James Sykes Mr. Jennings Honors Eng III 2/23/14 The Great Narcissist Giles Mitchell’s, “The Great Narcissist: A Study of Fitzgerald’s Gatsby”, claims that the novel contains insuperable evidence that Gatsby is a pathological narcissist who by the end of the book has lost his will to live. Which, in theory, cannot possibly be true considering the evidence of which Gatsby had been murdered, rather than committed suicide. Mitchell uses the themes of perfection and omnipotence in Gatsby’s character, and then describes his unique character by “diagnosing” Gatsby with narcissism through a psychological perspective. Gatsby has made “grandiose” lies about his life to make himself seem as if it is perfection. With that comes a “poor sense of reality, [and] sense of entitlement.” (Giles 1). Finally, the claim had been made that all these characteristics of Gatsby have helped explain the central theme of this Criticism essay, in that Gatsby had lost the will to live by the end of the novel. Although I agree with the idea of Gatsby being a narcissist, I have to disagree with the idea of him “losing the will to live”, because I didn’t see Gatsby as “suicidal” near the end of the novel. I do agree, however, with the psychological perspective that Mitchell conveyed on Gatsby. It really does shine a new light on Gatsby, and the typical characteristics given to him. Mitchell has taken a look from a different perspective, a purely psychological viewpoint to show the medical side to Gatsby’s character. Mitchell discusses Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, and uses the phase to establish meaning to the part of the superego that includes the rules and standards for good behaviors (Meyers book for AP 361)ONLY CITE AUTHOR AND PAGE NUMBER “ego- ideal”
grandiosity by Gatsby had to do with his parentage, which “his imagination had never really accepted.” Instead, he “sprang from his platonic conception of himself. He was a son of god- a phrase which, if anything , means just that.” Gatsby is extremely dishonest and manipulative with daisy both when he first meets her and later when they are reunited. He tells her lies of a most serious nature in defending himself against Tom’s revelations about how Gatsby has made his money. In short, Mitchell states, “in asking Daisy to leave Tom, he is being morally devious.” Gatsby lies to Daisy because she is the idealized object of his projection and therefore not real. I agree with Mitchel’s statement because morally it is devious. Cheating on a loved one and persuading one to leave their spouse is unethical and wrong in the past and in this day in age. . Intimacy, as Mitchel describes it, means knowing and being known, and Gatsby does not want Daisy to know him, he is a criminal with a poor education and a background of impoverished, “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people.” Gatsby does not want to know the real Daisy, he wants to know the Daisy he met five years ago, the daisy who didn’t have a husband, a child, another love. The real daisy(ETC) runs far away from the scene of her crime and does not even bother to call Gatsby to say good-bye. Although she can weep over Gatsby’s display of shirts, the real daisy has, “impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire.” Gatsby describes Tom’s and Daisy’s love as “just personal”. This all makes sense, in the sense of Gatsby wanted to keep Daisy out of his “personal life”. This really makes me believe that Gatsby doesn’t really truly love Daisy. In relationships today, couples need to know everything about each other. Not necessarily what they ate for breakfast, but if they are involved in drug crimes and illegal distribution of alcohol it’s probably necessary to discuss that. And if they aren’t willing to share