Many readers of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby have wondered whether Jay Gatsby was truly in love with Daisy Buchanan. While it is certainly possible that Gatsby did love Daisy, there are a number of factors which suggest that his feelings for her may have been more complicated than simply romantic love.
For one thing, Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy seems to be based largely on his idea of who she is, rather than on who she actually is as a person. He is obsessed with the idea of her being from an aristocratic background, and he seems to believe that if he can win her over, he will somehow be elevated to this same level. This suggests that Gatsby’s feelings for Daisy are more about his own aspirations than they are about her as an individual.
Additionally, Gatsby’s love for Daisy seems to be largely self-serving. He is willing to do anything for her, but only because he believes that it will help him to achieve his own goals. For example, he arranges for Nick to invite Daisy to tea in order to try and win her back, but he does not actually care about Nick or Daisy’s relationship – he only wants Daisy for himself.
In light of all of this, it seems unlikely that Gatsby’s feelings for Daisy were truly based on love. Instead, it seems more likely that they were based on his own selfish desires and ambition.
Jay Gatsby was born into a life of poverty and as he grew older, he became more aware of the prospect of a higher standard of living. He built fantasies in his head that he was too good for his modest existence and that his parents weren’t his own. When Daisy, a beautiful upper-class girl, entered his life, his priorities changed entirely. Gatsby’s aim to be good enough for Daisy and her family is what drives him to become an immoral wealthy guy who is seen as sophisticated.
The novel is set in 1922, which was a time of great prosperity in America and Gatsby’s wealth is a symbol of this. The question of whether Gatsby loved Daisy or not is one that has been debated by many people. Some argue that he was simply infatuated with her and her lifestyle, while others believe that he genuinely loved her.
It is clear that Gatsby was obsessed with Daisy and this is what led to his downfall. His obsession blinded him to the reality of their relationship and he was willing to do anything to win her over. This ultimately led to his death as he tried to recreate a past that never happened. Whether Gatsby loved Daisy or not is something that can be interpreted in different ways, but it is clear that his obsession with her was what led to his demise.
Daisy’s mother found her packing her bag one winter night to go to New York and say goodbye to a soldier who was going overseas, which served as a reminder of his low standing. She was effectively prevented, but she wasn’t on speaking terms with her family for several weeks. From that time on, Gatsby strives to join the rich elite in order to win Daisy and her family.
Gatsby’s entire persona is built on acquiring wealth and status to attract Daisy. Gatsby’s hope is that his constant pursuit of her will eventually wear down her resistance and she will come to love him as he loves her.
Gatsby does everything in his power to make himself worthy of Daisy, but in the end she chooses Tom over him. The novel concludes with Nick wondering if Gatsby’s love for Daisy was real or just a product of his own imagination. It is clear that Gatsby was not in love with who Daisy actually was, but rather he was in love with the idea of her. The person Gatsby created in his mind was not based on reality, but on his own desires and fantasies.
Through his “deals” with a variety of shady characters that are said to be lucrative and illegal, Gatsby loses sight of his morals in his quest for money, power, and status. One hot summer night when Tom Buchanan tells him that Gatsby and “Wolfsheim acquired up a lot of side-street drug stores…and sold grain alcohol over the counter,” (133) an illicit business during prohibition is confirmed.
Gatsby’s love and obsession for Daisy Buchanan is also questionable. The novel never confirms if Gatsby truly loves Daisy or if he is just obsessed with her because she is unattainable. The relationships that Gatsby has with both Dan Cody and Meyer Wolfsheim could be interpreted as Gatsby using people to gain what he wants. When Gatsby first meets Dan Cody, Gatsby immediately begins to shadow him and does everything in his power to please him in hopes that he will inherit some of Cody’s wealth.
Similarly, Gatsby befriends Meyer Wolfsheim in order to gain connections in the business world. The relationship between Gatsby and Daisy is built on lies and deception from the beginning. Gatsby tells Daisy that he is from a wealthy family, when in reality he is self-made. The novel concludes with Gatsby’s death, which could be interpreted as punishment for his immoral actions.
Nick believes Gatsby would “want nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you,'” (109) and expose her marriage as a fraud, despite the fact that he already has money in his account. Nick’s devotion to Daisy clouds his thoughts with images of motivating her to leave her husband and abandon her kid, even when it comes to business investments.
Gatsby’s love for Daisy is so strong that he is willing to put her happiness above his own and risk never having her. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is a symbol of Gatsby’s hope and dreams for their future together; it also represents the distance between him and Daisy. Although Gatsby and Daisy are in love, they are ultimately unable to be together because they come from different social backgrounds. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is ultimately unrequited because she is not able to see past his status as a social outsider.
Gatsby’s money gives him a false reputation as sophisticated and perhaps intellectual, while his demeanour and speech expose his origins. Gatsby was born of poor farmers, but Daisy has “the voice of money.” (Fitzgerald, 48)
The difference in their upbringings is a contributing factor to why Gatsby is not able to properly court Daisy. While he can provide her with lavish gifts and a grand lifestyle, he cannot offer her the same social status that she currently enjoys. His love for her is genuine, but it is not enough to win her heart.
