Obsession In The Great Gatsby And Frankenstein

Modern society values the pursuit of passion; it is generally regarded as worthwhile and beneficial. However, a fine line separates passion from obsession. A “passion” is an extravagant desire for something or someone. By contrast, an “obsession” carries more sinister connotations. Particularly, it occurs when a persistent desire dominates an individual’s reason. An impassioned mind easily becomes obsessive when the desire grows into an uncontrollable ambition. An absolute obsession can be dangerous; specifically, the fixation on a single idea can lead to impaired moral judgement. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the two title characters: Jay Gatsby and Victor Frankenstein, clearly exemplify how negative

For Gatsby, this comes in the form of throwing illustrious house parties. Before he came into fortune, Gatsby was simply a working class citizen. He becomes infatuated with Daisy right before the start of World War I. The two grow close, but when Gatsby has to leave for the war, they lose touch with one another. While Daisy is able to move on, Gatsby’s becomes even more passionate, and this quickly grows into an obsession. Despite how Gatsby may feel about Daisy, it is clear that he is never in love with her as a person; he loves the idea of her, the way she makes him feel: important, worthwhile, even valuable. Jordan reveals to Nick, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be right across the bay” (Fitzgerald 68). Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy forces him into social isolation. The extravagant house parties that Gatsby throws are for the sole purpose of attracting Daisy’s attention, but since she never attends them, he has no reason to take part in the festivities; his guests barely know a thing about him and base their judgement off of rumours. As a result, Gatsby is socially awkward and timid; he lives within his own perception of the world and is driven solely by his pretentious