Motivation In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

John F. Kennedy once said, “...those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a young man who recently moved to New York to learn the bond business. The focus of the story is on the happenings around Nick as he becomes familiarized with life in Long Island. Nick’s neighbor, Jay Gatsby, is seemingly at the center of the focus, as he is the connection between most characters in the story. Gatsby is a self-made, rich man who loves Nick’s cousin, Daisy Buchannan, who he met years earlier before he went to war. Daisy and Gatsby had been in love, and even though Daisy moved on and married Tom Buchannan when Gatsby went off to

In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s perception of the past serves as a motivation, an inhibitor, and a skew for his actions.

First of all, motivation is an outcome of Gatsby focusing on the past. As explained in the story, Gatsby and Daisy were in love in the years prior to the story’s setting. Gatsby describes this time as, “‘...Well, there I was, way off my ambitions, getting deeper in love every minute…” (Fitzgerald 157). They were so deeply in love that Gatsby would have married her if he had the money and had not gone to war. His unfailing love for Diasy is not diminished as time has passed. Motivated by the idea of retaining what he once had with Daisy, Gatsby puts all his efforts into getting her back. A reference to this motivation is portrayed by Gatsby’s transformation from his past self to who he is in the present. He came from nothing and worked hard to obtain the money he accumulated. Not only that, but he also made connections with people like Meyer Wolfshiem to boost his wealth. In doing so, he can spend more money on extravagant attempts to win Daisy’s love. Another example where motivation to get Daisy back impacts his actions is through his enormous parties. He

His focus on the past can be conveyed as a hindrance, since it keeps him from moving forward. As explained in the book, Gatsby has pined after Daisy all those years, never moving on to have a relationship with another woman. In a conversion with Nick, Jordan Baker- a friend of Daisy Buchanan- states, "...[Gatsby] says he's read a Chicago paper for years on the chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy's name,” (84). With all his focus on Daisy, he gives himself no chance of ever moving on and finding another love. Additionally, most of Gatsby’s money and time is spent on lavish parties to get Daisy’s attention and lure him to her. Examples of this can be shown through the themes throughout the book, expressed through the colors gold and silver. Materialistic wealth is prominently referenced through various items seen at Gatsby’s parties. New, gold books line the walls of his house, showing off his material wealth and new money in hopes that Daisy will like him since he now has the money to support them. Gatsby’s ornate parties also consist of substantial amounts of food and a live orchestra, things that Gatsby spends his money on in the hope of impressing Daisy. He wastes most of his time, money, and effort on these occasions just for