In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald studies the conflict between reality and illusion, as the characters create illusions that ultimately lead to their downfall. Jay Gatsby’s conflict is embodied by his larger than life character, constructed to acquire Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby’s illusion of luxury and wealth conceals the reality of his humble beginnings and illicit activities. Worse still, he holds on to an idealized Daisy that never was, and dies at last when reality shatters his illusion. Daisy Buchanan is also the victim of illusion. Her desire for love is at odds with her need for security, and when she must choose between Gatsby and Tom, she holds on to the security of her material world. The perfection that exists in her eyes for Gatsby is an illusion hiding her superficial nature. Tom Buchanan exists in the delusion of control. The narrator, Nick Carraway, starts as an idealist but becomes disillusioned upon realizing the dishonesty and corruption in Gatsby’s world. His realization that the world of the wealthy is built on illusory dreams and fantasies leads him to his critical approach at the end of the novel. Fitzgerald satirizes the illusion that people create to live their lives in The Great Gatsby and how ultimately those illusions fall, leaving the characters with disillusionment and shattered pieces.