Theme: Love

Gatsby’s Love for Daisy

Gatsby’s love for Daisy is the driving force of the novel and often appears more obsessive than genuine.
His idealisation of Daisy, whom he sees as perfect, gives her a status that she can’t possibly live up to.
Unfortunately, Daisy isn’t the woman Gatsby fell in love with anymore and his love turns out to be only a recollection of a memory.

Daisy’s Love for Gatsby and Tom

Daisy declares she loves both Tom and Gatsby. Yet her actions suggest she values status and wealth over love.
Her inability to choose between Tom and Gatsby shows her self-centeredness and highlights the vapid nature of her character.
Ultimately, Daisy chooses Tom and the security of her upper-class life over Gatsby, which indicates her shallow regard for love in comparison to luxury and status.

Tom’s Love for Daisy and Myrtle

Tom is unfaithful to Daisy with Myrtle, who provides him with the excitement his life lacks.
However, he is unwilling to let Daisy leave him for Gatsby, showing his possessiveness rather than genuine love.
He uses Myrtle for his pleasure and deserts her in time of need, thus his love lacks depth and real emotions.

Infidelity and Superficial Love

The novel is rife with infidelity, showing the lack of authentic love amongst the upper class.
The empty love is also presented through the Buchanan’s loveless marriage and Gatsby’s obsession with a memory more than a person.
This absence of genuine emotion is used by Fitzgerald as a critique of the carelessness and superficiality of the aristocratic society of the 1920s.

Summary

In The Great Gatsby, the theme of love closely intertwines with one of the novel’s key criticisms: the shallow materialism and moral decay of the Jazz Age. Complex relationships, infidelities, and obsessive behaviors highlight the detrimental effects of mixing love with illusion and materialistic values. The inability of the characters to express genuine love ultimately results in tragedy and reflects on the widespread moral bankruptcy of the society.