Death is the great equalizer. Its power can take anyone, of any societal class, any amount of money or any amount of love they give. Before death, these superficial details do not matter. The characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, give a glimpse into these three aspects of life. Whether or not the characters are worthy of sympathy can be determined by considering one’s social status, amount of wealth they have and the love they give. Myrtle dies as a poor girl having been exploited by Tom, and Gatsby dies a rich man with a dead dream, and thus both should be pitied. Daisy, on the other hand, is not worthy of pity because she knows the insanity of her high-class world but continues to live in it. Myrtle dies as a poor girl
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Prior to Gatsby 's death, he spends his whole life working to achieve his goal of the acquiring the golden girl, Daisy. After the first time they met he was “way off [his] ambitions,” (150) but also knew a rich girl like her would never love a poor boy like him. So he spent 5 years accumulating wealth until he could “[buy a] house so that Daisy would be right across the bay” (78). He worked his hardest and used his wealth to try and win her heart but that wasn’t enough, which creates sympathy for Gatsby. He dies quickly after discovering everything he did was for naught, but in those final hours he desperately clutches onto whatever shards remain. He still “supposes that Daisy’ll call” (154) when clearly she never will. These desperate grasps at his dying dream provoke pity. Even after death, Gatsby’s life is pitiful in that no one attends his funeral. Nick tried to gather Gatsby’s loved ones “but it wasn’t any use. Nobody came,” (174). Gatsby is worthy of our pity because he focused so strongly around one aspect of life, that when he didn’t achieve it, his life was worthless and …show more content…
Daisy says “your mother wanted to show you off,” (117 ) to her daughter, which objectifies Pammy. Just like her daughter Pammy, Daisy grew up as an object to be shown off by her aristocratic parents. After recognizing her objectification, Daisy hopes that Pammy is a “beautiful little fool”(17) that never recognizes that she too is an object. Daisy may be worthy of some compassion because she grew up in this life, used as an object since birth. The first time Daisy and Nick are alone Daisy admits, “Everything is terrible anyhow” (17) in reference to the life she is living. She has a right to be angry at her objectification, her corrupt husband and her new understanding of her social class. Gatsby gives her a chance to escape the cycle of “beautiful little fool[s]” but she turns him down which is why she should not be pitied. Daisy also values her name and reputation more than she values love. She tells Gatsby that he should “know [she] loves him” (116) before knowing everything about him. Tom starts to reveal Gatsby’s shady past with insults like how Daisy would “Certainly not [leave Tom] for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on her finger” (133). After realizing where Gatsby and his money came from she begins “drawing further and further into herself” (134) as she realizes what Gatsby really
Prior to Gatsby 's death, he spends his whole life working to achieve his goal of the acquiring the golden girl, Daisy. After the first time they met he was “way off [his] ambitions,” (150) but also knew a rich girl like her would never love a poor boy like him. So he spent 5 years accumulating wealth until he could “[buy a] house so that Daisy would be right across the bay” (78). He worked his hardest and used his wealth to try and win her heart but that wasn’t enough, which creates sympathy for Gatsby. He dies quickly after discovering everything he did was for naught, but in those final hours he desperately clutches onto whatever shards remain. He still “supposes that Daisy’ll call” (154) when clearly she never will. These desperate grasps at his dying dream provoke pity. Even after death, Gatsby’s life is pitiful in that no one attends his funeral. Nick tried to gather Gatsby’s loved ones “but it wasn’t any use. Nobody came,” (174). Gatsby is worthy of our pity because he focused so strongly around one aspect of life, that when he didn’t achieve it, his life was worthless and …show more content…
Daisy says “your mother wanted to show you off,” (117 ) to her daughter, which objectifies Pammy. Just like her daughter Pammy, Daisy grew up as an object to be shown off by her aristocratic parents. After recognizing her objectification, Daisy hopes that Pammy is a “beautiful little fool”(17) that never recognizes that she too is an object. Daisy may be worthy of some compassion because she grew up in this life, used as an object since birth. The first time Daisy and Nick are alone Daisy admits, “Everything is terrible anyhow” (17) in reference to the life she is living. She has a right to be angry at her objectification, her corrupt husband and her new understanding of her social class. Gatsby gives her a chance to escape the cycle of “beautiful little fool[s]” but she turns him down which is why she should not be pitied. Daisy also values her name and reputation more than she values love. She tells Gatsby that he should “know [she] loves him” (116) before knowing everything about him. Tom starts to reveal Gatsby’s shady past with insults like how Daisy would “Certainly not [leave Tom] for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on her finger” (133). After realizing where Gatsby and his money came from she begins “drawing further and further into herself” (134) as she realizes what Gatsby really