Gatsby’s Grail

Nick Carraway’s crusade is practically a copy of King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail. Nick’s desire and quest is to live his life by a moral code. This moral code is his holy grail. Coincidentally, this desire to live by a moral code is also similar to the Arthurian round tables’ ideals of chivalry. From the beginning of the novel until its conclusion, this moral code is exemplified in the way Nick resists passing judgment upon people. Nick watches out for the other characters by refusing to gossip about them. For example, Nick refuses to make any judgment regarding Gatsby’s affairs. Nick is also very concerned with honesty. This is another example of his idealistic adherence to a moral code. At one point he comments, “I am one of the few honest pe

Jay Gatsby’s mission is one in which he attempts to redeem his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby has spent his entire life longing for something better: money, success, acceptance, and, finally, Daisy. Even when he has successfully attained a large house, and filled it full of attentive, admiring people, he still longs for Daisy. Daisy stands for everything Gatsby is not. He wants everything about her, even including her social standing, her house, and her possessions. So Gatsby makes marrying Daisy his greatest goal in life. To Gatsby, Daisy becomes the ultimate purpose in love and even in life; everything he thinks he wants. He feels that in order to attain her, he must build himself up to her level in society. So, to Gatsby, he must prove himself in order to obtain his Holy Grail. This is similar to the way the knights who proved themselves, the most chivalrous and bravest of all, were rewarded the Grail. The Knights of the Round Table were searching for the True Grail, because if they found it they would be saved. Gatsby feels that only through Daisy, his Grail, will he be saved. Unfortunately, in his quest to prove himself to Daisy, he becomes misguided. His need to do anything necessary in order to win over Daisy brings him to take part in criminal activities. In so doing, he becomes flawed. He becomes

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