Anxiety Disorder In The Great Gatsby

Secondly, Jay Gatsby exhibits anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a feeling that many people experience in their lives. Most people get anxious when they undergo times of severe stress. However, “Anxiety disorders are conditions in which you have anxiety that does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, shoolwork, and relationships” (MedlinePlus 1). MedlinePlus is an entity of the National Library of Medicine which comes directly from the government. Specifically, Jay Gatsby has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which means that, “People with GAD worry about ordinary issues such as health, money, work, and family. But their worries are excessive and they have them almost everyday

Gatsby becomes extremely nervous whenever he finds himself around Daisy. Before their encounter for the first time, Gatsby gets worried that Daisy will not show up and his whole plan will be ruined. Gatsby exclaims, “‘Nobody’s coming to tea. It’s too late!’ He looked at his watch as if there was some pressing demand on his time elsewhere. ‘I can’t wait all day.’ ‘Don’t be silly; it’s just two minutes to four.’ He sat down, miserably, as if I had pushed him, and simultaneously there was the sound of a motor turning into my lane. We both jumped up and, a little harrowed myself, I went out into the yard” (Fitzgerald 91). Gatsby becomes so anxious that he jumps at every sound that he hears. He even becomes irritable from being so anxious about their meeting. He also jumps to assumptions quickly from being so anxious. He does not give Daisy any time to show up and dismisses any excuses for her being

The novel states, “She turned her head as there was a light, dignified knocking at the front door. I went out and opened it. Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes” (Fitzgerald 92). The way the author describes Gatsby during this interaction demonstrates how anxious Gatsby is during their meeting. He gets so nervous that he loses all the color in his face and gets clammy. Every muscle within his body tightens as demonstrated by his clenched fists. His eyes illustrate pure fear and nervousness through his tragic glare. Finally, a flashback reveals the feelings of both Gatsby and Daisy before she gets married to Tom. While Gatsby is trapped in London, he exchanges multiple letters with Daisy in which they share their feelings with one another. The book explains, “After the Armistice he tried frantically to get home but some complication or misunderstanding sent him to Oxford instead. He was worried now—there was a quality of nervous despair in Daisy’s