Throughout The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it is clear that the character Jay Gatsby has multiple personas. The first is his Gatsby persona— who is a suave, sophisticated, big shot businessman millionaire. The second is James Gatz, who is a poor, immature seven-teen year old, who created the Gatsby persona as a means to get a fresh start in life in order to achieve his dream of making it big. However, in the process of all this, he meets a girl in Louisville, Daisy Fay, who he immediately falls in love with. Unfortunately their relationship is cut short when Gatsby has to go off to fight in the war, and Daisy marries another man. Upon Gatsby’s return, he ends up making it big and buys a monstrous mansion across the bay from Daisy’s
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(Fitzgerald 151)
In this passage, Daisy appears to go under some sort of transformation, where now she is more attracted to love, money, and practicality, things that were not necessary for her attraction before. The new requirements for Daisy’s love now pertain more to the suave and rich bigshot that is Jay Gatsby, than the awkward and immature seventeen year old that is James Gatz. This idea that Daisy is more attracted to Gatsby than Gatz is setting the stage for five years later when Daisy and Gatsby meet up again. In chapter seven, Daisy’s attraction to money is further evidenced by a conversation between Gatsby and Nick when Jordan, Daisy and Tom are in the house preparing to head into the city.
“I can’t say anything in this house, old sport.”
“She’s got an indiscreet voice,” I remarked. “It’s full of —” I …show more content…
(Fitzgerald 120)
Gatsby’s first line implies that he is struggling to woo Daisy because Tom is there, and he is seemingly prodding Nick to provide him with an answer as to why this is. Then he has an epiphany— the epiphany being that he cannot woo Daisy in front of Tom because Daisy is attracted to money, and Tom is out-competing Gatsby in this aspect. This passage is screaming that the key to winning Daisy is to win her with money, an aspect that would play to Gatsby’s strengths more than Gatz’s. It also leaves a key question, why does Tom win Daisy rather than Gatsby if the two have both amassed a great deal of wealth? An answer to this question can be found in the end of chapter six, when Gatsby is wondering why his relationship with Daisy is missing its spark and flashes back five years prior when he was in love with her in Louisville.
His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. (Fitzgerald
(Fitzgerald 151)
In this passage, Daisy appears to go under some sort of transformation, where now she is more attracted to love, money, and practicality, things that were not necessary for her attraction before. The new requirements for Daisy’s love now pertain more to the suave and rich bigshot that is Jay Gatsby, than the awkward and immature seventeen year old that is James Gatz. This idea that Daisy is more attracted to Gatsby than Gatz is setting the stage for five years later when Daisy and Gatsby meet up again. In chapter seven, Daisy’s attraction to money is further evidenced by a conversation between Gatsby and Nick when Jordan, Daisy and Tom are in the house preparing to head into the city.
“I can’t say anything in this house, old sport.”
“She’s got an indiscreet voice,” I remarked. “It’s full of —” I …show more content…
(Fitzgerald 120)
Gatsby’s first line implies that he is struggling to woo Daisy because Tom is there, and he is seemingly prodding Nick to provide him with an answer as to why this is. Then he has an epiphany— the epiphany being that he cannot woo Daisy in front of Tom because Daisy is attracted to money, and Tom is out-competing Gatsby in this aspect. This passage is screaming that the key to winning Daisy is to win her with money, an aspect that would play to Gatsby’s strengths more than Gatz’s. It also leaves a key question, why does Tom win Daisy rather than Gatsby if the two have both amassed a great deal of wealth? An answer to this question can be found in the end of chapter six, when Gatsby is wondering why his relationship with Daisy is missing its spark and flashes back five years prior when he was in love with her in Louisville.
His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. (Fitzgerald