Examples Of There Are Only The Pursued In The Great Gatsby

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From a young age, humans are taught to pursue their dreams and to achieve their goals. They are taught to look into the future and to always have something to strive for. People also pursue others when it comes to interpersonal relationships. When Nick says "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired, “ he is saying that there are roles each person plays in every situation. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is one of the main examples of a character who is a constant pursuer, along with Myrtle. Daisy is the one that Gatsby constantly pursued, and she is also pursued by her husband, Tom, although it is mildly obvious she does not return the energy. Nick and Jordan are both busy with their work and George Wilson is tired of being …show more content…

He longed to be wealthy and to achieve the suave persona he had in his mind. Gatsby was born into a life he wasn’t satisfied with and he wanted to be rich and successful. He didn’t care how he obtained the wealth. He hated the idea that he was poor, so much so that he dropped out of college after two weeks because he despised the measly job he had as a janitor. He always wanted to pursue a wealthy life. He wanted a life full of success and prosperity. Gatsby was never satisfied with what he had and always pursued more. He became wealthy by bootlegging, and even when he did so, he never felt like a high-class citizen. He had the money he wanted so badly, but he still wasn’t satisfied. He always wanted more. Gatsby had been a pursuer since his …show more content…

She was a classy, wealthy woman, and she carried herself as such. Yes, Gatsby was wealthy, but he had to make his wealth, dishonestly at that. Daisy was born with it, so to him, Daisy was wealth and pursuing her was him pursuing his dream. Even after Daisy became married to Tom, Gatsby still wanted her. He knew she was unattainable, but he couldn’t help but fawn over her; she was the object of his hope. Gatsby’s love for Daisy ran so deep because it was about more than a girl for him. Daisy symbolized the identity he had gained for himself when he achieved his wealth and his new life. She symbolized the man he had striven to become and everything he still wanted to be. It is obvious that Daisy is pursued, but so is her husband, Tom. Tom is pursued by his mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle decided it was time to pursue a more enticing, wealthy man than her husband, so she became infatuated with Tom. Even after Tom hit Myrtle in the face for mentioning Daisy’s name, breaking her nose in the process, she still stays with him. She seems to forget about the abuse and how easily Tom hit her. Myrtle is an example of someone who is both the pursued and the pursuer because her husband, George, continues to be submissive and pursue her, even though she cheats on him with