ipl-logo

Examples Of Pathological Narcissism In The Great Gatsby

907 Words4 Pages

The Fallacies of American Idealism
A significant work of modernism and surrealism, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has received a myriad of literary criticisms and contrasting analyses. Illustrating the story of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald becomes a literary architect as he designs the complex characteristics withheld by this protagonist. Developing as the story moves forward, Gatsby’s demeanor and personality establish imperative roles as they portray the character’s pathological narcissism and classic romantic undertones while exemplifying delusions of American ideals. Introduced to the reader by the narrator named Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby is described as having a mysteriously inherited opulence, invoking rumor among his innumerable guests. This …show more content…

As Fitzgerald writes, Gatsby’s motive for such magnificence is revealed to be engendered by his overwhelming sense of pathological narcissism. This consistently egocentric behavior is rooted in Jay Gatsby’s desire to provide himself with a mirror. An idea such as this is culminated by author Giles Mitchell in his analysis Gatsby is a Pathological Narcissist, precisely conveying Gatsby’s idealization of himself and Daisy Buchanan, whom he had loved for five years, despite her decision to marry someone else. He finds Daisy Buchanan to be a mirror; she is somebody who provides him with, “...the mirror of [her] symbolism” (Mitchell). This supplies Jay Gatsby with constant fuel for his ego-ideal in order for him to pursue his desire to develop an impeccable persona. The protagonist’s desire to persuade Daisy to leave her husband exemplifies yet another tactic to obtain one of his “...exploitive demands,” in order to compensate for his narcissistic

Open Document