How Is The Great Gatsby A Selfish Person

Many people see Gatsby as an untrusty and selfish human being who doesn’t live up to the book's title, “The Great Gatsby”. Throughout the story we see Gatsby be believed to be a facade by others, having no personality and only having his parties. Seeing him as a person only caring about his dream to be with Daisy, feeding words into her mouth and forcing her to do things. However we see the real Gatsby, a man who respects his peers and treats them with kindness. Also seeing it through his peers' eyes, and how they view him. Allow us as readers to grasp how he is “The Great Gatsby” Gatsby throughout the story can be seen as a generous, kind, and respectful person. He also is seen as an emotional person and not just a facade. When Nick attends

The character of Owl eyes is one of the first people who makes Gatsby seem like “The Great Gatsby”, when he is in his library analyzing the books, “Absolutely real — have pages and everything. I thought they’d be nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real. Pages and — Here! Lemme show you.”(pg 35) In this instance we realize he isn’t like cardboard, a “facade” who throws grand and circus-like parties. When Nick talks about how Gatsby’s words evoke care and thought, “Some time before he introduced himself I’d got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care.”(pg 37) This strong impression then became true, with Nick taking a liking to Gatsby’s word choice. Nick also describes Gatsby’s face,”It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you

“Daisy, that’s all over now,” he said earnestly. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Just tell him the truth — that you never loved him — and it’s all wiped out forever.” She looked at him blindly. “Why — how could I love him — possibly?” “You never loved him.”(pg 99) We begin to see how Gatsby is influencing and feeding Daisy words. He isn’t letting her have her own opinion. He is constantly trying to manipulate her to side with him and live the rest of her life with him. Gatsby believes that his manipulativeness is prevailing, “You don’t understand,” said Gatsby, with a touch of panic. “You’re not going to take care of her anymore.” “I’m not?” Tom opened his eyes wide and laughed. He could afford to control himself now. “Why’s that?” “Daisy’s leaving you.” “Nonsense.”(pg 100) Gatsby believes that he has control in the situation, thinking he has ultimately won. Readers may believe that he is the villain, but at this point in the story has done everything for Daisy because of what she has said. Daisy could be seen as leading him on. Gatsby has been trying to balance his work and Daisy, and all that he has done has come with good intentions. “I made the pleasure of his acquaintance just after the war. But I knew I had discovered a man of fine breeding after I talked with him for an hour. I said to myself: ‘There’s the kind of man you’d like to take home and introduce to your