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How Is Jay Gatsby Selfish

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In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a wealthy man obsessed with Daisy, driven by the desire to win back her love and pretend that they were never separated. In order to achieve this, Gatsby has created a character for himself that he thinks is the best man for Daisy and sticks to this persona with little regard to the damage caused by it. His relentless pursuit of Daisy is fueled by his belief that material wealth and social status are the keys to winning her back, so Gatsby thinks he has to truly change himself to draw her attention. These changes to Gatsby and the way he thinks of himself are revealed by the distinct diction choice. These changes and his obsession with changing the past ultimately lead to his downfall, as he becomes consumed by his own delusions and …show more content…

This word choice of "legally" is significant because it shows that while James Gatz is his legal name, he does not consider it to be who he really is. He wholly considers himself to be Jay Gatsby. This transformation into Jay Gatsby symbolizes his desire to reinvent himself and create a new identity in relentless pursuit of his idealized version of himself. Furthering this pursuit is Gatsby's decision to leave his parents behind." His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people— his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all." In Gatsby's picture of the perfect man, his parents don't fit. If they are unsuccessful, people will look down on Gatsby for it, soiling his reputation and facade of flawlessness. In Gatsby's mind, leaving his parents behind is a necessary step in distancing himself from his past and the limitations they represent. By cutting ties with them, he can fully embrace his new persona as Jay Gatsby without being held back by his upbringing. Nick makes a comment at this point, saying that with no parents, Gatsby was essentially a "son of God" spawned out of nothing besides the very idea of

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In chapters four through six of The Great Gatsby, the reader is introduced to the real Gatsby who was incredibly poor in his early life. At the beginning of chapter six, Nick explains to the reader Gatsby’s real upbringing. Nick explains, “James Gatz — that was really, or at least legally, his name… His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people — his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself” (Fitzgerald 62-63).

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On the contrary, he was just a kid from North Dakota without connections, no money, no education. We can see the original James Gatz and his alter ego as the other part of a magic mirror; on one side is the Gatz, the ordinary citizen, and the other, Gatsby, fabulously decorated, the impossibly perfect reflection of the dreams and fantasies of a poor child. So who was the real James Gatz (Jimmy) and how he became Jay Gatsby? Apparently, even before they have the means, Jimmy Gatz had a plan; their desire to escape their circumstances and make a name for themselves. This early motivation shows the same determination and passion that we see in its new incarnation, Gatsby.

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While Tom brought Jay Gatsby's murderer to him, Gatsby inevitably caused his own death by making poor decisions and lying to the people he loved most. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby was an over the top, rich, mysterious, selfish, and cocky person with many flaws while Tom Buchanan was an upper class man, arrogant, and short tempered person. Throughout the story Jay Gatsby showed that he was selfish and was in his own world most of the book, he was in a one way relationship with Daisy and thought she would leave Tom for him and wanted Daisy for only himself. Jay Gatbsy held onto love that died 5 years ago and thought if he rekindled it he would have the “love of his life” (101 Fitzgerald) back, but he’s so far into his own world that he thinks

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