Carelessness in The Great Gatsby Essay Example

The Great Gatsby is defined by carelessness; as Nick expressed, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (Fitzgerald 179). Fitzgerald seems to establish what seems like a pattern between one's personal life and one's actions. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays many of the central characters as self-serving and reckless in their relationships; this inherent trait proceeds to translate into reckless actions which have detrimental effects.   

Throughout the novel, a consistent theme emerges of negligence in the interpersonal relationships between the central characters which then translates into broken relationships. Affairs are an extraordinary common occurrence throughout the novel, but one distinctly stands out. Tom and Myrtle's affair was not only immoral but extremely reckless in execution. Tom leaves the dinner table to go pick up the phone and when Nick questions who he’s talking to, Jordan exclaims "I thought everybody knew. (Fitzgerald 15). She then goes on to explain that "Tom's got some woman in New York." (Fitzgerald 15). Jordan is surprised when Nick doesn’t know about the affair and just assumed that he already knew because everyone else does. Having an affair is reckless to begin with but allowing oneself to become the talk of the town is extremely rash. Not only this, shortly after the dinner takes place Tom brings Nick to New York and proclaims “I want you to meet my girl” (Fitzgerald 24). Tom doesn’t even try to be secretive about the affair; he invites Nick, the cousin of Daisy to meet his mistress. Tom is not just reckless but is completely ignorant and completely ignores all common sense. Parallel in recklessness to Tom’s affair with Myrtle is Daisy’s affair with Gatsby. Daisy, similar to Tom, does very little to hide the fact she's in an affair. Daisy reveals that she is in love with Gatsby when she utters that she thinks Gatsby is “always so cool”. Tom is clearly dumbfounded and “his mouth opened a little and he looked at Gatsby and then back at Daisy as if he had just recognized her as someone he knew a long time ago” (Fitzgerald 119). Daisy openly implies that she is in love with another man in front of her husband. Daisy and Gatsby clearly show complete disregard and throw basic decency out the window in pursuit of each other. Affairs were and are extremely looked down upon in society so it is a terrible idea for daisy to admit to engaging in one; let alone for Daisy to admit to one in front of her husband. Demonstrating the trend of absent-mindedness within relationships once again, Jordan and Nick’s relationship was vastly wrongheaded. Nick seems disgusted while at the same time, fascinated with the upper ruling class; he dates Jordan in part because of her high status in society. After Myrtle’s death, Jordan invites Nick inside, and Nick scoffed “I'd be damned if I'd go in; I'd had enough of all of them for one day, and suddenly that included Jordan too” (Fitzgerald 142). After the death of Myrtle, Nick has a moment of clarity. He realizes he's satisfied his morals in the pursuit of Jordan and refuses to do so anymore. Nick is disgusted with the way Jordan goes through life carefree and wants no part in it. 

The central character's recklessness in their relationships translates into reckless actions which have unpleasant consequences. Poor driving is central to the novel and Jordan is one of the main culprits. While driving with Jordan, Nick notices Jordan's poor driving habits and protests "You're a rotten driver," "Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn't to drive at all." Jordan responds by asserting that “It takes two to make an accident” (Fitzgerald 58). Later in the novel, Jordan illudes to this conversation when she alleged “‘I thought you were rather an honest, straightforward person" (Fitzgerald 168). Nick expresses that he dislikes careless people, and driving in the novel is symbolic of carelessness. Jordan is not the only carless individual but is used as a method of relaying a larger pattern throughout the novel. Characters and specifically Jordan, are defined by “the way they behave behind the wheel” which “strongly indicates their attitude towards life and relationships; those who are "careless" drivers approach life in the same manner with which they approach the open road” (Lance 5).Jordan is not the only case of reckless driving exhibited in the novel. It is revealed that “Tom ran into a wagon on the Ventura road one night and ripped a front wheel off his car” and the girl with him “got into the papers too because her arm was broken—she was one of the chambermaids in the Santa Barbara Hotel” (Fitzgerald 77). Tom gets caught red-handed when he crashes his car and the crash is “another indictment of Tom's lust, but the repetition of detail—the loss of a wheel in a night accident—associates Tom with the irresponsible drunken driver” (Doyno 5). In this case, the correlation is extremely obvious, Toms poor relationship choice leads directly to his reckless actions; in this case, the car crash he caused. The crash itself is not super significant on its own but the pattern between poor relationship choices being correlated with reckless actions is very prevalent. Fitzgerald establishes the pattern for the chapters to follow. Finally, the theme of second-rate driving culminates with the death of Myrtle Wilson. Gatsby and Daisy are driving back from New York with Daisy at the wheel and Gatsby recounts “Well, first Daisy turned away from the woman toward the other car, and then she lost her nerve and turned back. The second my hand reached the wheel I felt the shock—it must have killed her instantly" (Fitzgerald 143). Gatsby also articulates that he “tried to make her stop” but couldn't so he “pulled on the emergency brake”. Daisy hitting and killing Myrtle is emblematic of the end of Daisy's participation in the recklessness and chaos in her life. Shortly after the hit and run, Daisy moves away from the drama with her family; leaving Nick and Gatsby behind. Myrtle's death is the culmination of all the chaos and recklessness demonstrated all throughout the novel and Daisy leaving shortly after is her way out. 

A clearcut pattern is established throughout the novel; the clearcut correlation between personal relationships and actions. Tom cheats on Daisy multiple times and his reckless actions culminate in him getting caught in a fury. Jordan's jauntily and carefree attitude toward relationships peaks with her poor driving. Daisies nonchalant view throughout the novel ends in tragedy; with the death of Myrtle Wilson. Fitzgerald establishes this pattern early in the novel; the idea that a carefree and elitist attitude toward personal relationships will result in a tragic ending. And a tragic ending it was.