Throughout the story Gatsby has his affections set on a girl who has been his one true love, called Daisy. Despite Gatsbys many attempts to gain her affections, she always seems to have her affections directed elsewhere. The problem was Gatsby was always putting up a front to impress daisy with fast cars, planes and boats. Which were the very thing that Gatsby had earned his reputation for, that and his parties. The problem with Gatsby's strategy prior to the arrival of Nick was Daisy never attended any of Gatsbys many parties, which could have been for many reasons but also because she lived in the more fashionable East egg, directly opposite west but over an expanse of water. The docks at the backs of the houses in each district had lights on the ends of them, Daisy's light

So, in the event of Gatsby finally taking a stand, obviously Daisy gets caught up in the middle of the argument between Gatsby and Tom. Nick and Jordan are mare onlookers at this point as Gatsby and Tom fire questions at Daisy, which I enjoyed as a reader because it seems that she is finally getting what she deserves. My thoughts at this point are whether or not Gatsby is going through turmoil because of it. At this point the last thing I wanted to see was Gatsby cut down:

"There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind."

Although this comment is not made directly towards Gatsby but is made towards Tom's mistress Myrtle, I think it sums up the novel in a sentence. This statement by no means implies that in the novel Gatsby is a simple person, but when the mind of anyone is concentrated on something it only sees one point of view. In his own confusion Gatsby is forced into the belief that it is possible for him and Daisy to be together. In instances like these the mind becomes almost childlike in thinking, it becomes 'simple'. Also the fact that daisy is the object of so many men's affections makes Gatsby want her even more. The problem with this is that Tom knows it and therefore his suspicions are already aroused before the group of 'friends' travel to the city. This is where the confrontation between Tom and Gatsby comes to life.

I also believe that Nick was being a coward in the story, because of his inability to tell Gatsby the truth about his dreams of being with Daisy. In the end it took Gatsby to realise this in himself, that his dreams were never to become a reality. The novel itself makes Gatsby out to be quite a weak person in my opinion, posing no real threat towards any other members of the plot, at least, directly. Tom was the only person Gatsby posed a threat to, although he himself was probably not aware of it until late in the book, that is if he was that seriously aware of it at all. I now find it hard to understand why Gatsby didn't take the matter further than he did with Daisy herself, because she just seemed to fob the possibilities of a relationship off. At least she could have made the impossibilities of a relationship starting clearer to Gatsby and confessed her cowardice to him. This, in any event was his downfall.

It is also apparent that Gatsby feared Tom also or he would have been a lot more persistent in his quest for Daisy. The question is, does this make Gatsby a coward? In some respects yes, but I'm sure he kept his distance for Daisy's sake more than his own. If anyone is being a coward it is Daisy as she is fully aware her husband is having an affair but refuses to do anything about it.

that year by year recedes before us".

"I'm scared of him, I'd hate to have him get anything on me".

This comment by Whitley sums up

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Approximate Word count = 1901
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)