Daisy's Lessons In The Great Gatsby

In “The Great Gatsby”, it is clear that Fitzgerald skillfully and meticulously hides a handful of lessons for the reader between the pages of his book. One of the lessons that Fitzgerald constantly touches upon is the consequence of not moving on from one’s past. Jay Gatsby is one character that just cannot seem to let go of his past. He never stops going after Daisy and every action and decision he makes is solely based around winning her back, which is one of his biggest flaws.
Gatsby is an extremely capable young man and this is proven by his rise from poverty into riches. His father, a man who knew him from birth even said, “He had a big future before him, you know. He was only a young man, but he had a lot of brain power here” (168, Fitzgerald). However, despite the fact that he is able to make such a massive name for himself, he is never content with all the popularity and wealth he has as he does it all for Daisy. Nick even tells the reader that, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (78, Fitzgerald). He is so caught up in his past and his want for a perfect life that he is never able to move forward and live up to his true potential. He is stuck on the thought of what Daisy could offer him as a lover that eventually even her love for him is unable to …show more content…
Everyone began to use him for his money instead of actually getting to know the man in the mansion. People came for the parties and not to hold a conversation with its host. The role money and greed play in the novel are something that Fitzgerald seamlessly explains. Daisy refuses to love him initially because he was poor, which is why he spent five long years doing whatever he could to raise that money. Gatsby may have risen to the top illegally, but everyone uses him in all the wrong ways too. It is a vicious cycle of desire for superficial things and lack of ethics and