The Great Gatsby: Accepting the Love We Think We Deserve

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Nick was the only person in Gatsby’s life that saw through his money and accepted Gatsby as a person. At the beginning of the novel, Nick is remembering Gatsby and says, “No -- Gatsby turned out alright at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.” Nick understood that the down fall of Gatsby was because of his love for Daisy. Daisy “preyed” on Gatsby, she was the “foul dust” that floated into Gatsby’s dream; his dream of love. Daisy was the perfect girl on the outside but only cared for money. She had loved Gatsby before but her heart had grown numb with the cold hard cash and the status it brings. She may have “closed out interest in the abortive sorrows” for Gatsby, made him feel happy again with her presence but he was only in love with the memory of how she used to be. Nick also had “Gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps that had gone in loving Daisy.” After Daisy, Gatsby could not be satisfied with his wealth and social status because it was for the purpose of winning Daisy’s affections.

Fitzgerald wrote the Great Gatsby to demonstrate how love can never be bought by money or materialistic luxuries. Gatsby was a dreamer who had a false image of what love was in his mind and pursued his dream of being with Daisy through wealth and luxuries. By refusing to forget the past and the love he and Daisy once shared Gatsby failed to see he was in love a memory of her. Daisy was a changed person, someone who was focused on money and status rather than finding true love. Gatsby blindly loving Daisy did not allow himself to see how she had changed and in doing so destroyed his dream of achieving love.