Carelessness in "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The 1920’s a time when some of the lower class worked their way to the higher class. Noticing how the upper class act selfish toward certain things and doesn't care about anything if it doesn't benefit them in a way. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the motif carelessness to show the upper class are blind to the consequences of their actions and cause destruction through their selfish actions.

Tom and Daisy the most selfish people throughout the book, not caring about the outcome of their actions.

To support my claim we see an example of Tom being selfish when Nick had confronted him stating, “I couldn’t forgive him or like him but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused”(Fitzgerald 187). Nick had confront Tom about Gatsby being killed and new something was not right about it. This implies that Nick understood why Tom told Wilson Gatsby had murdered his wife but wasn't happy about it.

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It was selfish of Tom to tell Wilson when Tom knew of what would happen to Gatsby and didn't seem to care about the consequences when he told Wilson and didn't bother calling the police before or after telling a mad man who killed his wife. Another example is when both Tom and daisy are being described by Nick and what kind of people they are. It says, “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”(Fitzgerald 187-188).

Nick is dissatisfied with how Daisy and Tom are dealing with this tribulation. Realizing who they are as people and wasn't happy at all with their outcome in the end which was them running off without a word being said showing how neglectful they are.

Selfishness has many types, Adultery is one of them. Daisy having a lustful love for another man who is not her husband. When Daisy had recently reconnected with a lost lover (Gatsby) and having a secret affair with him behind Toms back. For example “As he left the room agaia she got up and went over to Gatsby, and pulled his face down kissing him on the mouth..‘you forget there's a lady present,’ said Jordan ...‘What a low vulgar girl!’ ‘I don’t care!’ cried Daisy’”(Fitzgerald 123). This is significant because she is kissing another man who isn't her husband in her own home. She's being careless and couldn't care less as to who is watching her do this. Daisy doesn't realize sooner or later she is going to be caught with how foolish she is acting and taking risks to her affair. She tells Gatsby that she truly loves him and only him and that she never really loved Tom. Gatsby had enough and had made Daisy tell Tom how she turley feels. In chapter 7 it says, “She looked at him blindly, “Why,--how could I love him--possibly?’”(Fitzgerlad 139). What the quote is explaining is Daisy confessing Tom the truth and how she never really loved him is what she claims.

Having higher power sometimes can lead to not caring how you drive and can cause destruction and have serious consequences. Jordan who is a high class golf player doesn't seem to care how she drives and that mindset can happen when you think your higher than most people and not care to what happens cause in the end they seem to think nothing can happen to them their untouchable. An example of that being shown is, “‘I am careful’ ‘no your not’ ‘well, other people are,’ she said lightly. ‘What’s that got to do with it?’ ‘They’ll keep out of my way,’”(Fitzgerald 63). Nick is telling jordan how careless of a driver she is and doesn't realize how dangerous it is to be that way. Jordan had tried to back herself up by saying how other people on the road tend to not be as careless as her and how she expects other people to be safer drivers then how she is. Daisy is also another person who is a careless driver when an incident has happened and she didn't stop. Chapter 7 shows an example of Daisy being careless it stays, “‘was Daisy driving?’ ‘yes,’ he said after a moment...when we left New York she was very nervous and she thought it would steady her to drive--and this woman rushed out at us as we were passing a car coming the other way...Days turned away from the women toward the other car and then she lost her nerve and turned back”(Fitzgerald 151). Gatsby had confessed to Nick that Daisy was driving when myrtle (Tom's mistress) was ran over by a yellow car (gatsby car) and killed instantly. He explained how the whole thing went down and how she was feeling during the time of driving. It shows that Daisy was being selfish and decided to drive even though she was in no condition to drive the way she was feeling and it's none not to drive when in an emotional state.