The author and his character both attended a prestigious university but failed to graduate, then enlisted in the army, where they each met their "golden girl" (Davis). Although both Gatsby and Fitzgerald achieved financial success, the motivation for acquiring their fortune was their love for a woman who represented wealth. In his article, "BOOK AND AUTHOR: Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald", Michael Adams notes that Fitzgerald was not only motivated to succeed, but Zelda's was only attracted to him because of that motivation. He states, "Zelda . . . was attracted to Fitzgerald because they wanted the same things; success, fame, and glamour" (Adams 11). Becoming a celebrity with his earlier success, Fitzgerald fell into a wild, reckless life-style of extravagant parties, while frantically trying to please Zelda and earn money by writing. Davis agrees with the motivation that drove both author and character and writes, "Both Fitzgerald the man and Gatsby the character share the drive to become something that is good enough for the women they loved" (Davis). Though Gatsby has always wanted to be rich, his main goal is to try to convince Daisy that he is good enough for her. Gatsby obtains wealth at a young age and devotes his life to obtaining expensive possessions and throwing parties that he believes will allow him to win Daisy's love. .
Gatsby views Daisy, as Fitzgerald viewed Zelda, with an idealistic perfection that blinds him to her limitations. Both men are forced to prove their potential wealth and success before they can receive a commitment from their women. Gatsby's desperate measures to prove his worthiness are made clear in Nick's thoughts, "He might have despised himself, for he had certainly taken her under false pretenses . . . but he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself" (Fitzgerald 149).
