In his novel The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald shows the rich elite's obsession with wealth and their inability to overcome the past. Gatsby's lavish parties and pursuit of Daisy represent his delusion about recapturing what he once had with Daisy. Daisy's marriage to Tom exemplifies her rush of status and wealth over actual love. Although Gatsby has all this money, he feels alone. The author depicts the consequences of dwelling on the past and not enjoying the present through the lens of wealth and status. The author also shows money is not everything in this world. Gatsby's obsessive pursuit of Daisy signifies his inability to let go of the past and his delusional belief that his newly acquired wealth can restore their love. ”He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy” (85). …show more content…
He wants to recapture that feeling of who he was when he loved Daisy before. His obsession with reliving that relationship reveals his inability to let go of their previous meetings. His fixation on recovering his past identity tied to loving Daisy drives his hopeless pursuit of her in the present. “He knew that when he kissed this girl and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God.” (85) When Gatsby and Daisy kissed, I'm sure he felt a sense of relief that he could finally lay his lips on her again. A thousand thoughts could’ve crossed his mind after they kissed, of them getting married and living a problemless life together. If he got the chance to marry her again and live a happy life with her, his mind would never have to worry or count the days that they'd been away from each other ever again. Tom and Daisy's marriage was built on wealth rather than love. “Your wife doesn’t love you,” said