Does Fitzgerald Present Daisy's Relationship In The Great Gatsby

“The ignorant mind, with its infinite afflictions, passions, and evils, is rooted in the three poisons. Greed, anger, and delusion.” (Bodhidharma) Spoken by a monk from the fifth century, the words are still true today as they were then. They are reflected in the novel The Great Gatsby, where the american dream during the 1920’s is under inspection. During the novel, Jay Gatsby is a millionaire who is in love with Daisy, a lover from long ago. The story depicts how the two meet again, and how it affects characters such as her husband, a car mechanic and his wife, and a famous golfer whose name is Jordan. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the relationship among the various characters represents how the status and wealth of an individual

Scott Fitzgerald uses Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship to represent how identities change in the pursuit of love, and how easily it can be taken advantage of by others. Back when World War I was raging on, Gatsby had met Daisy. They had quickly turned from acquaintances to lovers, but the relationship could never work.“ However glorious might be his future as Jay Gatsby, he was at present a penniless young man without a past, and at any moment the invisible cloak of his uniform might slip from his shoulders. So he made the most of his time. He took what he could get, ravenously and unscrupulously— eventually he took Daisy one still October night, took her because he had no real right to touch her hand.” (Fitzgerald, 149) Daisy is the heir of a rich family, a chance that is one in a million. This heritage had made her always have the comfortable presence of money, never going without. Gatsby was quite the opposite, where he was “ a penniless young man” (Fitzgerald, 149). Thus, Gatsby had realized this and had decided then and there that he would continue this lie of money, all in order to be the star in Daisy’s life. But, this would change after the war. Gatsby would go on to make millions, gaining the phantom riches promised in his past. Thus, after the two had meet again after five years Gatsby was eager to show off his riches. In one particular scene, Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy were all in Gatsby’s room.”‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in

F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Tom and Myrtle’s relationship to show how the poor are willing to do anything for money and status, and those of status flaunt their power shamelessly. In the story, Tom is having an affair with Myrtle, the wife of Wilson. “ It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce. Daisy was not a Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the elaborateness of the lie.”( Fitzgerald, 33) Tom is an immoral person. He has had several affairs with women while married, has a dominant attitude, and is arrogant. This kind of immoral personality sets up what is essentially a power run- to control someone else. This person comes in the form of Myrtle, someone he can take advantage of and she cannot do anything to complain. As well, to Tom, Myrtle is not good enough to bring up to his social class. Her mannerisms are too violent, and she is not suited for the rich lifestyle. Because of this he keeps up the lie of Daisy being catholic, to keep Myrtle in his control and keep her where she is. For Myrtle though, she sees it as her opportunity. She ultimately wants to leave the Valley of Ashes, and be married to Tom. This is presented many times, but is best explained by her dissatisfaction with Wilson’s and her’s relationship. “The only CRAZY I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get