Have you ever been obsessed with something or someone? Were the consequences worth the obsession? The main character Gatsby, from the story “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald can answer that question quite easily. The author presents the idea that obsession is unhealthy because it can negatively impact relationships between yourself and others. Obsession in psychology is defined as a recurring thought of something or someone, where it always seems to be in a person’s mind. In the novel, we see how the characters' obsessions with wealth, the past, status, and each other can lead to devastating behavior, unhappiness and damaged relationships. This novel was written around the time of “The American Dream”, which is the belief that anyone …show more content…
Wealth and status were one of the biggest goals connected to the American dream. This can also relate to the idea of obsession. Gatsby is from a family of poor farmers with a desire to become wealthy. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning—So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." (page 189). This quote describes Gatsby's desire to fulfill his hope of winning Daisy back using his wealth. He wants to erase the space between his past and where he is currently so he and Daisy can be happy together. The green light represents the dreams he is reaching for and the power it holds for his happiness. "He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream …show more content…
He wants to use his wealthiness to go back to what they had in the past. "He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was…" (page 110). This quote shows how Gatsby's identity is affected by his love for Daisy. He feels that he is lost without her and that his life is crazy because of it. He believes that Daisy is the key to his happiness. "He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: 'I never loved you.'" (Page 110). Gatsby wants Daisy to admit that she picks him over her current husband Tom. He is trying to change her emotions to fit in the life he wants with her. Although he claims to love her, he is driving towards an unhealthy relationship with her because of his personal