What's more, he assumes responsibility for her actions. Or consider the statement: ' Of course she might have loved him, just for a minute, when they were first married -- and loved me more even then, do you see?' (Fitzgerald, p. 133). Gatsby clings to this hope despite Daisy's professed loved her husband. Such explanations indicate how an individual's tenacious hold on an ideal can corrupt his rational faculties.
At one point, it appears Gatsby almost grasps this dichotomy when he states, ' Her voice is full of money' (Fitzgerald, p. 115). Regrettably, this is only a fleeting moment of clarity; it remains obscured by a firmly constructed schema -- a corruption of the American Dream. In fact, this moment exemplifies the subconscious hold on Gatsby's mania for the American Dream; it proves that an obsession's roots are not easily pulled during a moment's experience of lucidity.
Naturally, Gatsby's perception of Daisy plays a significant role in the novel in that it distorts the reader's image of her. Through Gatsby's description of her, Daisy is portrayed as an admirable woman; she is represented as a worthy recipient of unending devotion. She is described in various ways as otherworldly, pure, and innocent. This leads the reader towards a similar appraisal of her. Based on Gatsby's estimation, one expects Daisy to exhibit decorum, grace, acuity, and integrity. However, as the story develops, the reader is able to discern Gatsby's...
Whereas the reader eventually understands Daisy to be a superficial, selfish, and cruel woman, Gatsby is blinded to this reality by the high expectations he has placed upon her. In addition, while the reader perhaps experiences disappointment at the incongruence between Gatsby's description and Daisy's behaviors, Gatsby remains unaffected by and seemingly impervious to reality.
America's obsession with its Dream is flawlessly displayed throughout The Great Gatsby. It takes the form of tangible objects and events, such as jewels, mansions, and elaborate parties. However, the characters' thoughts, beliefs, goals, and actions offer a secondary, and perhaps more a potent expression of the unyielding search for and consequence of the American Dream. Gatsby and his quest for the unattainable -- Daisy, the American Dream -- teach the reader that an ill-formed perception of others and the world can ultimately lead to one's demise. The novel serves as an example of how an obsession can render an individual and a society morally compromised despite an accumulation of social and economic wealth.
References
Cliffs Notes (2000). Cliffs Notes On The Great Gatsby. New York: Hungry Minds, Inc.
Fitzgerald, Scott F. (1925). The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner.
Greenhaven Press (1998). The Great Gatsby: Literary Companion. San Diego:
Greenhaven Press.
