Gatsby's Relationship With Daisy example essay topic

Gatsby Essay 3/08/04 Eric RivkinReserving Judgements is a Matter of Infinite Hope" pg. 6 F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby This quote is the fundamental axiom that the book revolves around. Nick's father told this to him and he hasn't forgotten the quote or the intrinsic moral significance that goes along with it. So much is spoken and gossiped about Jay Gatsby before he is even introduced in the novel that no one knows his true character, except for the fact he's a rich man who throws wild parties in West Egg. In the novel, both social image and the perception of wealth play important parts in illustrating the internal class structure of West and East Egg. The fact the Gatsby is such an enigmatic character makes the audience wonder about the internal make-up of his personality, since most of his life Gatsby has been trying to escape his true image. In the case with Nick, the narrator, and Gatsby, as long as judgments are not made, Nick can be optimistic about Gatsby and their relationship and hope for the best, even if the best situation is not always reached.

More generally, however, it advocates tolerance and understanding regardless of social status, or preconceived information. Within the first chapter of the novel, there is already a contradiction and a questioning of Nick's moral integrity as he regresses from his comment slightly. While he nobly and humbly mentions that he is tolerant and nonjudgmental, he also regards himself as morally privileged, having a greater sense of 'decencies' than other people. It makes sense that New York's social dichotomy and the vast difference between the rich and the poor, the arrogant and the humble has given Nick a complete moral spectrum. This quote not only symbolizes a creed that Nick lives by, but it also represents the ideal morality that unfortunately many of the frantic, materialistic, capitalistic easterners lack. Judgments and stereotypes and the declination of American values play a huge role in explaining the relationship with the two distinct sides of the neighborhood.

The main distinction is between East Egg and the old rich people, who claimed their wealth through inheritance from ancestors who were among the richest people in the country, and the new rich people, like Gatsby, who obtained their wealth through entrepreneurial business that sometimes lacked integrity and morality. In addition to the difference in the assumption of wealth, the older rich people from East Egg tend to be more humble, graceful, and elegant with their riches, while the new rice West Eggers are ostentatious, and vulgar, as is characterized by Gatsby's tasteless, wild drinking parties. However the tasteful East Eggers also fit the stereotype of the arrogant and self-absorbed rich people, since they are inconsiderate and cold hearted and use their money to wield influence over others. All of these stereotypes, the good and the bad, characterize the up-tempo lifestyle of New York, which is in stark contrast to the rural, more conservative, atmosphere that Nick dealt with in Minnesota, a place with higher moral standards. However, in order for Nick to survive in New York, and make relationships with others, he must not judge them from what the town characterizes them by, but he must find out information about himself. Rumors about Gatsby's identity are rampant from claims that he killed someone to claims of his shady, bootlegging past and his connections with Meyer Wolfsheim.

However, when Nick finally introduces himself with Gatsby, Gatsby flashes him a smile, which Nick characterizes as "one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life... It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believe in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey", (53). Nick reiterated the idea of infinite hope, and boundless optimism for his relationship with Gatsby, which was The boundless optimism of Gatsby's first impression on Nick soon morphed into reality. As Nick probes into the personal life of Gatsby during a routine lunch, he discovers the dishonest, shady, and ambiguous character that Gatsby portrays. Gatsby lies about his background and retains his true identity from someone who is honestly trying to know him. I don't think this represents Gatsby's disapproval of his new relationship with Nick, but the deceitfulness and insincerity of his remarks is merely a portrayal of his character.

Nick also discovers the amoral assumption of Gatsby's wealth, which is linked to organized crime and bootlegging. However, Nick still is intrigued by Gatsby and he tries to discover Gatsby's motives in life. As their relationship develops and their trust for each other grows, Nick finds out from Jordan that Gatsby's chief objective in becoming rich and moving to the east coast was to be with Daisy, a girl whom he fell in love with in Louisville. Gatsby created an entire image for himself and thought amassing wealth, fame, and fortune would help him meet his expectations of himself. Now Nick begins to understand what Gatsby strives for, and he realizes that Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy accounts for the his mysterious identity. All this was made possible because he refrained from making judgments and opted to make his own decisions.

The idea of 'infinite hope' is also mirrored in Gatsby's relationship with Daisy. Gatsby's sole purpose in his life is to obtain Daisy, and hope that she accepts him as a person, despite their diverse backgrounds. When Gatsby comes to New York, He and Daisy end up on the opposite sides of town, where the different moral attitudes are prevalent. However, since they were able to resist any preconceived judgments for each other, they were allowed to rediscover each other and rekindle the feelings they once had for each other. The green light, that represents Daisy's East Egg dock, symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates it with Daisy, and in chapter I he reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal.

Gatsby optimism and hopefulness for Daisy supersedes obstacles such as Daisy's marriage with Tom, and their respective geographic and cultural differences. Once Gatsby reconnects with Daisy and his feelings are returned, his optimism has been fulfilled and he is killed. In evaluating relationships among people in society, especially in the upper class, which this novel is focused on, reserving judgments is essential in determining someone's true character. Contrary to rumors and Gatsby's supposed lack of decency, Gatsby is simply a lovesick boy who fabricated his identity and did whatever means possible to achieve his goal, in hopes for a future with Daisy. In a way, the idea of infinite hope represents the American dream that described the society in the 1920's. Nick concludes the novel by saying, "He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it...

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgasmic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out farther", (189).