Innocent Victim In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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In order to be a naive person it means that said person is naturally innocent with a lack in understanding the world around them. Love often blinds people from reality which can make them extremely naive because they do not understand love in the real world. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a young man by the name of Gatsby falls in love with a beautiful young lady by the name Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is essentially an innocent victim (romantic idealist) who is destroyed by his inability to accept reality. Gatsby is essentially an innocent victim (romantic idealist) who is destroyed by his love for Daisy. Gatsby is truly a romantic at heart which is clear to everyone, “Gatsby’s love takes on an aspect of archaic romanticism, …show more content…

Gatsby holds a certain beauty which can be attested to his innocence, “Yet if Gatsby's destruction by "the foul dust" which "floats in the wake of his illusions" is thus inevitable, his inexhaustible store of wonder and good will still confer upon the very actuality which eventually extinguish them whatever truth, beauty or goodness that American actuality ever fully attains” (Gunn). There was no possible way for Gatsby to avoid his death because he is extremely naive when it comes to real life situations. Since Gatsby is out of touch with reality it keeps him from keeping his true feelings at bay, “What Gatsby lacks is the critical ability to temper his generous, if also innocent, feelings, which are in turn responsible for the splendor and naivete of his illusions” (Gunn). Clearly Gatsby’s temper gets the best of him, as seen in his moments with Tom, which leads to Tom wishing to destroy him. James firmly believes in what many see as a lost cause, “‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can’” (Fitzgerald.116). This quote from Gatsby proves his naive nature immensely; he has no idea that he can not actually change the choices and actions he has previously made. It is a pity that Gatsby always has his head stuck in the clouds. One fateful night Daisy and Gatsby run into an immense amount of trouble, “‘Anyhow-Daisy stepped on it. I tried to make her stop, but she couldn't so I pulled on the emergency brake’” (Fitzgerald.144). The situation that plays out here paints Gatz as an innocent victim. Daisy is the one who kills Myrtle, but Gatsby is willing to keep quiet, take the fall, in order to protect her from the wrath of Tom. Therefore, Gatsby’s naive actions lead to the destruction of

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