Mental Health in the Great Gatsby Essay Example

Mental health is A untalked about topic but is the reason in, a lot of situations, for which people make their decisions. In the Great Gatsby, there are many characters who acted off of ID or just did what they wanted no matter the consequence. Gatsby was a character who acted off of his ID the most for the following reasons: he was an adulterer, his job was illegal without good reason he essentially ran from his problems to seek pleasure. Therefore Gatsby is the character in the novel who acted off of his ID most. 

The first reason is shown when Gatsby tells Nick his overall life story explaining what he’s done in his life. In the novel as Gatsby tells Nick his life he states “...After that, I lived like a young rajah in the capitals of Europe, Paris, Venice, Rome - collecting jewels, chiefly rubies, hunting big game, painting, little things for myself trying to forget something very sad that had happened to me long ago” as stated on page 70 in paragraph five. Through the text, he suggests that he tried hard throughout this period to seek pleasure to forget about his pain by any means. Collecting jewelry, traveling, hunting and painting all pleasures and doing what made him feel good by any means, which shows him acting off of his ID. Others might argue that he was trying to conform to a wealthier society, leading him to start on the journey he did. However, it is clear he did it out of want and only to please himself. All in all Gatsby’s act to travel the world was only to please himself and not to forget something sad that happened to him as he said it was. 

Another reason is found when Tom reveals in front of Nick, Daisy, and Jordan what Gatsby does for a living. In the text Tom says this to Gatsby “... he and the wolfsheim bought a grain of alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t too far wrong” Tom states in Chapter seven, Page 141 chapter three. Time exposing pieces of Gatsby true life, that Gatsby is some form of a bootlegger gives us another example of Gatsby acting off of his ID.

Gatsby has an opportunity to work a legal job, but he wanted fast money and a lot of it leading him to become a bootlegger. Rather than choosing the hard thing which would be working for his money in a legal job he chose the easy route. Others might argue that Gatsby only became a bootlegger as necessity yo get back with Daisy. However, this fails to consider the fact that he had a job beforehand and made up a whole new life for himself to trick people into thinking he was something he wasn’t. If he only became a bootlegger to get money to be with Daisy there would be no need for him to make up a whole new life and lie to people about who he was. Therefore it is clear to see Gatsby was acting off of his own interest and not needs. 

Finally, Tom exposes Gatsby is having an affair with Daisy who is Tom’s wife. In the chapter Toms says “... I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr.nobody from nowhere sit back and make love to my wife…” as stated on page 137. Gone exposing Gatsby is having an affair with raising knowing she’s married shows another example of Gatsby acting off ID. Morally Gatsby knows it’s wrong, but believes Daisy and wants to be with her so he doesn’t care and does it anyway. Others might argue that since Daisy is the one married it is on her hands and Gatsby has nothing to do with it. However, it is clear that would be incorrect because Gatsby only did what he wanted not caring how it would affect Daisy or her life and marriage. As anyone can see Gatsby failed to take into consideration how his actions could affect anyone other than himself, as long as it makes him feel good he doesn’t care. 

Jay Gatsby of the Great Gatsby was the character who acted off of his ID in the novel. We previously stated Gatsby is seen as one of the characters who acted off of their ID most because, he knowingly was an adulterer, an Illegal alcohol provider and ran from his problems to seek pleasure. Gatsby unknowingly based his decisions off of his ID which leads him to make decisions without considering how it would affect anyone else.