Posted by Kiki Johnson on June 03, 1999 at 08:20:54:
In Reply to: Re: The Great Gatsby posted by Crystal on May 11, 1999 at 21:11:15:
: I need some information on Gatsby and his relationship with Daisy. Did he really love her or was it just a part of his dream?
Gatsby undoubtably loved Daisy once, yet by the point that we come in context with him, he is merely trying to hold on to the representation of his "American Dream". Daisy is a symbol of wealth and beauty, who serves as a goal for Gatbsy to attain, and in turn his life-long obsession drives him to aqcuire the wealth which he does, in order to please her. When he meets with Daisy, after the five years have gone by, he is convinced that he, and she, are both in love, as if they could continue right where they left off, their relationship succeeding this time due to his newly gained fortune. In reality Daisy is an infatuation upon which he bases his dreams--A young flame which he never let go of. Right up until his death he tries to hold on to the love that they once shared, yet there is no recovery for it. Daisy's interests are mainly materialistic and she refuses to leave her dishonest and abusive husband, who had offered her wealth and luxury from the beginning, which she chose over Gatsby's love. Gat-
sby yet remains faithful to Daisy until his death, planning on protecting her with lies by accepting the blame of the accident, and waiting outside her door all night to make sure she goes to sleep unharmed. His original love for the young, vibrant girl, in turn, leads him to dream, and follow his dream, and she becomes merely a symbol of that. In placing such a dream on one woman, his first and only object of affinity an devotion, he leads himself into a world of corruption and materialism, resulting in a tragic, yet unnoticed death.