Athena Wood

Mrs. Maroulis

English 3

10 April 2017

Dream Love vs Real Love

Love has the ability to influence individuals actions. The novel The Great Gatsby by F.

Scott Fitzgerald can be seen as a love story. The narrator, Nick Carraway, tells his neighbor

Gatsby’s story from his point of view. Gatsby is in love and has been in love with Nick’s

cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who is married to Tom Buchanan. The Buchanans do not have the best

relationship but still have some love for each other. The relationship Daisy and Gatsby had in the

past, sets up the whole reason why Gatsby goes after Daisy. Daisy must decide where her heart

and her love truly lies, whether that is with Tom or Gatsby. Through the use of Tom and

Gatsby’s actions towards Daisy, Fitzgerald aims to reveal the different sides of love and how

some people hold onto the love they have while others let it slip away.

Gatsby’s actions towards Daisy make it apparent that Gatsby has love only for Daisy.

Daisy’s friend, Jordan Baker, is a professional golfer who is staying at the Buchanan’s house.

Jordan Baker is talking to Nick about Gatsby and Daisy’s past relationship together. On page 78,

Jordan tells Nick that “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.” The

fact that Gatsby’s house is across from Daisy’s displays his affection for Daisy. He is there for

her and can look after her if she needs anything. It shows how he loves and cares about her and

that he has and will always be there for her even if she is not aware of it. Their houses being

across from each other shows his intentions towards Daisy. Gatsby is holding onto the love he

has developed with Daisy because he sees that Daisy is important to him and he needs her.
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When Gatsby sees Daisy, you can see in his face that he is happy. Nick invites Daisy

over for tea so Gatsby can see and talk to her. Nick comes inside to see the two sitting together in

the living room. Nick describes Gatsby as someone who “literally glowed; without a word or

gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him” (89). It is obvious that Gatsby is filled

with love for Daisy because while just being in her presence, he is almost an entirely new person.

Gatsby feels Daisy is everything and that she deserves everything. Gatsby never sees the real

Daisy, he only sees her beauty and their past together. Gatsby is holding onto this love he has for

Daisy because it makes him feel complete, even though he is aware that it could not develop

anymore than it already has. You can see this when Nick said that he had almost changed as a

person. The love for Daisy overtakes Gatsby in a way to where he must hold onto their love to

feel complete in life.

Gatsby wants to give Daisy anything she wants because of the joy she gives him in life.

Gatsby takes Daisy on a tour of his house and Nick observes their reactions: Gatsby’s of Daisy

and Daisy’s of the house. Nick states that Gatsby “revalued everything in his house according to

the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (91). Gatsby’s whole goal is to

impress Daisy. The entire house is designed and made for her. If she is not impressed or wants

something a different way, Gatsby would have it fixed for her. His love for her takes over his

consciousness and he will do anything for her. Love is overtaking Gatsby and all that is on his

mind is Daisy. She is a symbol of hope and what his life could be like. Even though in the back

of his mind he knows he can never be with her and have the life he wants, he continues to hold

onto their love. His love for Daisy has made him blind to everything but her and her happiness.

Tom can be seen as being blind to Daisy, the girl he should love, and only having eyes

for Myrtle. Myrtle is a woman from the Valley of Ashes that has been having an affair with
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Daisy’s husband Tom Buchanan. Nick is at the Buchanan’s house to visit with his cousin and

have dinner.They are all at the table and Tom continues to get up and go to the phone. Jordan

Baker explains to Nick while Tom and Daisy are in the house that “Tom’s got some woman in

New York” (14). This “woman” is Myrtle and she is blinding Tom’s view of Daisy. It is as if

Daisy is not there anymore, even though Tom and Daisy are married. The love for Daisy has

been buried by the new love Tom has created for Myrtle. Daisy is seen in Tom’s eyes as an

object and a placeholder rather than the person he loves. Tom ignoring Daisy reveals that he no

longer holds onto the love he used to have for Daisy. He is letting her slip away into Gatsby’s

hands rather than make an effort to keep her.

Since Daisy is portrayed as an object in Tom’s eyes, Myrtle is the girl receiving Tom’s

love. Tom goes to the Valley of Ashes and takes Nick with him. They go to pick up Myrtle at her

husband’s garage. On the way to their apartment, Myrtle sees a man who has a basket of dogs

that he is selling. On page 28, Tom tells the man, “Here’s your money. Go buy ten more dogs

with it.” Myrtle gets what she wants because she is the source of Tom’s new happiness. Daisy is

left by Tom in the way that Daisy is not the girl he is focused on. She is seen as invisible or

simply his past. There is still love in Tom’s heart for Daisy, but the love for Myrtle is much

stronger. Daisy is just a placeholder in Tom’s life and she is only there until the love for her

fades away. Tom is not paying attention to Daisy anymore so he is letting her slip away and

make her own choices.

Daisy’s opinions and wants are of no concern to Tom anymore. Everyone is at Tom and

Daisy’s house and the weather is unbearably hot. Daisy suggests that they all go to the city

instead of staying in the house doing nothing. Tom does not see the benefit of going to the city.

While Daisy and Jordan are getting ready to leave, Tom talks to Gatsby. Tom tells Gatsby, “I
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don’t see the idea of going to town” and that “Women get these notions in their heads-” (120).

Daisy wants to go and leave the house and Tom does not see the reason to go to the city. She is

questioned by Tom on everything she says. Tom sees Daisy for who she really is and treats her

the way he feels she deserves.Tom can see that Daisy is not capable of real love and will

sacrifice real love for the life of wealth she had in her past. This is why Tom is blind to Daisy

because he sees that she does not have the love she used to for him and that Myrtle does have

love for him. Tom has love for Daisy but he has more love for Myrtle so he slowly lets Daisy go.

Towards the end of the book, Tom and Gatsby switch roles. Tom starts to become aware

of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. This awareness turns his idea of Daisy into a competition for

her attention. When they are all getting ready to leave for the city they have to decide what car

everyone is going in. On page 121, Tom says, ¨Well, you take my coupé and let me drive your

car to town.¨ All men have an attachment with their vehicles. Tom is presenting his car to

Gatsby, which can be seen as Tom presenting Daisy as an object to Gatsby. The attachment to

the car representing his attachment and ownership of Daisy. Tom is aware that Gatsby knows

nothing about Daisy and how she sacrifices love for the wealth she really wants. Gatsby still has

nothing but love for Daisy, but now that Daisy’s attention has become a competition and Gatsby

sees Daisy as a prize. Tom is trying to prove that Gatsby does not know the real Daisy and

knows that Daisy will stay with him because he knows her as a person. Gatsby only sees Daisy

for who she was in the past. She is more of an object that he wants to have, a prize he can show

off. Gatsby starts to lose sight of what he is after and he starts to let Daisy slip away while Tom

begins to fight for the love him and Daisy have.

Gatsby believes that Tom and him are on the same level. At the lunch at the Buchanan’s

house, Gatsby and Tom talk and walk outside onto the balcony with Nick. They look across the
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bay and Gatsby “raised his hand and pointed across the bay” saying, “I’m right across from you”

(118) to Tom. This shows Gatsby setting forth this notion that Daisy is the prize of a

competition between them. He tells Tom that they are the same and on the same level. It is

Gatsby’s way of telling Tom that Tom has nothing over Gatsby and that he has no advantage.

Tom realizes that his love for Daisy is still strong and he wants to get her back and hold onto the

love and life they have created.

This whole time Tom has treated Daisy as if he has little love for her. His view on Daisy

changes at the lunch at his house when he sees Daisy and Gatsby talking to each other. He also

sees the way they look at each other. Nick describes Tom’s reaction towards them by saying

“His mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy as if he had just

recognized her as someone he knew a long time ago” (119). This is the moment of realization for

Tom that he is losing Daisy. He never had to prove his love for Daisy, but now with Gatsby

around he must. Tom finally shows how much Daisy means to him and reminds her of how in

love they used to be and can continue to be. Tom might not love Daisy like Gatsby does, but his

love will last because he loves the real her. Tom is holding onto the real Daisy and she is slowly

slipping out of Gatsby’s hands.

Through the actions taken towards Daisy by Tom and Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how

some people hold onto love for what it is and others slowly let it slip away out of their reach.

Gatsby is seen in the beginning of the novel as holding onto this love for Daisy. Gatsby would do

anything and everything for her. Tom on the other hand is blind to Daisy. Daisy does not hold

Tom’s heart anymore and is seen as just an object filling a place in his life. The roles slowly

change and Daisy then turns into an object to Gatsby. Gatsby and Daisy have dream love while

Tom and Daisy have real love. Daisy slowly slips away from Gatsby to Tom who holds onto the
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real love they have. Dream love is something that everyone wants, but the real love is what

prevails.