Luxurious car, lavish parties, insurmountable wealth, a full and perfect life. But this life was not complete for Jay Gatsby, a wealthy mafia member in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although Gatsby had achieved an immense collection of wealth and social status, he felt empty and unaccomplished in the world. He did not care for the money that he accumulated as most individuals would, but did care for what he hoped it would attract, the affection of Daisy Buchanan, a classy and wealthy married woman. Gatsby devotes his entire life to achieving the affection of Daisy, sees her as the only valuable thing in life, and is kept alive only by his hope of gaining Daisy’s affection. Although Gatsby never archives his goal of love from Daisy, he has still lived a full life.
Within the span of one’s life, there is often a distinct end goal for each individual. For Gatsby, this end goal is obtaining the affection of Daisy. When Gatsby first meets Daisy, he is poor and unworthy of Daisy’s love: “He [Gatsby] had intended, probably, to take what he could and go-but now he found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail” (Fitzgerald 149). Gatsby finds himself in the presence of Daisy by a facade of high social status, boosted by his being in the army. The army gives Gatsby an opportunity to hide his real life and the chance to take all the love and admiration from Daisy that he can before he had to return to his normal, penniless life. However, Gatsby becomes mesmerized by Daisy and can not give up what he has accomplished under false pretenses. Daisy has become Gatsby’s grail and everything he does in life is devoted to achieving the love and affection that he once had with her under his facade. After working endlessly every day of his life, Gatsby finally acquires the wealth necessary to attract the attention of Daisy once again. To show off his wealth, Gatsby moves into a mansion near Daisy’s house and throws numerous wild parties. Unlike most parties, that are thrown for enjoyment, Gatsby’s parties are held for the sole purpose of drawing Daisy into his luxurious mansion in order to pull her back into loving him. Despite Gatsby’s efforts, his plan is unsuccessful. Fortunately, Gatsby is still able to show Daisy his mansion with help from Nick. While Gatsby is guiding Daisy through his house, Nick notes: “He [Gatsby] hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (Fitzgerald 91). Although the items in Gatsby’s house were priceless, Gatsby viewed them as garbage if Daisy did not seem pleased by them. If Gatsby’s life was not devoted to achieving the affection of Daisy, then her view on the items would be irrelevant as they held a high monetary value and Gatsby would be pleased to display them. However, Gatsby only cared about pleasing and attracting Daisy and worked his entire life to purchase items that would make her happy rather than himself. All of Gatsby’s work for a better future is done to chase the past. Although Gatsby lives life for Daisy and not himself, he still has a very complete life. He has followed the American Dream and made something from nothing. He has filled his life with devotion that has made him feel complete. He enjoys making Daisy happy and when she displays her happiness, Gatsby feels ecstatic. Although he never does acquire love from Daisy, his desire for it causes him to push himself in life to become the best person he can be, forcing him to have a full life.
The only thing that would make Gatsby happy is affection from Daisy. Gatsby has all of the money he needs and can buy whatever he wants in his life. With so much wealth, Gatsby can get any women in the world, but he decides to keep his eye set on Daisy, a married woman. Gatsby is devoted to Daisy and can not find happiness without her. As typical in life, a person attempts to achieve their best self and always grow. Gatsby does not value this. Right before Gatsby kisses Daisy for the first time, it is observed that: “He [Gatsby] knew that when he kissed the girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her [Daisy] perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God” (Fitzgerald 110). If Gatsby kisses Daisy, then he is giving up on his chance of a more achieved life, but this does not concern Gatsby. Daisy is the only thing that Gatsby values and he is prepared to hinder his self-growth in order to obtain it. It does not matter how successful Gatsby is as his life will be empty if Daisy is not apart of it. Many years after the kiss, and after Gatsby’s death, it is revealed that Gatsby held a book with a detailed schedule of his everyday at an early age (Fitzgerald 173). This schedule shows the immense organisation and planning that Gatsby had in his life. This daily schedule not only relates to a single day in Gatsby’s life, but relates to his entire life. The schedule starts with Gatsby meeting Daisy and is followed by the rest of his actions that allowed him to gain wealth and status. However, his schedule was not complete and Gatsby was incapable of accepting it. Achieving Daisy’s affection was the last piece. It is this piece that provides Gatsby a complete life. It is his one goal in life, and it keeps him happy. Even though he never finishes his schedule, it is all the steps in between that bring meaning and fullness to his life.
Gatsby, now knowing what he wanted in life, would be kept alive by the hope that he would one day aquire Daisy. It is this hope that keeps Gatsby working hard and able to wake up every morning. When Gatsby and Daisy are talking in a hotel in New York, Nick notes: “But with every word she [Daisy] was drawing further into herself, so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible…” (Fitzgerald 134). As Gatsby continues to talk to Daisy, she loses interest and starts to not like Gatsby as she had many years before. Gatsby is unobservant and unable to see this change in Daisy. The dream of acquiring Daisy’s affection is dead, but Gatsby still tries to find the love that is not there. He still has hope for love with Daisy in this moment, and it is this hope that keeps Gatsby alive. If Gatsby were able to understand that his dream was dead, then his life would have no value, his plan ruined. But Gatsby did not lose hope: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 180). Although Gatsby had not held Daisy for five years, his hope to have her back had not receded. He believed in the green light, the hope that he would one day accomplish his dream. It is this hope that provides Gatsby a complete life. As long as he has a future to believe in, his life seems complete as he sees what he can have, and although he can’t reach it, he feels its positive effects. Gatsby did not care how long it would take, as long as it would happen some day. Although Gatsby’s life may not be the best in the current moment, he is kept alive by the hope that his future life will be ‘orgastic’ when he completes his schedule, and Gatsby will do whatever it takes to achieve this future. As long as Gatsby has hope, he has a bright future, a reason to live, and a full life.
The entirety of Gatsby’s life is based on gaining affection from Daisy. His entire life is devoted to her and everything he does, including his grueling work, is done to impress and please Daisy. Nothing is done for his own enjoyment if it does not please Daisy, the only thing he values in life. Daisy is the last step in his lifelong schedule and he is willing to give up even the greatest of achievement in order to complete it. In the end, it is the hope of achieving Daisy’s love that keep Gatsby alive. It is the hope of a better future that keeps him breathing. However, life is not always about achieving a dream, but is about chasing it. Even though Gatsby never got to see his dream come to fruition, he still lived a full life as he was able to chase the future that he hoped to have.