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Obsession In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Dreamers who fail to accept satisfaction end up caught in a deadly obsession. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates the perilous effects of an unrealistic dream. The death scene in both the novel and the movie successfully reveals the deadly consequences of Gatsby’s fixation with Daisy and his lifelong hunt for material success and hedonism. Gatsby allows his life to be controlled by his fascination for Daisy and therefore, everything he works for is ultimately for Daisy. Fitzgerald uncovers the disastrous repercussions that will occur if one lives for only one twisted purpose. Gatsby’s death scene in both works demonstrates that a powerful obsession can easily lead to a delusional lifestyle. In the novel, Fitzgerald highlights Gatsby’s relentless …show more content…

Instead of worrying about being caught for Myrtle's death, he is most concerned with Daisy. Gatsby’s fixation on Daisy distracted him from reality and blinded him from realizing death was creeping around the corner. “He must have felt that he had lost the old warm world” (161). This sentence depicts how Gatsby’s obsession tore him away from the present world. His obsession with Daisy made Gatsby careless with his life and bluntly unaware of his insane actions like taking the blame for Myrtle's death. Ultimately, because of his wild decisions, Gatsby “paid a high price for living too long with a single dream” (161). After many years of living under delusion, the consequences caught up to him. This sentence highlights the detrimental effects that will occur if one lives for only one purpose. Gatsby didn’t allow himself to be satisfied and therefore, he delusionally lived with a painful obsession. The mansion and all the money were never enough for him; he continued to want more. Fitzgerald makes it clear that after holding onto a dream for too long, it becomes known what a “grotesque thing a rose is” in the “new world, [which is] material without being real”

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" His devotion is so intense he doesn’t think twice about covering for her and taking the blame for Myrtle’s death. In fact, his obsession is so strong he barely seems to register that there’s been a death, or to feel any guilt at all" (Wulick). Gatsby only worried about Daisy's safety. He never once thought of Myrtle and the fact that he had just ended her life.

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