Gatsby has a unique personality through his persistent pursuance of a dream. All he wants is to regain Daisy’s love and somehow wipe out five years of memory and start over in his relationship with Daisy. Nick describes Gatsby as having an “extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person” (Page 8). Gatsby’s determination is symbolized by the green light on Daisy’s dock and this aspect of Gatsby’s personality immediately attracts Nick. “He stretched out … end of a dock.” (Page 25) Gatsby also reveals his perseverance, which almost seems aggressive, to Nick. “’I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before,’ he said, nodding determinedly. ‘She’ll see.’” (Page 106) The only thing that can compete with Gatsby’s determination to get back with Daisy is his own passion and desire for possession of beautiful objects.
Even before Gatsby became rich, he developed an eye for beauty. He creates an ideal and beautiful image of himself as a member of the upper class. He then sets up a goal or a destiny for himself. As Nick says about Gatsby, “He must be about his father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty.” (Page 95) Gatsby surround himself with beauty. His mansion, his distinguished suits and his luxurious automobile all contribute to his desire for magnificence. As seen through the eyes of narrator Nick and others, “We went upstairs, through the period bedrooms swathed in rose and lavender silk and vivid with new flowers, through dressing rooms and poolrooms, and bath-rooms with sunken baths”. (Page 88) Nick also makes references to Gatsby’s cream colour car that is a truly beautiful possession. “He saw me looking at it in admiration…I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it.” (Page 63) The most beautiful thing in Gatsby’s life is Daisy, for who he is willing to sacrifice his life.
Gatsby has no hesitation in protecting Daisy from the blame of Myrtle Wilson’s death, opening the door for his own sacrifice. Nick asks Gatsby about the car accident. “’Was Daisy driving?’ ‘Yes.’ He said after a moment, ‘But of course I’ll say I was.’” (Page 137) “You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together”, says Nick in tribute to Gatsby’s code of honour. (Page 146) Protecting Daisy from hit and run charges makes Gatsby a target of husband George Wilson’s rage driven gun attack. At the gruesome scene of the crime, Nick writes, “It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete.” Gatsby has unselfishly sacrificed his life to protect Daisy from retribution for Myrtle’s death.
In spite of the obstacles he faces in life, Gatsby turns out all right at the end of the novel. His unique personality, his appreciation of beautiful things and the surrender of his own life mark him as an extraordinary person. His unique personality drives him to persist in seeking Daisy’s love. The irony is that Gatsby’s love for beauty was the instrument in his death. His beautiful love Daisy was driving his beautiful car when it struck Myrtle Wilson. Gatsby’s two most beautiful “possessions had combined to set off a chain of events that would end in his brutal murder at the hand of a vengeful husband. Gatsby’s sacrifice proves that the title of Fitzgerald’s novel is most appropriate. Gatsby’s personality, eye for beauty and sacrifice make him a worthy recipient of the title “Great”.
