Outward Appearances in the Great Gatsby Essay Example

The theme of outward appearances can be deceiving, which means that something or someone is very different than how they make themselves seem. Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby many characters fit this theme because they make themselves out to be someone they aren't. Gatsby is an example of this theme because he makes an illusion of himself that he has everything figured out and fits the mold of someone who is wealthy but in reality doesn't know a thing about being wealthy. Daisy Buchanan is another example because she puts up a front making it seem like she doesn't know of her husband's infidelity and makes herself seem like someone innocent. Finally Myrtle is someone who likes to act like she has the same social status as Tom Buchanan because she likes the idea of being wealthy. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle portray the theme of making it seem like they have it all together when in reality they don't.

Gatsby was someone who created a false identity for himself while also pretending the wealthy life was for him.  Gatsby says “I am the son of some wealthy people in the middle west– all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford because my ancestors have been there for many years.” (pg.69) This shows how Gatsby has created this whole different persona of himself and how it seems almost like he's perfected it and knows what to say as if it were a script. Nick goes on to say how Gatsby humed his words and it looked like it bothered Gatsby to tell these lies. Nick says “Gatsby looks at me questiongly. He wanted to go and he didn't see that Mr.Sloane had determined he shouldn't.” (pg.109) It can be inferred that Mr.Sloane knew Gatsby didn’t get them or get the way wealthy people lived. Gatsby had created this illusion of wealth with his parties and the way he presented himself but when it came down to it Gatsby hasn't got a clue of how someone who is wealthy should act. Overall Gatsby's whole persona was created by him and he eventually comes to adapt to the lies he tells so regularly. 

Daisy Buchanan portrays the theme of having it all but in reality she doesn't. Daisy likes to pretend that she doesnt know of her husband's infidelity and likes to have the image of having a perfect relationship. Daisy says “Well, I've had a very bad time, Nick, and I'm pretty cynical about everything.” (pg.21) It is clear that Daisy is fully aware of her husband's affairs and is unhappy at the same time she chooses to hide the fact that she knows because she wouldn't want to throw everything away that she has. Daisy goes on to say that she wishes her daughter would grow up a “fool” Daisy thinks that to be a fool brings happiness and if she had been a fool she would be happy and content with Tom. Nick says “They were careless people, 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.” (pg.188) This shows how Daisys and Tom's relationship went way deeper than what they showed to other people. They are corrupt people who are together for the image of perfectness. To sum up Daisy fails to acknowledge the things that could possibly ruin the way she presents herself and the way people think of her.  

Finally, Myrtle Wilson who is the mistress of Tom Buchanan. Myrtle likes to change her overall image when she is around Tom. She likes to pretend she's from the same social class as Tom but in reality she isn't. Nick states “With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur.” (pg. 35) By changing her clothes Myrtle leaves behind her lower-class trappings, and in donning new clothes she adopts a new personality.  Myrtle says “ I told that boy about the ice.” Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders “These people!” you have to keep after them all the time.” (pg.36) When Myrtle says this it's ironic because she is closer to the boy's social class than she is to Toms. She expressed disgust for the servant just like how a rich person would. Overall Myrtle adapts to an upper class lifestyle when she is around other people, she believes in illusion and in looking the part, yet this is a façade.

In conclusion, in The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Outward appearances can be deceiving” is shown over and over again throughout the novel. It is not always correct to make judgments about anything by its exterior appearance. Not everything is always as it seems, people tend to be hiding behind personas  for good and bad reasons.