In ‘The Great Gatsby’, Fitzgerald challenges
the differences and similarities between love and marriage. The reader is
presented with a series of relationships, based on marriage and affairs, and
due to the affairs, I question whether or not the married couples, Tom and
Daisy, and Wilson and Myrtle, married out of love or if there were any motives
involved.
Looking at Tom and Daisy, Fitzgerald tells
the reader about the problems within their marriage, which are presented straight
away when the reader first meets them both at the Buchanan’s house. Miss Baker,
who is a friend of Daisy, has a ‘fling’ with Nick, implying the lack of
seriousness focused on relationships by almost everyone in the novel. Miss
Baker is the one to break the news to the reader as she says “Tom’s got some
woman in New York”. Fitzgerald could be implying everyday problems that are
experienced in relationships, involving lies and cheating. Daisy does not,
however, divorce Tom, she merely tries to live on with her life, and deny what’s
happening. This could be a sign of Daisy’s true love for Tom, if it hadn't been
for Gatsby. It isn't only Tom, who is not happy in this relationship, but Daisy
is also not happy and we know that from her startled reaction at the mention of
Gatsby. She says “Gatsby?”...”What Gatsby?”, and from this point onwards, the
reader starts to suspect Daisy. Later on, we discover that Daisy’s only motive
to marry Tom was because of his money, as at the time, Gatsby was quite poor.
For her to allow her feelings to go back to Gatsby, just shows the lack of
commitment and passion in her marriage with Tom.
Even though Daisy may be seen as an evil
character that cheats on her husband with an old lover, Tom is just as much to
blame for the breakdown in their marriage. Fitzgerald presents to the reader
another marriage between Wilson and Myrtle, where Myrtle is having an affair
with Tom. It’s very well hidden from Wilson, yet out in the open for everyone
else around them. The fact he takes Nick, Daisy’s cousin, with him to meet
Myrtle just shows how much he loves Myrtle, because he’s not afraid of what
might get back to Daisy. His passion for Myrtle is much stronger than that for
Daisy, as he cheats on Daisy without so much of a second thought for her. Tom
is quite a complex character because as much as he isn't happy in his
relationship, he still feels as if he has a certain type of ownership over
Daisy, and still presents some form of love for her, which is shown later on,
once the character of Gatsby is introduced to Tom and Daisy.
Fitzgerald presents us with very complicated
situations, as both married couples do love each other, but it seems that their
real passion and intention to love is elsewhere, which creates confusion and
anger. Marriage isn't taken very seriously, as we see both marriages breakdown
and taken advantage of. There’s never an intimate or romantic scene presented
by Fitzgerald in the marriages, it is always between the couples who are having
an affair, perhaps implying that the characters go after what their hearts
want. The consequences that come about it show the reader to be careful about
what we do, and how we do it, to prevent as many complications as possible.
(Click here to listen to a song created for 'The Great Gatsby' by Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful. I feel like it really relates to Gatsby and Daisy because of the time they've spent apart and how much they've changed in their personalities and looks).
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| A little diagram explaining the story
A.P ~
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This is an interesting and perceptive piece of writing in which you expose how complicated the themes of love and marriage are in the novel. Excellent picture choice too!
ReplyDeleteCertainly, as you say, ‘There’s never an intimate or romantic scene presented by Fitzgerald’ between the married couples. I completely agree. There seem to be no happy or successful marriages in the whole novel. However, as you also suggest, the fact that the infidelity and deceit that we see throughout the novel ends in such tragedy, implies that Fitzgerald is adopting a moral stance; that he is perhaps warning the reader about the dangers of such dissolute behaviour. Whether or not this is the case, is up to the reader to decide for themselves. It could be a comment rather on the restrictiveness of marriage, or the hypocritical double standards of a ‘brute’ of a man like Tom.
What do you think Fitzgerald is saying?
Finally, try to use more quotations when writing about texts. Quotes should ‘pepper’ your writing. Find quotes to support your comments that Tom ‘isn't happy in his relationship’ and that he ‘feels as if he has a certain type of ownership over Daisy.’
Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Fitzgerald is telling the reader that marriage comes with restrictions, because at the end of the day, it is a commitment that you agree to give, and so it shouldn't feel as if you have limits in your marriage. Personally, I feel that Fitzgerald is trying to imply the dangers of the behaviour he presents to us. The dangers of cheating in a marriage, and the dangers of marrying someone for their money. For me, I believe he is telling us to think carefully about our actions before we carry them out, and don't do anything you'll regret later on, because you won't be able to change it without bad consequences. Daisy didn't think carefully before marrying Tom, and she tries to rewrite this chapter in her life by going back to Gatsby, but then she hurts Tom. Fitzgerald is warning the reader that nothing good comes out of lying, cheating and not thinking about the impacts of your decisions.
A.P ~