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Examples Of Obsession In The Great Gatsby

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Gatsby’s Obsessive and Compulsive Spirit
In life, everyone develops the human nature of obsession no matter how large or minute it is. Obsession could be over something like an object or item, a dream, a philosophy, or even someone meaningful. Jay Gatsby finds himself in a parallel situation when pursuing the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. The psychological lens is apparent in this book because it focuses on the motivation of certain characters. It communicates what is going on inside of the character’s mind so the reader can create better analytical judgements. This lens also observes the patterns of behavior, speech, and interaction to dive deeper into what an individual is thinking. Through the psychological lens, F. Scott Fitzgerald …show more content…

Jordan unveils this by saying, “I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night…asking people casually if they knew her” (Fitzgerald 79). This quote indicates that throughout all the years Gatsby threw his luxurious parties, he only ever wanted to impress one person dear to his heart. Getting Daisy Buchanan back in his life was the only task motivating him to create his wealthy empire. Mr. Gatsby became so obsessed with chasing after his dream that he would ask other partygoers if they knew Daisy. He would then construct his lavish home to look perfect for social gatherings with the undying hope his past lover would emerge. Consequently, Mr. Gatsby’s actions also indicated proof of a disorder he faced on the …show more content…

The author discloses information on how an individual, “becomes trapped in a pattern of repetitive thoughts and behaviors that are senseless and distressing but extremely hard to overcome” (Strock). This disorder is exceedingly evident in Mr. Gatsby’s life because he ordered his entire life around reaching his own American Dream. The only reason he changed his name and went along with his whole charade was to flaunt his wealth to Daisy, since he had been impecunious before. Because his obsession was so extreme he resorted to negative methods, like bootlegging, to achieve his vision even quicker. Jay Gatsby completely fell under the spell of OCD and permitted his feelings to consume him on a daily basis. Furthermore, we also get a glimpse of how Gatsby genuinely thinks and feels in the story’s

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This characterization helps us get a better insight on the type of person who Gatsby is after he has met with

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Jennifer Pham Miss Kelsey Hopson H English I 107 11 December 2014 The Great Gatsby Book Report Love, at times, can drive a person crazy. Sometimes, it is good while other times, not so much. This love is displayed in Jay Gatsby, the main character of the book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. As Gatsby’s character is further developed, the realization of him being attached, abstracted, and retrospective comes into light.

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Having to succumb down and mask his scars so that he may have his past life shows that he cannot trust her to accept him for who he is now. To have to lie shows that he doesn't care for what she thinks, in this crazed selfish mindset Gatsby is selfish just wanting what was then instead of what is now lustful though he is all he wanted was to have a love life where everything would be perfect without

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Illusion and Disillusionment in The Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald examines the negative consequences of an individual’s idealistic view of the world and how the destruction of that idealization can impact them. One of the most notable examples of a character with an idealized world is the novel’s protagonist, Jay Gatsby, who becomes dependent on his idealized version of both his romantic interest and himself. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby as a representation of the dangers of mental illusion and the loss of such illusions. Jay Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy Buchanan clouds his judgment of reality and removes him from his own identity. “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according

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Dating back to his childhood, Gatsby developed a deadly sin during his early teenage years, ultimately leading him to his wealthy lifestyle. “[Gatsby’s] heart was in a constant, turbulent riot. The most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night. A universe of ineffable gaudiness spun itself out in his brain… each night he added to the pattern of his fancies… these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination… they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality” (99). Gatsby’s envy of the wealthy life caused him to develop a deep desire to stray away from his life of clam digging and salmon fishing and become a wealthy man in an upper class society.

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The novel, The great gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the theme of obsession. In this novel Fitzerald wants us to understand that it's not healthy to be obsessed with something or someone because it only leads to negative consequences. The author wants us to understand that One example is Gatsby loves Daisy more than he loves himself which causes him to stay with her knowing she isn’t going to leave Tom. ``And what's more, I love Daisy too.

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Gatsby’s is bold in sacrificing his morals and principles, he is successful in finding a shortcut to amassing an incredible amount of wealth in a short period of time. Daisy’s husband describes Gatsby a “bootlegger”, giving the reader an idea of the misappropriate actions taken by Gatsby in his quest for Daisy. Tom further describes Gatsby’s to be selling illegal “alcohol over the counter”, the extreme insinuation which is prevalent in Gatsby’s mind is that he cannot lose Daisy. An inference can be made that Gatsby has taken it upon himself, to indulge in something that is not natural, while failing to realize the potential ramification of his ill-advised actions. Gatsby’s has failed to realize the self-sufficiency of Daisy, in terms of being able to think for herself, while choosing to align with a man that can benefit her at a given moment.

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In a book about a tragic love story, one would not expect to find a deeper meaning behind the dangers of jealousy or peril of lust. However, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a deeper meaning beyond jealousy and love. In The Great Gatsby, the author uses an empathetic storyline as a symbol to unwittingly give a complex depiction of the nuisance that people create that not only destroy our world but our society and gives warning to what will occur if we continue the path of destruction. With this intention, the brilliant opinionated writer, expressed his opinion through symbols such as the characters he uses, the setting the story takes place in, and the objects he uses in the book.

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Ultimately, because of his wild decisions, Gatsby “paid a high price for living too long with a single dream” (161). After many years of living under delusion, the consequences caught up to him. This sentence highlights the detrimental effects that will occur if one lives for only one purpose. Gatsby didn’t allow himself to be satisfied and therefore, he delusionally lived with a painful obsession. The mansion and all the money were never enough for him; he continued to want more.

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Mark Barrowcliffe, an English writer known for his book about a picky man in search of the perfect woman, once voiced, “An obsession is a way for damaged people to damage themselves more.” Barrowcliffe argues that obsession means compulsion, obsession means insatiable desire, and obsession means blindly and foolishly pursuing one's demise. Correspondingly, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel that tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious, new-money millionaire, and his tragic journey to acquire the American Dream and revive his past love with Daisy Buchanan, a generationally wealthy, married woman, with the help of the protagonist. The development of Gatsby's obsessive, compulsive desire to recreate a deluded fantasy

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Gatsby doesn’t really show what he really is to the public, and that makes him a different person from what the others think of

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Jaco’Bee Campbell Ms.Thornton English 3H-0 18 September 2015 The Madness of Loving in the Past Finding love is hard but, once an individual finds love and then loses that special person the conflict is inevitable because the moments and memories were unforgettable. Although a person may convince himself that he is over his feelings, it is easy to drive himself crazy over something that should've been left behind. In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the main character Jay Gatsby as a person that is obsessed with his past which leads him to madness.

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In reality, Daisy never went to any of Gatsby’s parties, and when she does attend one, she doesn’t enjoy herself. When Nick arrives at Gatsby’s party, he tries to find him, “...but the two or three people of whom I asked his whereabouts stared at me in such an amazed way, and denied so vehemently any knowledge of his movements…” (3.43) Gatsby sits apart from the crowd waiting for Daisy to appear. Gatsby doesn’t care to be seen. All he cared about was enticing Daisy to come to his parties, but she never came. When admiring his mansion with Daisy, Gatsby remarks that it took him three years to earn the money that bought it, one of the many lies he told about his life and how he acquired

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One example of Jay Gatsby’s disturbances in self-direction demonstrates itself in his jumping from job to job: “I was in the drug business and then I was in the oil business. But I’m not in either one now” (Fitzgerald 90). Understandably, it was common for many Americans to go where the money was during this time, but from a psychoanalytic perspective, this jumping from job to job demonstrates a lack of career planning, which can contribute to a diagnosis of BPD. Another facet of BPD’s disturbances in self-direction is instability in values or morals. After hitting Myrtle Wilson in the car with Daisy, Gatsby continues to hyper-focus on Daisy and not the fact that the two of them just murdered a woman: “He spoke as if Daisy’s reaction was the only thing that mattered” (143).

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1303 Words | 6 Pages

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays the themes of love, lust and obsession, through the character of Jay Gatsby, who confuses lust and obsession with love. The character of Jay Gatsby was a wealthy business man, who the author developed as arrogant and tasteless. Gatsby 's love interest, Daisy Buchanan, was a subdued socialite who was married to the dim witted Tom Buchanan. She is the perfect example of how women of her level of society were supposed to act in her day. The circumstances surrounding Gatsby and Daisy 's relationship kept them eternally apart.

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