The Great Gatsby; The life of a Psychopath

Submitted by: Matthew Petrielli

Submitted to: Mr. Freitas
ENG4UP-51
Friday, January 16, 2021
“The American Dream” is not only an ideology, it is a way of life that many people create

obsessions for. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby displays a man who lived the American

dream; Jay Gatsby started from nothing and became somebody, so he thought. Gatsby's life was

built upon lies and obsessions. He lived a life as a pathological liar, he was a mystery man, as

there were extreme amounts of rumours and lies that surrounded his name. Gatsby manipulated

those around him created a persona of himself based on what he thought they would like. He

cared so much about how others viewed him, that based on whom he was speaking to, he would

change his self-description. A man with great potential, he threw it all away and based his life on

his love and obsession for Daisy. In his quest for “the green light” Jay Gatsby displays lying,

obsessive, and manipulative tendencies, these characteristics prove him to be a psychopath.

In the year 2021, it is widely known how easy it is for anybody to act and portray a

person who they are not. With the help of technology and social media, people are constantly

putting on a mask and pretending to be someone else. Nearly one hundred years ago this act was

very tough to accomplish, yet Jay Gatsby did so. Gatsby had the potential to be a great man, but

all men are flawed, and his flaw was his pathological lying. One would think that a man named

Jay Gatsby and a man named James Gatz would be two different people, but in reality, they are

one man. Instead of embracing his difficult past as a child, Gatsby buries it in lies. He prides

himself on being an Oxford man, but only attended the school after the war, for five months. He

strives to be like Tom Buchanan and those of East Egg that he claims to come from an

old-money family in the MidWest. When asked by Nick wherein the MidWest Gatsby replies

“San Francisco” which is not even in the Midwest. Gatsby creates these lies because he wants to

compete with Daisy’s husband Tom, and win her over. Gatsby becomes a psychopath while he

creates his persona and manipulates every one around him.

 Manipulation is often used by politicians and wealthy people to achieve what they want;

for money, power, or even pleasure. Gatsby is a master manipulator and will do anything to

reach “the green light”. At first, his green light is creating a wealthy, charming, and charismatic

person who is liked by all. Once he does that he begins his quest for the end goal, which is

Daisy’s love. Gatsby manipulates his way into making Daisy love him, he creates the persona of

someone he believes Daisy will love. He also manipulates Nick throughout the entire story,

making Nick believe that he is like the son of God. Nick disregards Gatsby’s lies, by the end of

the story he sees him as a unique man; a man of great knowledge, wealth, and hope. Nick

believes that Gatsby is a great man, but in reality, Gatsby is nothing but a psychopath who is

blinded by love.

Love is what every person searches for in life. True love is an unmatched feeling and

many would say that it is even inexplicable. Gatsby believes that Daisy is his true love, he,

therefore, does everything in his power to get her to love him. Gatsby buys an enormous mansion

directly across from Daisy’s house, so he can see “the green light” every night. He throws parties

with hundreds of people which leave his house as a disaster every weekend, in the hope that one

night, Daisy would show up to one of them. He completely redecorates Nick’s home in the hopes

he would impress Daisy even though it was not even his house. Unfortunately, Gatsby loses his

life due to love, he was so worried about Daisy’s feelings that he let her drive his car and

eventually kill Myrtle. If he was driving the car Myrtle would most likely have not died and

Mr.Wilson would not have murdered him. Gatsby becomes blinded by his love for Daisy, instead

of living his life for himself, he lives it in hope of one day getting Daisy to fall in love with him

again. Love can turn any man into a psychopath, and that is what it did to Gatsby.
 Gatsby wanted “The American Dream” but for all the wrong reasons. Gatsby’s

motivation was to impress and win over a married woman he had once loved. He did not truly

love Daisy, he loved the idea of being with Daisy. Gatsby lived his short life on lies, and he did

not know who he was. He manipulated his “friends” to believe he was someone he was not,

making all of them merely acquaintances. Gatsby’s love for Daisy took over his life, every action

he completed in life was done so, while thinking about her. Gatsby’s “green light “ turns him

into an obsessive, liar, manipulator, and psychopath.