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How Is Jay Gatsby Selfish

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The title of this book is an ironic representative of the character Jay Gatsby. In the book, Jay Gatsby is one of the protagonists. He first comes out as a mysterious man who nobody has seen or knows anything about except the fact that he went from living in poverty to being very wealthy. Mr. Gatsby throws these huge parties just for random people, and everyone believes he is a very generous man even to complete strangers. One time, he sends a girl a brand new and very expensive dress when she accidently rips it at one of his parties. He treats his guests with the utmost respect and gives them first-class treatment. Everyone sees him as a “great” person, but what they do not know is how he suddenly went from being homeless to one of the richest …show more content…

He was once of a lower-class status, which led him to feel self-conscious and embarrassed about his earlier stages of life. Gatsby was afraid to let others know about the difference in his social status; therefore, he tried his best to be mysterious and hide the fact that he was from new money. Jay Gatsby went through extraordinary measures to become one of the richest people in New York just so he could impress the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy belonged to the upper-class of society so when Gatsby was living in poverty, she did not accept him for who he was. After Gatsby acquired all his fortune, his mysterious past and actions still became a barrier between him and Daisy. Gatsby understood that he was of a different social status from Daisy, and because of this internal conflict, he was trying his best to hide his …show more content…

Unfortunately for Gatsby, hiding everything from Daisy did not result in her falling for him either. This conflict could have been easily avoided if Gatsby had just been honest to Daisy from the very beginning. He would not have anything to hide about himself or his past. Like Benjamin Franklin said, “Honesty is the best policy”. Another way this conflict could have been resolved was if Daisy would have accepted Gatsby for who he was. Just because he was poor, it did not change the fact that she was still in love with him. Daisy just could not ignore the fact that she was with someone who would not be able to provide her with the luxurious life she wanted, and she let that small detail decide that she was not going to be with the man she loved

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Daisy only cared about Gatsby because she thought he had the wealth she searched for. However, even when Gatsby bootlegged alcohol to become wealthy, Daisy still betrayed Gatsby, because Mr. Buchanan inherited his money meaning his wealth is much more stable, which, again, displays that Daisy left Gatsby due to her selfish desires. Also, when Gatsby was with Daisy five years ago, he described her as “gleaming like silver” (156 Fitzgerald). This is another indication that Gatsby never related to Daisy’s persona. He let her represent the wealth that he had always hoped to be part of as a child from a poor background.

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Throughout the story, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby, the main character, attempts to raise himself to the status where it would be acceptable to be with Daisy Buchanan. This proves impossible as the only way Gatsby can move up is economically, and although Gatsby becomes quite wealthy, he could never be with Daisy because he lacks the social status that comes with “old money” and was necessary to be in her league. It is also this social status, mixed with certain circumstances of the event, that allows Daisy and Tom to escape the consequences of Myrtle’s death. Gatsby wants nothing more than to have Daisy again.

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