Gatsby and Daisy

• Solipsistic nature of Gatsby’s fantasy
• Marriage acting as a barrier that obstructs love and desire from coming to fruition- Daisy’s marriage to Tom prevents Gatsby from ever truly being with Daisy, as he desires.
• Daisy lacks agency within her marriage. This doesn’t end in her relationship with Gatsby. He defines her identity using the idealised image that he has created of her over the 5 years and becomes aggressive towards Tom with his growing desperation to possess Daisy’s love (and the American Dream). Daisy is never valued for her true self, but rather, is only viewed through a hedonistic and materialistic lens i.e. what she can offer the men in their pursuit of the Dream.
• Gatsby’s love for Daisy is an unrequited love that results in desperation. He has a deep, enduring love that goes unwavering over time. 
• Deluded belief in her love and devotion to him. His commitment makes him blind to the social class constraints that prevent him from ever being able to be with her properly, deepening the tragedy when she reverts back to being with Tom. Though he acknowledges Daisy’s materialism, as he tries to attract her by throwing extravagant parties, he is so overwhelmed by love and desire that he forgets this as the novel progresses, as Daisy was never going to give up her social position.
• Rather than Gatsby’s devotion paving the way to his dreams, it paves the way to his fall.

   

  Gatsby's nostalgic longing for a past is at odds with the present realities. 
• He is so occupied with his dream he loses sight of the fact that Daisy is married and almost demands the same devotion from her. The fact that Gatsby's dream dies not when Daisy does not reciprocate his love, but only at his funeral shows that Gatsby was committed to something more than his love for Daisy: an idealistic and romanticised perception of love. This is how Gatsby emerges as a tragic hero: he does not abandon his quest for the romantic ideals of love.
• Gatsby hopes to relive his summer fling with Daisy is evidence that they are part of the ‘Lost Generation’, who cannot find a clear sense of direction and hope for the future.