Examples Of Fixation In The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby’s singular fixation is his pursuit of Daisy, a beautiful but unavailable married woman. Fitzgerald uses imagery and metaphors to convey to the reader the magnitude of Gatsby’s obsession and also its likely doom. The scene in which Gatsby gives Daisy a tour of his house and all the goods he’s acquired to woo her demonstrates the depth of his plan and its failure. Daisy is shown in the scene as being solely into Gatsby’s wealth and not him which sets him up for doom.
Gatsby believes the sole way to Daisy’s heart is through material goods. Earlier in his life he felt like he wasn’t adequate for Daisy when he was in the military and living in a tent. He wanted to make money so he could fit into her life and be more appealing to her. His driving goal was to become a material success. When Gatsby shows off his imported shirts to Daisy, flinging them in a chaotic pile on the bed, it becomes apparent that he was right about her loving material goods. “ ‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such — such beautiful shirts before (93).’ ” Daisy is overwhelmed by the luxurious shirts are and cannot handle it. It’s the most emotion
Fitzgerald uses numerous visual descriptions of Gatsby’s opulence to show his over-the-top pursuit of Daisy. But Gatsby’s single-mindedness, described in language of machines, suggest discord. Gatsby believes that he is on the verge of achieving what he has worked so hard for, to have Daisy in his life. But truly Fitzgerald shows the great toll that his longing for Daisy has taken on him. She seems almost within his grasp, and he is on the brink of a collapse. Fitzgerald’s images and metaphors are essential for the narrative of the book and painting the picture in the reader’s mind of Gatsby’s