A Spiral Into Madness

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Gatsby is a man driven to madness by himself. His riches, no matter how lavish, could not buy his sanity or happiness. Along with those arbitrary ideals, his money also couldn’t buy the love of the object of his obsession, Daisy. His relationship with her is twisted and their love is toxic, harmful, and feudal in the end. Not only have both parties changed, but so had the world and society, something that neither of them seemed to completely grasp. Gatsby, even after a failed second attempt at their relationship, was consumed by the thought of her, hopelessly believing that he could win her back. Insanity, in this case driven by love and wealth, is a gripping enemy that plagues and overtakes the mind of Jay Gatz, ultimately leading to his demise.

Gatsby is a man who believed that his money could buy his happiness, and even more so, love from Daisy. “Her voice is full of money,” Nick states, in which even Gatsby can tell she is swayed by money (Fitzgerald 100). Because of his lavish parties and extravagant lifestyle, it can be inferred that Gatsby shows off his money, thinking that it might fulfill him. Along with the raging parties, are stories that involve Gatsby, from being a spy to a cold-blooded killer. Because of his anonymity as well as his disconnect from other people, it seems as though Gatsby relishes in the stories, and leeches off of the mystery. Because of this, very few people even know what he looks like or really who he is. Even after he and Daisy are reunited, it seems as though she also does not know who he has become. 

Gatsby had changed since he last saw Daisy, and had become somewhat deranged and delusional about Daisy and his unreasonable standards show the true delusion in his mind. His expectations for Daisy are completely impossible for anyone to achieve, even though his are on the floor. Because of the irrational way Gatsby thinks and views the world, these standards are completely just. He expects Daisy to agree and side with him always, even though he is a criminal and an all-around pretty bad person. Daisy, also unacceptable in behavior, still deserves more realistic standards. Even after he loses her, he still believes he is right in setting the bar so high.

In his disillusion, Gatsby still tries to “win” Daisy back after he has clearly lost her forever. Even after she had ultimately left him for Tom, “He couldn’t possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do” (Fitgerald 124). This is because he had become so overly obsessed that he needed to make sure that he had at least come to control something about the situation, which in this case (and ultimately in the entire book), was nothing. He yearns for a sense of control not only over his life, but also over everyone in it. He seems to desire Daisy’s love because he thinks it’s how things should be, not because he wants the best for her. He wants to be able to control her into genuinely believing this, making obvious actions to do so. The only thing differentiating him and Tom is the timing in which they met Daisy. Although Gatsby swears that he is nothing like Tom, in reality, they are almost identical.

Gatsby winds up deranged and in a state of permanent refusal about his relationship with Daisy. He seemingly has no control over himself, as he show’s a view of his fractured mind overtaken by obsession. A liar, gangster, and a cheat, are all words that accurately describe tGatsby, whose fate was ultimately determined by his actions and wrongdoings. In the love that he had for Daisy, the man seemed to also have a deeply rooted yearn for a second chance, even though he had already gotten one before. Gatsby becomes a shell of a man who has too much money and not enough real friends, and is the direct product of the events that transpired within the pages of The Great Gatsby.