The theme of carelessness in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"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. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-- they smashed up things and creatures and the retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was the kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made" (Fitzgerald 180-181). In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters Daisy and Tom demonstrate the theme of carelessness. Tom and Daisy show carelessness through being foolish thus lacking a lack of good sense or judgment. Furthermore, they both show the theme of carelessness by being inconsiderate of others. The theme of negligence is also demonstrated when Tom and Daisy are both self-centered by fulfilling only their own personal needs. Therefore, through their actions, both Tom and Daisy are careless, however it is Daisy who is ultimately the most careless because Daisy harmed many more people.
Both Tom and Daisy are selfish through being self-centered. They do this by fulfilling only their own personal needs. For instance, Tom fulfilled his own personal needs by having an affair with Myrtle. "As for Tom, the fact that he 'had some woman in New York' was really less surprising than that he had been depressed by a book. Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart." (pg. 20-21) It is evident that Tom shows carelessness by openly having an affair with Myrtle. This affair leads him to be self-centered because even though he was married to Daisy, he feels as if she does not "nourish his heart" enough so he needs to turn to someone else to do so. However, Daisy shows that she is self-centered by having an affair with Gatsby. "Then he [Gatsby] kissed her. At lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete." (Fitzgerald 112) Therefore, Daisy is
Both Tom and Daisy are selfish through being self-centered. They do this by fulfilling only their own personal needs. For instance, Tom fulfilled his own personal needs by having an affair with Myrtle. "As for Tom, the fact that he 'had some woman in New York' was really less surprising than that he had been depressed by a book. Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart." (pg. 20-21) It is evident that Tom shows carelessness by openly having an affair with Myrtle. This affair leads him to be self-centered because even though he was married to Daisy, he feels as if she does not "nourish his heart" enough so he needs to turn to someone else to do so. However, Daisy shows that she is self-centered by having an affair with Gatsby. "Then he [Gatsby] kissed her. At lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete." (Fitzgerald 112) Therefore, Daisy is