The Difference Between Medicine And Poison

“They survive and they are allowed to go on being careless. As Nick writes, ‘they were careless people – Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness.’ They aren’t cruel or malicious they’re just careless. They don’t care too much about Myrtle or Gatsby or their daughter or even each other. To live without a care in the world is supposed to be the dream right? Everyone wants a carefree life. But Fitzgerald shows us the horror of this carefree life. How Tom and Daisy’s inability to care is in some ways more monstrous than outright cruelty would be. It’s not like Romeo and Juliet where the lovers are sacrificed and then Verona is healed, nothing is made whole by the tragedy of The Great Gatsby. I think that’s why some readers find the novel depressing and hopeless even amidst all the lush language and witty turns of phrase. But I don’t think it is hopeless. Remember that line from the first chapter? ‘Gatsby turned out alright in the end; it was what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams…’ As individuals and as a collective the tragedy isn’t in dreaming, it’s in chasing an unworthy dream.”