How Is Daisy Motivated In The Great Gatsby

Shrinidhi Arunachalam

Ms. Grande

Academic English II

13 January 2023 Motivation is when one behaves in a particular way to achieve a goal. While it can drive an individual to work hard leading to positive outcomes, it can also cause an individual to engage in harmful or illegal activities leading to negative outcomes. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is motivated by his love for Daisy Buchanan. Everything Gatsby does in his life is centered around winning Daisy back and proving to her that he is worthy of her love. He spent years obtaining money to create a life that would exceed her expectations. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is what motivates him to gain wealth and status through illegal means ultimately leading to his downfall.

Even though they were in love in the beginning, the fact that Gatsby wasn’t wealthy didn’t appeal to Daisy. As a result of this, Daisy was planning to marry wealthy Tom Buchannan. The night before the wedding, Gatsby gifted Daisy “a string of pearls [that] valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars” (76). Despite the fact that Daisy was moved on, it is clear Gatsby still harbors feelings for her and tries to impress her. Five years later, when Gatsby has enough wealth, he creates a sumptuous lifestyle. He throws lavish parties that he “[adds] to it all the time, [by] decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way” in an attempt to win her back even after she married Tom Buchanan (95). The motivation behind his extravagant parties is that Daisy will attend one of his parties. Gatsby’s motivation to have Daisy reciprocate his love causes him to devote a significant amount of time, money, and