Firstly, identity is important economically within relationships. Peoples economic status and the economic status of their family effects who one can and is more likely to start a relationship with. Gatsby struggles with his identity. He originally comes from a poor family and this causes him to be looked down upon by outsiders. This is talked about in a journal written by Lisa Kirby. The author states, “often those in the working class feel the need to mask their true identities as a means of achieving greater socioeconomic passing,” (Kirby 153). This is shown with Gatsby due to his poor roots. He changes everything about himself so that he has a new identity and can try to achieve economic success without being looked down upon. When it comes to Daisy, Gatsby’s new social class he creates for himself is what causes him to even stand a chance with Daisy. The author claims that Gatsby changes his economic status to chase a dream he has. He states, “for Gatsby, that dream is Daisy, the golden girl, the representation of all that is beautiful and exalted in his world,” (Kirby 158). If Gatsby was of lower class still, Daisy would not show him the time of day. In fact, this has a lot to do with the social exchange theory. This theory is when people develop relationships that enable themselves to maximize profits. Gatsby wants to be with Daisy to maximize his profits. Gatsby views this maximization of …show more content…
The author of this article takes note of this and explains, “In the end, the poor boy once again cannot marry the rich girl, and Gatsby is all but forgotten and Tom and Daisy go on to continue their lives enjoying the perks of being born into old money,” (Bunce). This makes the claim that it is due to Gatsby’s negative identity from bootlegging and his family that is the reason Daisy does not marry Gatsby. This also stresses how important identity is with the formation of relationships. One can conclude from this statement that it is more attractive to people to build relationships with others who have positive identities and a small amount of baggage that comes along with