Molly Coward
Philosophical Analysis
Mr. Bannes
November 18th, 2014
The Great Gatsby Of all the books I’ve read so far in high school, one in particular has really stood out to me, The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is full of many important lessons and themes that were relevant and remain relevant in today’s society. One of the biggest reacquiring themes of this novel is the meaning of life. What truly gives life meaning? The characters in the novel such as Daisy and most importantly Jay Gatsby all relay on something other than God to bring meaning to their life which ends up being the downfall of these characters. Daisy Buchanan plays the role of an innocent girl turned into a conceded socialite corrupted by her constant need to be loved by others. Everyone that looks at her believes her to be the most beautiful woman to walk he earth. She fell in love with Jay but when he went off to war, she stopped waiting for him and married the immensely rich and well-known Tom Buchanan. Daisy has everything she could possibly want, a beautiful child, and exorbitant house, many dear friends, a husband, and money. Even with all of this she seeks something, more which shows her human nature of needing God, but she still doesn’t seek him. Instead she journeys out to find more material goods and relationships. She then finds out that Gatsby lives just across the lake from her and she immediately starts to seek his attention again. Once they re-fall in love, daisy is pleased for a time but still doesn’t find true happiness. She ends up leaving Gatsby in search of something more and goes away with her husband. She relied on her relationship with her husband, which failed, and then her relationship with Gatsby, which also failed.
This shows that material things and relationships aren’t always the answer. In fact, Aristotle says that the “lack of such resources friends, health, and sufficient material support take the luster from happiness.” (Pg. 97) What he means is that people, Jay Gatsby, try and fill their lives with these things because they think it’ll make them happy. In Reality putting all of your happiness into these things causes you to be unhappy because you are putting all of your feelings into things that will in fact parish. From the words of Aristotle “The final goal of all human activity is happiness.” (Pg. 97) But what can truly make us happy all the time without fading or leaving? That can only come from God. Jay Gatsby, a famously rich man known for his lavish parties, uses material goods to bring happiness into his life. In fact, he wasn’t always rich, as a child he grew up extremely poor and yearned for something more in his life. He went away from home to find a way to become a millionaire. He then met Daisy and fell in love but didn’t
