Examples Of Sacrifice In The Great Gatsby

Topic 5: Sacrifice The art of sacrifice is a complex notion that has been at the root of many beautiful yet tragic stories since the beginning of time. In The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald grapples with this idea more profoundly via the stories of Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby who surrender a plethora of items, both tangible and abstract, in an effort to achieve what they define as an ultimate prize. Through the journeys of various characters, Fitzgerald asks the reader to consider, “What are people willing to sacrifice to obtain their goals?”. Nick, the main protagonist of the novel, sacrifices his morals in an effort to obtain knowledge of the bond business as well as develop a mutually beneficial relationship

It becomes quite apparent to the reader after the meticulous description of their past relationship that his ultimate goal is to essentially turn back the clock and continue the authentic romance that he had with her back in his more youthful days. He does almost everything in his power to achieve this feat; as revealed by Jordan Baker, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay… he says he’s read a Chicago paper for years just on the chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy’s name” (78-9). Evidently, from the time that they separated, Gatsby rearranges his entire lifestyle as he once knew it just so he could keep close tabs on Daisy’s whereabouts to prevent his cherished memories of the past from slipping away. Through the progression of the plot, Gatsby and Daisy eventually develop a relationship unbeknownst to Daisy’s husband, Tom Buchanan. Through this development, the reader quickly notices that Gatsby is readily willing to risk his own integrity and accept responsibility as the one responsible for the breakup of another person’s marriage. The apex of this sacrifice is reached when Myrtle is struck in a hit-and-run accident involving Gatsby’s car. Gatsby admits to Nick that Daisy was the one driving at the time of the accident, yet fails to come forward about the matter to clear his own name in an effort to protect the love of his life. Tom nonetheless realizes that Gatsby’s car is the one involved and concludes that Gatsby is the one who killed her after investigating the situation, although this is not truly the case. He admits to Nick towards the end of the book that George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband at the time, was on a mission to kill someone, and he was therefore forced to give up Gatsby as the criminal. As stated, “‘I told him the truth… He was crazy enough to kill me if I hadn’t told him who owned the