Love In The Great Gatsby

Love is defined as a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person. This intense feeling is prevalent in many of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s works. In The Great Gatsby, “The Ice Palace,” and “Head and Shoulders,” the main characters attempt to be with the person they love. In all three works, the author explores the downfalls of each main character as well as the problems they face. Despite great attempts to be with the person they love, the main characters in Fitzgerald’s works often fall short of their goal because of their inability to fully transform.

Jay Gatsby moves to the West Egg in The Great Gatsby, in hopes of seeing Daisy, who lives just across the bay. Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and eccentric man, moves to the West Egg to be closer

Gatsby wants to see Daisy after not seeing her since he went off to war and she got married to Tom. Gatsby’s parties become very well known, although his main reason for having them was his hope that Daisy would “wander into one,” or someone who knows her well enough to get into contact with her (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 79). He tries very hard to meet Daisy because he wants her to fill the empty void in his life and also to become part of her social class. By attracting Daisy, “Gatsby sees the potential for future happiness, acceptance, and the resumption of a stalled love” (Heise 58). These parties eventually lead to Gatsby meeting Jordan Baker, who arranges for Gatsby and Daisy to be invited to tea with Nick. The two finally meet and reconnect, but Tom still poses a threat to Gatsby.

Gatsby also attempts to remove Daisy’s husband, Tom, by arguing that Daisy has never loved him. Nick, Jordan, Gatsby, Tom and Daisy go to town on a warm summer day, and Tom and Gatsby begin to argue. Gatsby argues that in, “her heart she never loved anyone except [him]” (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 130). Gatsby tries to convince Daisy that she never actually loved Tom. Gatsby seems like he will be able to succeed because of the various problems with Daisy and Tom’s marriage (Sutton 37). However, Daisy realizes that she loves Tom more than Gatsby, leading to an awkward ride home between Gatsby

Horace Tarbox, an naive, young man and aspiring writer, falls in love with Marcia Meadow, a performer. Horace promises Marcia that once he is eighteen that he will come to see her in New York (Fitzgerald, “Head and Shoulders” 104). They meet under odd circumstances, as a friend of Horace sent her up to his apartment as a joke. The two, “meet on a prank, banter with remarkable insight, court awkwardly, and rapidly marry” (Mtaiagermaine par 1). Horace quickly tries to marry Marcia to show his love for her, just as Gatsby tried to show his love for