Daisy's Ambition In The Great Gatsby

Many enjoy the idea of having a loving significant other, a happy family, and a white picket-fence around their house, but even through hard work and dedication, this can not always be obtained. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Nick Carroway moves from the Midwest to New York in hopes of living the American Dream. Here, he meets Gatsby, who obsesses over his previous lover, Daisy. Daisy is now married to Tom, an unloyal husband, and has not seen Gatsby in years until Nick reintroduces them. Gatsby focuses on winning Daisy back into his life while Tom is cheating on Daisy with Mr. Wilson’s wife, Myrtle. Daisy ends up running Myrtle over with Gatsby’s car, and, after a discussion with Tom, Mr. Wilson shoots Gatsby and himself. Consequently,

During Gatsby’s childhood, “his parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people” (Fitzgerald 98). Gatsby did not grow up in a financially stable family and had to figure out how to make his own money. At the age of 17, “for over a year [Gatsby] had been beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher or in any other capacity that brought him food and bed” (Fitzgerald 98). Gatsby was constantly working as a way to provide for himself. Eventually he saved up enough to buy a nice house and not have to worry about money anymore. Gatsby worked for most of his life so that way he could, one day, live the American Dream. However, things take a turn for the worse and Gatsby ends up dying because of his obsession with living the perfect life. His hard work never pays off, and even though he spent most of his life trying to improve his future life, it did not work out. All Gatsby wants is to live the American Dream, but, unfortunately, he does not get

During Tom’s childhood, he never had to worry about money, and “his family [was] enormously wealthy-even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (Fitzgerald 6). While most people have to work in order to support themselves, Tom did not, and he had his life set up for him. Once Tom marries Daisy, he does not remain faithful to her and has affairs with other women. He does not try to make Daisy happy and is only concerned with himself. However, Daisy is also cheating on him with Gatsby. There are multiple instances where, after Tom leaves the room, Daisy and Gatsby will share a romantic moment. While Tom is busy cheating on Daisy, he does not know that she is also unfaithful and cheats with Gatsby. Although she has a romantic relationship with Gatsby, Daisy does not truly love him and is just using him. Gatsby asks Daisy to admit that she never loved Tom, but Daisy can not and replies with how she “did love him once-but [she] loved [Gatsby] too” (Fitzgerald 132). Daisy is still in love with Tom and does not have any intentions of leaving him. Instead, she pursues things with Gatsby, knowing that nothing will come of it. After Gatsby, Wilson, and Myrtle die, Daisy and Tom take no responsibility for what happens and decide to leave New York. They are not concerned about the lives of anyone but themselves, and their own futures. They are very careless