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The Role Of Identity In The Great Gatsby

598 Words3 Pages

Gatsby's obsession with the green light leads him to forget morals by hiding his true identity from everyone, participating in an affair, and stepping on others to get what he wants. Gatsby remains a reserved and seemingly untouchable figure because he isn’t proud of who he once was. While this lying protects his dignity, Gatsby still kisses accepted morals goodbye and lies to the whole public about his identity. Even one of the guests at his party can tell something about Gatsby is off. The partier, who received a very unusual party gift from Gatsby, says, "'There's something funny about that fellow that'll do a thing like that…He doesn't want any trouble with anybody’" (Fitzgerald 43). None of Gatsby's guests truly know anything about their host. …show more content…

Gatsby might not want any trouble so that people don't have a reason to exploit him. His dirty past is something he wants for himself and he wants to keep it that way. Gatsby shows how following the dream broke his moral compass, for he no longer can tell the truth and his whole life has become a string of lies. Unfortunately, Gatsby’s impure ways pay off, which only motivates him to continue to be dishonest. Under his false identity, he wins the love of Daisy Buchanan, otherwise known as Gatsby’s dream. But there’s a catch: Daisy is married. Gatsby is so hungry for her love that he won’t stop at anything. He enlists his friend Nick Carraway as his right-hand man, and at Gatsby’s request, Nick “called up Daisy…and invited her to come to tea. 'Don't bring Tom,' [Nick] warned her. 'Who is

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