The Silent Wife and The Great Gatsby

1060 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender roles of women in literature

The Silent Wife and The Great Gatsby: Loyalty Having either too little or too much loyalty can be unhealthy in a relationship, either one can destroy a person. In Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s entire life was side tracked because of his goal to be with Daisy. In A.S.A. Harrison’s The Silent Wife, Todd cheated on his wife and only continued to make worse decisions, further betraying her. Because of Gatsby’s extreme loyalty to Daisy, it ultimately led to his death, in contrast to Todd, he had betrayed his wife and lost everything he truly cared about and only in his last few moments, did he fully realize he wished he could have chosen her instead. The story of The Great Gatsby took place five years after Gatsby and Daisy had first met and gotten in a relationship. Though it had come to an abrupt end, Gatsby still tried to reunite with Daisy throughout the next five years, though he had no success. One day, at one of his massive parties, which he throws just hoping that Daisy would show up, he meets Nick. While he was there, Gatsby found out that he and Daisy were cousins and that he knew Daisy’s best friend. Seeing an opportunity, he asked Daisy’s friend to explain to Nick his situation and requested that he “invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over.” (Fitzgerald, page 76). Despite Gatsby’s efforts, he had been unable to effectively to reunite with his lover. Finally when he found a connection to Daisy, he wanted to use Nick to prove to Daisy that he was the man that she should be with and that he had the money to take care of her. In comparison to The Great Gatsby, in The Silent Wife, Todd had been unfaithful to his wife Jodi. While he was depressed he got involved with his best frie... ... middle of paper ... ...d suffered consequence as a result of his betrayal while Gatsby was being loyal to Daisy and was trying to protect her. Because of Gatsby’s refusal to give up on the love of his life, it ultimately led to his death, whereas Todd’s infidelity led to a trail of mistakes that resulted him in the same fate. Harrison’s thriller novel The Silent Wife, Todd had betrayed his wife and had hurt her to the point where she decided he was better of dead. Meanwhile, in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s loyalty prompted him to devote everything for a woman that never loved him the way he wanted her to. Both loyalty and betrayal can simultaneously put a person in an unwanted and dangerous position. Works Cited Fitzgerald, Scott. The Great Gatsby. Toronto: Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 1950. Print. Harrison, A.S.A. The Silent Wife. Toronto: Penguin Group, 2013. Print.

Show More
Related

  • The Great Gatsby American Dream Quotes

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out”(229) Tom isn't just going to stand around while gatsby tries to steal his wife from him even though he cheats on her almost every night. Tom actually loves her deep inside even though he cheats on her “He nodded sagely. "And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in awhile 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." (252)

    Read More

  • Futility of Temporal Regression

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    Upon first meeting Gatsby we find him staring at the green light at the end of the dock owned by Daisy. The exact wording of this moment is “But A I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone-he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling” (Fitzgerald, 19-20). This instance alone shows nothing, save a longing, but when combined with the next few chapters it shows Gatsby obsession with all things related to Daisy. Another instance of Gatsby's longing for Daisy is showed in that his parties are meant to be for her. This conversation between Nick and Gatsby from late in the book shows Gatsby's concern when Daisy is actually at his party ““She didn’t like it,” he said immediately. “Of course she did.” “She didn’t like it,” he insisted. “She didn’t have a good time.” He was silent, and I guessed at his unutterable depression” (108-109). The major flaw in Gatsby's plan is that Daisy is old money, and old money and new money...

    Read More

  • Theme Of Pathos In The Great Gatsby

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nothing is more important, to most people, than friendships and family, thus, by breaking those bonds, it draws an emotional response from the readers. Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan had a relationship before he went off to fight in the war. When he returned home, he finds her with Tom Buchanan, which seems to make him jealous since he still has feelings for Daisy. He wanted Daisy “to go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you” (Fitzgerald 118) Gatsby eventually tells Tom that his “wife doesn’t love [him]” and that she only loves Gatsby (Fitzgerald 121). But the unpleasant truth is that Daisy never loved anyone, but she loved something: money. Daisy “wanted her life shaped and the decision made by some force of of money, of unquestionable practicality” (Fitzgerald 161). The Roaring Twenties were a time where economic growth swept the nation and Daisy was looking to capitalize on that opportunity. Her greed for material goods put her in a bind between two wealthy men, yet they are still foolish enough to believe that she loved them. Jay Gatsby is a man who has no relationships other than one with Nick Caraway, so he is trying to use his wealth to lure in a greedy individual to have love mend his

    Read More

  • Dishonesty In The Great Gatsby

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    In addition to Gatsby’s dishonesty with others, he is dishonest with himself. Gatsby has fabricated a dream—a fictional reality—in his mind. He wants Nick’s cousin, Daisy, whom he met five years prior to the story’s beginning, to marry him. However, this marriage could never happen, because Daisy is already married to an East Egg man named Tom, with whom she has a child. Despite the odds, Gatsby continues to push Daisy towards breaking it off with Tom.

    Read More

  • Jay Gatsby: Embodiment and Collapse of the American Dream

    1287 Words  | 3 Pages

    One night when Jay Gatsby is allowing Daisy to drive his car, she fatally hits Mrs. Wilson and flees from the scene. Bystanders recognized Gatsby’s car, leading everyone to see Gatsby in a new light, destroying the reputation he’s put up for so long in hopes to eventually woo Daisy. At this point readers would assume that Gatsby meets his downfall with Tom Buchanan, but F. Scott Fitzgerald had something else in mind.

    Read More

  • Lies And Deception in The Great Gatsby

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...aside and asked him to wait half an hour. But it wasn’t any use. Nobody came.” The only people at his funeral were servants, Nick, and Gatsby’s father. Even when Gatsby tried to make friends, the people he talked to were only interested in business ‘connections.’ Perhaps his poor luck drove him to his immoral activities, but to me it seems much more likely that he brought these things upon himself through his dishonesty. In the end when he attempted to reclaim Daisy, the girl he loved this entire life, he lost his life instead of successfully being with Daisy.

    Read More

  • Money Can't Buy Happiness in F.Scott Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...illingly for a murder Daisy committed and not him. Gatsby had a period of happiness when he was with Daisy and thought it was the best time of his life, and Daisy seemed to think the same. Gatsby was still not good enough for Daisy though because he was part of West Egg, the lesser wealthy. But everything seemed to be an illusion; the story took place in the time of the Gilded Age. Nothing was how it seemed to be, while everything seems to be good on the outside, deep down there are always problems and abandoned memories, which eventually come up again and often causes problems. We all make mistakes in our life, love can influence our decisions greatly, but what’s important in life is setting your priorities straight, becoming a better person from our mistakes, and lastly, loving a person for whom they are on the inside rather than any material possessions or looks.

    Read More

  • Tom And Daisy Quotes Analysis

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tom and Daisy have had an unhealthy relationship in their time together. Tom and Daisy over their time together have constantly been cheating on each other, even from their wedding day. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays Tom and Daisy’s marriage as very unhealthy in The Great Gatsby. The story also presents a deep respect for understanding intellectual empathy by showing many sides of the characters stories. Tom and Daisy’s marriage has much to do with the plot and ultimately leads to Gatsby’s death. The Great Gatsby portrays the relationships in many different angles that help with intellectual empathy.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby

    413 Words  | 1 Pages

    The relationship between Gatsby and Daisy is one of constant lies, and deceit. Gatsby falls in love with Daisy before he goes to the Army as a young man, and Daisy fell in love with him too. Yet Daisy is very materialistic and Tom, a very rich man came into place and Daisy married him instead of waiting for Gatsby like she had promised. Gatsby waited for Daisy but she did not wait for him, and instead married Tom just for his money. This shows how there relationship has been riddled with lies since the very beginning of the story.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Selfishness In The Great Gatsby

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    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. One night he and Tom, Daisy’s husband, were in dispute. Gatsby argued that Daisy had never loved Tom, but Tom was sure Daisy had loved him all along. Gatsby told Daisy, “It doesn’t matter anymore. Just tell him the truth-that you never loved him- and it’s all wiped out forever.”(Fitzgerald 139) Daisy explained to Gatsby that he was asking too much of her. Of course she had loved Tom; she married him. It should have been enough for Gatsby to know that Daisy loved him now. This act of selfishness brought destruction upon Gatsby himself. “Gatsby’s eyes opened and closed. ‘You loved me too?’ he repeated.”(Fitzgerald 140) It was not necessary for Gatsby to ask anything more of Daisy, yet he did for his own selfish reasons. It resulted in the obliteration of Tom and Daisy’s relationship as well as Gatsby’s

    Read More

  • Gatsby's Undying Love for Daisy in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the same way that Daisy was the reason for Gatsby to acquire everything he had, she was the reason he lost it all. He based his whole life into the dream and expectancy of Daisy coming back to his arms, living only on a dream. Gatsby’s love for Daisy was pure and real, it was a self-giving love which ultimately lead him to his death. It is clear that he gave up everything for the girl he loved; he tried everything he could to win her back, and unfortunately, died trying.

    Read More

  • Daisy’s Corruption of the American Dream

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout “The Great Gatsby,” corruption is evident through the people within it. However, we discover with Daisy, initially believed to be a victim of her husband’s corruption—we find she is the eye of the storm. In the story, the reader feels sorry for Daisy, the victim in an arranged marriage, wanting her to find the happiness she seemingly longed for with Gatsby. Ultimately we see Daisy for what she is, a truly corrupt soul; her languish and materialistic lifestyle, allowing Gatsby to take the blame for her foolish action of killing Myrtle, and feigning the ultimate victim as she “allows” Tom to take her away from the unsavory business she has created. Daisy, the definitive picture of seeming innocence is the most unforeseen, therefore, effective image of corruption—leading to a good man’s downfall of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Social and Moral Values in Relation to the Downfall of Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gatsby hasn’t just lost his morals but also his sense of family because he has created such an elaborate illusion. Catherine scrutinizes the couples of the story, "Neither of them can stand the person they're married to" (Fitzgerald pg 37). The marriage had become very weak when Daisy "had told [Gatsby] that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded" (Fitzgerald, pg 125). More than his morals, Gatsby loses all sense of family, his wealth has metaphorically become it. He relies on his money rather than a family to bring comfort and security to his life. Gatsby takes advantage of his wealth to replace his deteriorated spirit and emotions. As a result of shallow family relationships, all love for that matter becomes based on social status.

    Read More

  • The End Of The Affair Critical Analysis

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    To what extent is love Presented as destructive in Graham Greene’s ‘The End of the Affair’. With reference to Scott Fitzgerald’s, ‘The Great Gatsby’.

    Read More

  • Love Leads to Destruction

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nearly everyone searches for love during at least some part of their life, but what happens when that love destroys them? The Great Gatsby is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, an author who has had his own complications with love. The Great Gatsby is a novel about a man who is desperately pleading to get the woman of his dreams to notice him; consequently, spending thousands of dollars throwing parties so this girl – who is already married – may wander in and he can win her over. When Nick Carraway comes into his life he starts to show just how obsessed he is with obtaining his idol, Daisy. The man, Jay Gatsby, uses Nick to get to Daisy, but that proves to be a fatal mistake after they run over a woman and the woman’s husband – now infuriated and delusional – shoots Gatsby for vengeance. Destructive love is the driving force that defeats all of these characters in The Great Gatsby.

    Read More

More about The Silent Wife and The Great Gatsby

Open Document