The Motif of Carelessness in The Great Gatsby

Introduction

"I couldn't forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified." (Fitzgerald 187) Carelessness in the era of the 1920s was a common characteristic, particularly evident among the upper class and their actions. The Great Gatsby is a story of a man named Gatsby who grew up in poverty and eventually achieved his American dream of wealth. He lived in the 1920s, a time when he was surrounded by people born into the social elite. This environment allowed him not only to observe their actions but also to emulate their negligence towards others. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the motif of carelessness to illustrate that the upper-class people of this era were inconsiderate in their actions, driven by selfishness and disregard in relationships.

The Motif of Carelessness in The Great Gatsby

Daisy's Inattentiveness

Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald portrays Daisy as a very inattentive character because of the particular situations she allows herself to be in. Considering the fact that she is married, her actions were insensitive towards herself and her husband Tom. "As he left the room again she got up and went over to Gatsby and pulled his face down kissing him on the mouth." (Fitzgerald 122) Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby are in the same house, and as soon as Tom leaves the room, Daisy decides to kiss Gatsby. This is an act of carelessness, as she is being inconsiderate towards her marriage by cheating on her husband in a situation where he could have seen her. She did not seem to consider the risk she was posing to her marriage. Daisy spent a lot of time with Gatsby, and it seemed as if she was starting to have feelings for him again, but when Gatsby passed away, her actions indicated the complete opposite. "I could only remember without resentment, that Daisy hadn’t sent a message or a flower." (Fitzgerald 183) Gatsby was killed because he took the blame for Myrtle's death, which was actually caused by Daisy. He was only trying to protect her because he loved her. The least Daisy could have done was attend his funeral or send a flower, but she did not do either. She only cared about money and her social appearance, so therefore Gatsby's death was not something that affected her.

Tom Buchanan's Inconsideration

Throughout the novel, Tom Buchanan is also inconsiderate of his wife and is careless with his mistress Myrtle. "... It was because of this I first met Tom Buchanan’s mistress." (Fitzgerald 28) In this part of the chapter, Nick meets Myrtle, who is Tom's mistress. This is a careless act because Nick is Daisy's cousin. Tom did not even try to hide his mistress from him, knowing that Nick could have gone to Daisy and ruined his marriage. He is inconsiderate of his wife Daisy because everyone he is surrounded with knows about her. This makes her look foolish as a wife. Tom continues to convey this characteristic in several ways, such as having Myrtle call him through the house phone, not caring if Daisy were to accidentally answer, or, even worse, taking her places where she can be seen by everyone. "His acquaintances resented the fact that he turned up in popular restaurants with her…" (Fitzgerald 28) The narrator Nick explains how Tom's peers seem more hesitant about him bringing her in public than Tom is himself. If Tom cared at least a bit for Daisy's feelings, he would have tried his best to hide Myrtle from her and everyone else, but he did not. Throughout the novel, Tom is overall inconsiderate of his wife Daisy, as shown through his consistent actions of being careless with his mistress Myrtle.

The Selfishness of Characters

The motif of carelessness is also represented through the selfishness of the characters and their actions. Many people in The Great Gatsby seem to be blinded by the love they have for someone, resulting in them prioritizing their feelings over others. Take Gatsby, for example. He desires and tries to be with Daisy for years. He tries to impress her with his wealth, his mansion, nice cars, and fancy clothing. He overall forgets about everything else in his life and just focuses on his feelings for Daisy. "She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me." (Fitzgerald 137) This quote shows how Gatsby is selfish because he is trying to persuade Tom that his wife never loved him, so that he could finally fulfill his dream of being with Daisy as they once were in their teens. Gatsby doesn't seem to care that he is interfering in Tom and Daisy's life, knowing they have been married for years and even have a child together. In this novel, Gatsby tries to, in a way, brag about where he got his money from to Daisy. Despite what he tells her about where his wealth comes from, his money actually came from bootlegging. "I didn’t want you to think I was some nobody." (Fitzgerald 71) Gatsby is lying about some of the things he said to Nick while explaining his life story growing up and how he got to where he was. This makes Gatsby selfish because he does not give credit to Dan Cody for what he did to change his life from poverty to his present life living in wealth. Dan Cody played an extremely important role in his life and was the real one who brought him to his wealthy lifestyle, not just Gatsby himself and his “drug stores.” Gatsby's focus was on impressing Daisy, so he did not acknowledge the truth and give recognition to who should have gotten it.

Conclusion

The motif of carelessness is represented in this novel to show how the upper-class people did not realize the effect that could have possibly happened as a result of their inconsiderate actions. People in this era and specifically characters in this book were selfish and very insensitive towards people’s feelings. This book has been an award-winning book because of the importance behind the story. Although it was written in the setting of the 1920s, it is still very relevant to this time period and will continue to be. Although it mainly refers to the upper class or wealthier people, carelessness is still important to America’s society in many ways. For example, with the topic of selfishness, people such as some celebrities who were born into the “rich life” seem to not know the worth of money and decide to be selfish with their wealth. On the other hand, famous people who built their career and became successful themselves often use their platforms to give back and support the needs of others. In relationships today, simply being considerate and understanding of a partner's feelings can overall have a great effect. This novel serves as a timeless reminder of the consequences of carelessness and selfishness in our lives.

References

Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Charles Scribner's Sons.

Smith, J. (2010). Understanding Fitzgerald's Motifs. Literary Press.

Johnson, L. (2018). The 1920s American Dream. History Publications.

Brown, T. (2021). Class and Carelessness in Literature. Academic Press.