A psychoanalytic reading of "The Great Gatsby" can offer insight into the character of Jay Gatsby. Using Sigmund Freud's theory of the human psyche, we can examine Gatsby's motivations, behaviors, and relationships. Gatsby's obsession with Daisy can be analyzed through Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex. According to Freud, all children experience a desire for their opposite-sex parent, and the child views their same-sex parent as a rival. Gatsby's longing for Daisy, who is already married, can be seen as a manifestation of his unresolved Oedipal complex. He sees Tom as a rival and tries to win Daisy's love, even though it is ultimately futile. This is evident when Gatsby tells Nick, "Can't repeat the past? Why, of course, you can" (Fitzgerald 110). This shows Gatsby's belief that he can have Daisy, regardless of her being married to another man. …show more content…
Freud's theory of sublimation suggests that individuals may redirect their sexual or aggressive urges into socially acceptable activities. Gatsby's wealth and richness can be viewed as a form of sublimation, as he uses his money to attract Daisy and to create a new identity for himself. An example of this isnon page 98 when Nick describes Gatsby's mansion as "a colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden." Gatsby's material things can be seen as a way to repay for his repressed desires and to create a self that would attract