For Daisy, it lies in material wealth, and in the comfort and security associated with it. Daisy seems to be easily impressed by material success, as when she is touring Gatsby's mansion and seems deeply moved by his collection of fine, tailored shirts. It would seem that Tom's relative wealth, also, had at one time impressed her enough to win her in marriage. In contrast to that, Gatsby seems to not care a bit about money itself, but rather only about the possibility that it can win over Daisy. In fact, Gatsby's extreme generosity gives the reader the impression that Gatsby would otherwise have never even worked at attaining wealth had it not been for Daisy. For Gatsby, the only thing of real importance was his pursuit of Daisy. It would seem that these elements are combined, too in the character Myrtle.
It is easy to understand why finances continue to be the leading cause of divorce, especially when many couples tend to overlook the practical aspects of marriage before combining everything as marital property.
When most people think of love they mentally picture Cinderella and her Prince Charming happily dancing off into the sunset. They think of Noah reading his documented love story to dementia riddled Allie in attempt to make her remember him. They picture Michelle Tanner and Uncle Jesse solving the world’s problems with nothing but a ‘you got it, Dude’. People associate love with happiness, but love is also pain. Picture Ronnie as she clings to her cancer-stricken father who was once her closest friend. Love can bring people together, but it can also tear them apart. Love is defined as “strong affection for another” but love is so much more (Love 1). Love cannot be simply defined as affection because it does not
Often, many portray romantic love as a beneficial and desired emotion because its experience can lead to prosperity. While observing love from the outside, only its sentimental aspects in relationships are apparent, such as a couple holding hands or . Therefore, those not experiencing love believe it is a picture-perfect emotion, creating its potent allure. However, although love appears devoid of conflict, love’s effect induces feelings of fear, anguish, and carelessness which consequently govern our interactions with peers.
Do you believe that some people make time for what they want in life? Do you make time for what you want in life? Have you ever shown small gestures to show someone how much you really appreciate them? Making time for the people you care about can be hard, but when someone does put in the effort to create time for an individual, it makes a huge difference. Time can be hard to find, when you are trying to better yourself in life, but there is always another alternative to show people in your life that they are appreciated. A lot of people tend to forget how important it is to make time for love ones, that when the individual leaves, that is when they realize how important it is to make time.