Love In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Love is the most prominent theme in The Great Gatsby. Although it is not the sappy love story that most romantics cling to, love is shown as more of an unending battle. Jay Gatsby’s love for Daisy drives him to anything in his will to protect her, and it ends up costing him his life. Not only is love an obvious theme, but also the lack of love. Daisy’s manipulative ways are a prime example of this. While Gatsby pours his soul into pleasing Daisy, she ends up shattering his heart in the end. The Great Gatsby takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions as they watch Gatsby’s love for Daisy emerge. There are many reasons why The Great Gatsby’s theme is love. To begin, in the song Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey, it says “Will you still
love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul I know you will, I know you will I know that you will” (Rey). These lyrics represent Daisy’s feeling towards Gatsby as she takes advantage of him because she knows that he loves her. Another instance where love is shown as the theme of this book is when Gatsby says “I want to wait here until Daisy goes to bed. Good night, old sport” (Fitzgerald 145). By saying this Gatsby is proving his painful love for Daisy. However, it is ironic because Daisy is sitting care free at a table with her husband. Finally, love is portrayed as the theme of this book when Gatsby says “Yes, but of course I’ll say I was,” when he was asked about the driver of the car who killed Myrtle Wilson (Fitzgerald 143). By doing this, Gatsby voluntarily takes the blame for Myrtle’s death, when Daisy is to blame for the entire situation. This leads to Myrtle’s husband killing Gatsby. Gatsby’s love for Daisy made it evident that love is the main theme in the Great Gatsby. His willingness to take the blame for Daisy’s accident shows how powerful of a force love is. Also, his desire to cover up Daisy’s accident shows his feelings towards her. Finally, the song Young and Beautiful demonstrates how Daisy takes advantage of Gatsby’s affection towards her. Although this is not a typical love story with a cheerful ending, love is still the most present theme in the Great Gatsby. Gatsby’s doubtless love for Daisy makes him one of the most loved and hated character of the novel.