Psychoanalytic Criticism of the Great Gatsby

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ENG4U1 11/4/2013 Psychoanalytic Criticism of The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story of the rise and fall of Gatsby to obtain his “golden girl” Daisy. A psychoanalytic critic can juxtapose Fitzgerald’s life with Gatsby’s life through Fitzgerald’s desires “id”, the defences against his id is his realism “ego” represented by characters such as Tom, finally Fitzgerald shows morality “super ego” and presents moral decay through all the characters. Fitzgerald unconsciously writes about his dreams in the novel The Great Gatsby and shows the harsh reality of the world in which his dream failed. Firstly, Fitzgerald’s life is reflected by Gatsby’s life and shows his id. From a psychoanalytic critic point of view Gatsby represents Fitzgerald, and Genevra King represents Daisy. Gatsby represents Fitzgerald’s courage and failure to progress if Fitzgerald never stopped loving King then The Great Gatsby is Fitzgerald’s story. Gatsby’s id is shown throughout the novel during his reunion with Daisy, Gatsby “leaned back so far that it rested against the face of a defunct mantelpiece clock, and from this position his distraught eyes stared down at Daisy” (Fitzgerald 84) unconsciously he rested his body against the broken clock which signifies unconsciously that Gatsby wants to stop time because he has achieved everything by obtaining money and status, represented by his clothes “white flannel suit, silver shirt, gold-coloured tie” (Fitzgerald 81) and is together with Daisy. Before Gatsby met Daisy he already wanted to be rich and sophisticated so Gatsby is chasing after material wealth and not Daisy. Daisy is the figure of material wealth “‘Her voice is full of money... It was full of money – that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it” (Fitzgerald 115) Gatsby admits that Daisy’s voice is full of money making her the
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