The Great Gatsby Identity Analysis

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Gatsby’s Search for Identity The search for identity has, is and always will be a common struggle that every man, woman and child deals with in life. An example of this struggle would be in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is a significantly wealthy young man with a very mysterious past. Throughout the story, Gatsby desperately struggles to discover his true identity. From Nick Carraway’s (Gatsby’s neighbor’s) point of view the reader can clearly tell that Gatsby is struggling to discover who/what he really strives to become. Fitzgerald points out that Gatsby had struggled with his identity since he was a young boy, because his family was terribly poor. Fitzgerald also demonstrates Gatsby’s struggle with his current identity, by exhibiting how Gatsby is trying to keep up with his gambling business, while also trying to portray the image of a highly sophisticated and sociable gentleman. Another example of Gatsby’s search for identity would be when he confesses his love for Daisy, but Daisy’s husband eventually creates conflict, causing Gatsby to lose his temper, revealing a side of him that nobody was expecting. The reader figures out in the story that Gatsby had literally …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s demonstration of Jay Gatsby’s search for identity is one that demonstrates the everyday struggle of every human being. Fitzgerald shows Gatsby’s struggle starting as a young boy with terribly poor farmers as parents. He then also demonstrates this struggle in Gatsby’s current life when he is known as a sociable and pleasant man to most, but also a stressed out gambler to some. Another example of his struggle is when he becomes infuriated with Daisy’s husband and loses his temper, revealing a side to him that nobody had ever seen or wanted to see. Jay Gatsby was a very sophisticated man who seemed to have his life completely together without a single flaw, but on the inside he dealt with the same struggle as every other man. The search for