Parental Figures In The Great Gatsby

One of the main themes that I believe is established through the section read is the negative impact an absent parental figure may have on children. This theme mostly surfaces in Fitzgerald’s actions, morals and obsessions. Fitzgerald and Ming are clearly in love with each other but at one point it can be assumed that more than anything, Fitzgerald has become obsessed with Ming, or as he puts it, “addicted to the idea of [her]” (Lam, 66). Although his statement is difficult to understand at first, we later learn that Fitzgerald has never had a mother-like figure in his life. Ming has helped him so much emotionally as well as in terms of his education that Fitzgerald now looks at her as the first woman to care about him and his success. Vincent Lam also shows this theme when Fitzgerald brings Ming’s cousin- a sore subject for Ming- into the conversation in what can be considered to be a malicious way. In place of an apology Fitzgerald explains to Ming why Karl bothers him so much. He says, “It’s as if his shadow is on me when I’m studying” (61). This represents how Fitzgerald is always looking for some kind of approval or reassurance from Ming that he is better than …show more content…
Their behaviour and their morals or values often reflect this. Experiences in the real world can very easily prove this. From a personal standpoint, a relative whose father died when he was a child grew up without a father figure and suffered from relationship issues with both his spouse and his children. It showed how without seeing a loving relationship from their parents, children don’t often have a picture of a complete family and do not know how to behave when put in situations they never had a chance to witness. The theme from the book thus offers us a way to see the effect of growing up without both parental figures through Fitzgerald and Yeh