Could Gatsby have lived a longer life? The simple answer is yes. Had Gatsby taken a step back and reevaluated his perception of Daisy, he more than likely would be alive at the end of the novel. Gatsby has a perception of Daisy that leads him to make questionable decisions, largely attributed to his idealized and unrealistic views of Daisy. He sees her as the embodiment of perfection and roots his happiness in being with her. Here are a few steps Gatsby could have taken to stay alive.

To begin with I feel as if Gatsby should have set realistic expectations, instead of placing Daisy on an unattainable pedestal. Being able to see flaws and imperfections and being able to understand that no one is perfect, including Daisy may have grounded his views on their past relationship. Gatsby’s fixation on this relationship of the past, could have been avoided had he opened up to new possibilities. Instead he decided to chase the illusion of recapturing lost time. Gatsby’s lost time without Daisy, could have been spent in self-discovery to develop a stronger sense of self before pursuing a meaningful relationship with Daisy.

My 21st-century Gatsby is questioning perfection. There have been so many situations that would directly benefit from the ability to accept things as imperfect. Being able to have the insight to take a step back and understand that sometimes imperfect situations are better. When we see characters such as Gatsby and see him chasing an unattainable perfection it should invoke a sense of pity, to see him chasing something we know he can’t attain. But what do we do when we are staring at our version of perfection? I think we are often blinded just as Gatsby is (Not to the full extent) and sometimes need to be okay with the imperfections in life.

The point of my argument is that often we can’t see the forest from the trees and that being caught up in chasing perfection will destroy us in the process.