Skip to main content

Why is it tragic that Gatsby chooses Daisy to embody his dream?

I'm not sure I can agree with this claim. We may find that the real tragedy lies elsewhere. It is possible that we can identify the source of Gatsby's tragedy as his own greed, rather than his "choosing" of Daisy. Nick describes the way Gatsby felt when he was first courting Daisy, how he knew that it was a "colossal accident" that he was in her home, that he was "penniless" and had nothing like...

I'm not sure I can agree with this claim. We may find that the real tragedy lies elsewhere. It is possible that we can identify the source of Gatsby's tragedy as his own greed, rather than his "choosing" of Daisy. Nick describes the way Gatsby felt when he was first courting Daisy, how he knew that it was a "colossal accident" that he was in her home, that he was "penniless" and had nothing like what she already had. However,



"He took what he could get, ravenously and unscrupulously -- eventually he took Daisy one still October night, took her because he had no real right to touch her hand."



Gatsby lied to Daisy, allowed her to believe that he came from a family like hers, that he could offer her a life like the one she knew, and "he had deliberately given [her] a sense of security."  It was only after he had already committed himself to her that he began to actually love her.  


If Gatsby had not behaved in such an unscrupulous way, deliberately deceiving a young woman who didn't know any better than to be trusting, then his life wouldn't have ended tragically. It was his greed, his own flaws that started him down this path, and so I think it is necessary that we fault him, at least in part, for his sad end.  He used her, or he tried to, and so we cannot let him completely off the hook and blame Daisy alone.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more