Theme Of Selfishness In The Great Gatsby

Jay Gatsby is a prime example of this. The entire book revolves around his one selfish desire to be with the woman he loves, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is well aware that Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, but that does not stop him. Gatsby and Daisy begin seeing each other and spending a great amount of time together. This was not enough to satisfy Gatsby.

… I love you now – isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s the past… I did love him once – but I loved you too”, then Tom states “Even that’s a lie… She didn’t know you were alive. Why there’re things between Daisy and me that you’ll never know, things that neither of us can forget” (108, Fitzgerald). Gatsby was trying his best to be with her once again, but when Tom was brought into the picture it was a battle for Gatsby to win her over. In this quote, Daisy disclosed she loved both of them while Tom tries to put Gatsby down, which emotionally destroyed his character.

Wanting to be with her true love again, she sneaks visits with him without Tom knowing. Just like Myrtle had, Daisy torn into her own marriage. She loved both men, but as soon as it was found out, the men began fighting for her. “I glanced at Daisy who was staring terrified between Gatsby and her husband…” (Fitzgerald 143). This isn’t what Daisy wanted at all.

Since Daisy was married, the idea of love between Gatsby and Daisy was forbidden. This very concept made the relationship all the more desirable. Gatsby becomes obsessed with his relationship with Daisy to the point that he was delusional. His only objective was to win Daisy back. When Tom learns of Gatsby and Daisy’s secret affair, he is outraged.

Gatsby says to Tom in the hotel suit, "Your wife doesn 't love you. She 's never loved you. She loves me... She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart, she never loved anyone but me! (Fitzgerald 137)" At this point time Gatsby is thinking completely delusional thoughts about how Daisy has always been his, she was just using Tom as a filler until she could be with him, but what Gatsby wasn 't expecting was that Daisy truly loves Tom more than she loves him.

Instead of investing in their marriage, they chose to actively destroy it by looking for fulfillment in other uncalled for relationships. Their true love for each other is doubted. When Tom finds out that Daisy and Gatsby are having an affair, Tom says to Gatsby, “...what 's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (“Great Gatsby” 19). Tom does not seem to view his “spree” as he views Daisy.

The love between them was parted due to lack of money on Gatsby’s part. Furthermore, from then on Gatsby longed to be with Daisy till he was killed, protecting her. Gatsby was so touched by Daisy to the degree that he would go as far as the moon to know she does love him. In Chapter 6 when Gatsby and Tom scuffled he wanted Daisy to tell Tom herself that she never loved him, but she wouldn’t, thus destroying Gatsby’s heart. Gatsby would tell himself that Daisy loved him, just to make his heart feel warm.

Tom suspects that Gatsby and Daisy are having a relationship, but has no evidence to prove it. However, whenever Tom would leave the room, Daisy would immediately run into Gatsby’s arms to show her affection. To their dismay, Tom sees this: “She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw” (Fitzgerald 126). This leads to a confrontation between Gatsby and Tom, where Gatsby boldly declares that “Your wife [Daisy] doesn’t love you …She’s never loved you. She loves me” (Fitzgerald 139).

Tom sees right through Jay’s little romance with Daisy as absurd, calling him out as, “crazy!”(125) Since his devotion for her boarders on obsession, creating a visionary life with Daisy, and unrealistic expectations she will never be able to fulfill. Tom sees the affair much differently as just a bump in the road, Gatsby’s expectations of Daisy will put her in unbelievable pressure and will overwhelm her. Overall Tom’s willing to forgive her, and let her continue living the life that she already has been, while Jay wants to change everything about her lifestyle. Daisy responds in between Jay, and Tom’s argument, saying “‘I did love him once − but I loved you too.’” (126) She is confronting her conflict, by trying to rationally infer what her decision should be to resolve this rivalry. By choosing Jay over Tom she would be essentially wrecking her marriage, and the future stability with Tom.

Tom sees right through Jay’s little romance with Daisy as absurd, calling him out as, “crazy!”(125) Since his devotion for her boarders on obsession, creating a visionary life with Daisy, and unrealistic expectations she will never be able to fulfill. Tom sees the affair much differently as just a bump in the road, Gatsby’s expectations of Daisy will put her in unbelievable pressure and will overwhelm her. Overall Tom’s willing to forgive her, and let her continue living the life that she already has been, while Jay wants to change everything about her lifestyle. Daisy responds in between Jay, and Tom’s argument saying, “‘I did love him once − but I loved you too.’” (126) She is confronting her conflict, by trying to rationally infer what her decision should be to resolve this rivalry. By choosing Jay over Tom she would be essentially wrecking her marriage, and future stability with Tom.