Affair Between Gatsby And Daisy example essay topic

... t are omnipresent throughout the novel. There is also the sense of inevitable disappointment inherent in the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy which Nick realizes upon the end of the day. Gatsby has been planning for this moment for years; no matter how well the meeting had gone, it could not fulfill the grand dreams that he has created for himself. This highlights an important aspect of Gatsby's character: he has an inability to conceive of anything in less than grandiose terms, whether parties, business arrangements or meetings with an old flame. Analysis: The incident with the reporter is another indication that Gatsby is involved with some dealings with far-reaching consequences. Whenever there is even the slightest hint that something shady has occurred, Gatsby is automatically presumed involved.

The story of Jay Gatsby is the quintessential tale of the self-made man. Gatsby even 'invented' himself, creating the persona of 'Jay Gatsby' from the actual person 'James Gatz. ' The full realization of the Gatsby persona and all that it entails is the character's grandiose dream and motivating force. The experience with Dan Cody did not give Gatsby any tangible assets, but did provide him with a concrete idea of what Gatsby wanted to be.

This actual history of Gatsby explains some of the suspicion directed towards him. Unlike Tom or Nick, he does not come from an established family. He is, as Tom Buchanan says, one of the 'new rich. ' Tom Buchanan serves two major purposes in the novel. He is a source of danger, with his violent bearing and blunt manner.

Tom has no sense of restraint, and is quite suspicious, particularly when Daisy is involved. But Tom is also the prime exemplar of 'old money' as compared to Gatsby's status as one of the 'new rich. ' Tom's status endows him with a sense of crude condescension towards all others. He automatically assumes that Gatsby must be a bootlegger, for it seems the only explanation for his newfound wealth. He considers Gatsby an obvious social inferior, automatically unacceptable to members of his social circle.

Fitzgerald makes it clear in this chapter that Gatsby expects far too much from Daisy. He expects that Daisy will give order to his life and set right any confusion. It is not enough that she might leave her husband for him; Gatsby expects her to totally renounce any feelings she may have for Tom and to return to how her life was five years before. This indicates a great arrogance within Gatsby. He sincerely believes that he can fix everything to be how it was before. Included in this arrogance is some hostility directed toward Daisy.

Part of Gatsby's goal is to prove Daisy wrong for marrying Tom Analysis: A number of changes accompany the new romance between Gatsby and Daisy. Gatsby has reunited with Daisy; he no longer needs to throw his lavish parties simply to find some connection to her. For the first time, Gatsby shows some awareness of public perceptions of him. Previously, Gatsby has shown no interest in the numerous rumors concerning his reputation; however, with Daisy's frequent visits he must now exercise some discretion. However, Daisy lacks the sense of discretion that Gatsby now begins to show. Inviting Gatsby to lunch with her husband is a bold, foolish move, particularly considering Tom's brutish snobbery toward Gatsby and his cynical suspicions.

Tom is inherently insecure, obsessed with an inevitable downfall (as shown by his choice of reading material, this time predicting no less than the end of the world). However, despite his fumbled attempts at intellectualism, Tom is shrewd enough to know about his wife's infidelity. Tom's awareness of Daisy's affair is mirrored in Wilson's realization that Myrtle and Tom's affair. A major development in this chapter is that Fitzgerald reveals how each of the characters knows or at least suspects what is going on with the others. This is not a society in which moral codes are strictly enforced or infidelities are shocking news. Although angry at his wife, Tom is certainly not shocked by Daisy's behavior.

Quite tellingly, Tom seems less opposed to the fact that his wife is having an affair than that she is having an affair with a man he considers to be low class. The introduction of Daisy's daughter is an abrupt and jarring development in the novel. It is an additional reminder to Gatsby that he cannot turn back the five years that have passed, and makes it quite clear that Daisy is a mother. Yet the presence of her daughter makes Daisy seem all the more immature.

Fitzgerald describes the child as nearly identical to her mother, even dressed in white as Daisy traditionally is, and Daisy's manner seems even more insubstantial than usual around the young girl. The chapter also elucidates the particular qualities in Daisy that Gatsby admires. His remark 'Her voice is full of money' is particularly significant. For Gatsby, Daisy represents the money (and, more importantly, the status it entails) for which he has yearned. The distinction between 'old' and 'new' money is crucial; while Gatsby had to strive to earn his fortune, Daisy's inherited wealth has formed her sense of ease and leisure. The description of Myrtle at the window foreshadows dire events relating to the character.

While the others remain calm despite the more shocking revelations, Myrtle verges on hysterics. Tom responds to events with bitter disgust, and Wilson descends into glum resignation. Myrtle, however, is seized with 'jealous terror. ' The confrontation between Gatsby and Tom depends upon the major motivations for each character.

For Tom, the affair between Gatsby and Daisy is further proof of the decline of society and, more importantly, of social stratification. Tom's attacks on Gatsby are meant to expose Gatsby as a lower class fraud. He opposes his wife's affair because it sneers at family life and institutions the very institutions that place Tom at the apex of society. He even claims that the affair is a step toward the eventual collapse of society and 'intermarriage between white and black. ' This is a remarkable shift for Tom, who moves 'from libertine to prig' when it suits his needs.

Tom obviously does not predict similar dire consequences stemming from his affair with Myrtle. Gatsby, however, desires no less than for Daisy to entirely renounce Tom and to claim her unwavering devotion to Gatsby. When she refuses to concede that she never loved Tom, it is a defeat for Gatsby, who can accept nothing less. It is this fact that gives Tom the victory. Daisy may not love Tom, but she doesn't love Gatsby enough to satisfy him. His expectations are far too high to ever allow complete satisfaction.

Daisy remains a pawn throughout the entire chapter, caught between the arguments of the two men. Her fragility is particularly important in this chapter. Tom and Gatsby fight over who can possess Daisy and provide for her. Gatsby does not tell Tom that Daisy is leaving him, but that 'You " re not going to take care of her anymore.

' Neither of the men conceive of Daisy having the ability for independent action. Yet the careless Daisy does not challenge their possessiveness. Gatsby lets her drive to calm her down after the argument, but she is not up to the task. Afterwards, Gatsby must leave the scene of the accident and hide the car to protect her delicate nerves.

Her weakness is such that for Gatsby, Daisy's emotions are all that matter, despite the fact that she killed another woman through her careless driving. Throughout the chapter, Nick serves as simply a passive observer. He is caught up in the events surrounding him, even forgetting important details of his own life. He goes without noticing that the day was his thirtieth birthday. When he does realize this, it reflects a turning point for Nick. He has witnessed the bitter confrontation between Tom and Gatsby, which matures him, and this newfound maturity is reflected in a literal aging of the character.

Analysis: Nick's concern for Gatsby demonstrates the loyalty that he still has toward the man. Despite all of the careless behavior that Gatsby has been involved in, he still remains absolved of a great deal of the blame. Nick gives the final appraisal of Gatsby when he tells him that he's 'worth the whole damn bunch of them. ' While Nick does feel some tension toward Gatsby as he says, he disapproved of him from beginning to end he recognizes that Gatsby has a grand passion and vision that the others, with their detached cynicism and carelessness, lack. His faults stem from his delusion toward Daisy. He refuses to leave town, for reasons simultaneously selfless and arrogant.

He wishes to protect Daisy from Tom, but also holds onto the slim chance that Daisy may renounce her husband and come to him. It is his devotion to the unattainable Daisy that is Gatsby's downfall. Gatsby is not murdered for his bootlegging or connections to organized crime, but rather for his unswerving devotion to Daisy that blinds him to the fates of others and even to his own safety. Fitzgerald writes, he had 'paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. ' The exchange between Michaelis and Wilson before he seeks out Gatsby is significant.

He looks out at the eyes advertisement and claims that 'God sees everything,' an important injection of morality into the novel. The only previous statements of moral belief have come from Tom, who uses them as weapons to maintain his societal status. For Wilson the statement is of religious terror: whatever sins these people commit, they cannot hide them from god. Yet this jarring introduction of moral instruction is based on delusion. Wilson confuses the eyes of an advertisement for the eyes of god.

Fitzgerald imbues the description of Gatsby's death with images of transition. Even before the murder occurs there seems to be an understanding that a change will soon occur. When Nick leaves Gatsby they say goodbye to each other, implying that it is a final departure. Before Gatsby is murdered he is taking one last swim before draining the pool for the fall. Analysis: The reports of Gatsby's death are consistent with the rumors that circulated when he was alive: they assume a number of lurid details, when in fact the circumstances of the murder are actually somewhat mundane. The general opinion of Gatsby after the death demonstrates clearly how he was such an outsider in society.

Only Nick remains devoted to Gatsby after the murder, while the rest of Gatsby's acquaintances have no interest in him. The many guests at his parties are now absent; his murder confirms the ill suspicions and rumors that had circulated concerning Gatsby. After the murder, Tom and Daisy quickly flee New York, an action typical of their careless behavior. They do not take responsibility for any of the events surrounding Gatsby's murder, leaving Nick to handle everything alone.

Even Meyer Wolfsheim behaves responsibly in comparison to the Buchanans. Although he refuses to be mixed up in the situation, he still shows concern and compassion. Wolfsheim even gives a sane appraisal of the situation, telling Nick that one should show friendship for a man when he is alive. Wolfsheim's reluctance to be involved seems honorable, and Fitzgerald makes it clear that Wolfsheim had genuine affection for Gatsby.

The Buchanans behave entirely selfishly. Henry Gatz serves to place Gatsby's life in proper perspective. From him Nick learns how much Gatsby achieved and how dedicated he was to self-improvement. Even when he was an adolescent he had grand plans for becoming respectable.

Contrary to his reputation as a man interested only in pleasure, Gatsby took good care of his father, buying him a house and providing him with a modestly comfortable life. The funeral provides further evidence that few had any concern for Gatsby. Other than his servants, Henry Gatz and Nick, only the Owl-Eyed man from the first party attends the funeral. Where hundreds attended his parties, only a small number attend his funeral. A common trait among the principle characters of the novel Gatsby, Daisy, Nick, and the Buchanans is that each came east for its excitement, compared to the bored mid-west. Yet for Nick the excitement of the east is a grotesque distortion.

The excitement of the east sustains wild parties at the Gatsby mansion, but also provides an atmosphere in which people as careless as the Buchanans can wreak incredible havoc upon others. Jordan's 'bad driver' metaphor places Nick into a different light. Since he serves primarily as an objective narrator, there is little critique of his actions. Only Jordan points out that Nick is as false and careless as the others. He pursued a half-hearted romance with Jordan with little consideration for her feelings, showing interest for her only casually. Significantly, she does not find the solution to their faults to be self-improvement and correction, but rather avoidance.

According to Jordan, irresponsible people are only harmful when they find each other (as Nick had found her and the Buchanans). The meeting between Tom and Nick is disturbing because Tom sincerely believes that he deserves some degree of sympathy. It was Tom who was responsible for Gatsby's murder, but he believed that the outcome was justice. It is here that Nick fully realizes the Buchanans' depravity, giving the most accurate appraisal of them: he calls them 'careless people' who 'smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness. ' Fitzgerald concludes the novel with a final note on Gatsby's beliefs. It is this particular aspect of his character his optimistic belief in achievement and the ability to attain one's dreams that defines Gatsby, in contrast to the compromising cynicism of his peers.

Yet the final symbol contradicts and deflates the grand optimism that Gatsby held. Fitzgerald ends the book with the sentence 'So we beat on, boats against the current, borne ceaselessly into the past,' which contradicts Gatsby's fervent belief that one can escape his origins and rewrite his past..