Everyone has a reason that motivates them to get up in the morning. This motivation stems from each individual’s dreams, ambitions, hopes, or fears. In 1924, F. Scott Fitzgerald crafted a novel that portrays these various motivators using characters and symbols. Using the psychoanalytic theory that is based on Sigmund Freud’s ideals, Nick, Daisy, and Gatsby’s dreams and desires in The Great Gatsby can be analyzed to understand the character’s actions and motives. Due to his less than wealthy past, Jay Gatsby was unable to provide Daisy with the life she wanted. Daisy was born into a rich family, and Gatsby believed the only way to win her back is to make a fortune for himself. In the novel, Gatsby becomes obsessed with achieving the American …show more content…
Daisy, just like Gatsby, was in life for the money. Gatsby describes Daisy’s voice as “full of money” (Fitzgerald page #). When they first met, Gatsby could not provide for Daisy financially and Daisy was not able to live independently on her own. Thus, fearing she would end up alone, she married Tom Buchanan. However, her marriage with Tom turned out to be anything but healthy. He leads her to believe that all women are fools. In the novel Daisy states “She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." () This mindset that Tom instills in Daisy allows her to accept that Tom is cheating on her. Daisy’s desire of wealth and money as well as her fear of abandonment outweighed her desire to live with a good man.
Nick Carraway, the main character of the novel, changes his motivations throughout the course of the novel. In the beginning, Nick wanted to get away from his life in the West. He moved to New York City with the aspirations of becoming a rich bond man. His desires change after he meets his next door neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Nick becomes blinded by the wealth of Gatsby and the glamour of his magnificent parties. Eventually, Nick wants to just escape the drama that is going on in his life. The life Nick began to live