The Great Gatsby Theme of Love

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Only fools fall in love, and the biggest fool in The Great Gatsby is, well, Gatsby. Tom and Daisy may have some kind of affection and loyalty for each other, but we're pretty sure it's not actually love. Jordan and Nick are happy enough to do some summer lovin' together, but they're not exactly in it 4EVA. It's Gatsby who falls in love, but is he in love with Daisy, or with a dream of Daisy, or with the idea of being in love? And does true love always come with destruction and violence?

1. Is there a difference between love and romance in The Great Gatsby?
2. Is love an expected part of marriage in The Great Gatsby? Why or why not?
3. Are love and sex separated in The Great Gatsby?
4. Is Gatsby's love for Daisy genuine? Does he love her—or his conception of her? What about Tom—does he really love Daisy? And whom does Daisy really love, after all? Is it possible, as she said, that she loved both Tom and Gatsby at once?

Wilson's feelings for Myrtle are the only example of genuine love in The Great Gatsby.

Love in The Great Gatsby is only the result of self-deception and denial.