There are several lessons that can be learned from the characters and their actions in The Great Gatsby. Through Jay Gatsby, we learn to not let obsession destroy who we really are. Because of his fanatical love for Daisy, Gatsby changes his name, makes his wealth through illegal activities, and attempts to join a social class in which he doesn’t belong. Denying his background and family are destructive for Gatsby, especially when he is...
There are several lessons that can be learned from the characters and their actions in The Great Gatsby. Through Jay Gatsby, we learn to not let obsession destroy who we really are. Because of his fanatical love for Daisy, Gatsby changes his name, makes his wealth through illegal activities, and attempts to join a social class in which he doesn’t belong. Denying his background and family are destructive for Gatsby, especially when he is never able to really fit into Daisy’s social class. In the end, he is murdered without experiencing the love he so desperately seeks with Daisy or anyone else for that matter.
Through Daisy and Tom, we can learn that happiness is more important than money or social class. Daisy and Tom live a loveless marriage but feel they must stay together to keep up appearances and keep their standing in the ultra-rich society in which they belong. Tom is abusive to Daisy, but she still stays with him despite Gatsby’s vow to love her. Tom and Daisy are both “old money” and have fallen victim to the expectations imposed upon them by an oppressive social culture.
Other lessons could include topics such as: how wealth can be destructive, how infidelity affects marriages, how friendship is important, and how the deprivation of society during this time in the 1920’s affected the characters.
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