Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, the plot is centered on Gatsby and his failed attempts to get the wealthy Daisy, whom he loves. Gatsby believes that wealth will enable him to acquire Daisy. Money, though, is not the sole condition necessary for him to get Daisy. What defeats Gatsby in the end is not only his past, but his weak grasp of the social situation and of his relationship with Daisy.

Gatsby's first attempts to try and regain contact with Daisy are through the gaudy parties he holds. These parties are open to who ever arrives, and generally attracts a "diverse" crowd. James Gatsby believes that the parties will attract Daisy to his place as many other celebrities do attend. What Gatsby does not see, is that Daisy is not the type to just arrive at a party uninvited. His lack of understanding of Daisy also causes him to not comprehend that the parties will not impress Daisy. These parties are so superfluous and overblown they seem comical to Daisy and Tom, not impressive. They see how ridiculous it looks to flaunt wealth in such an extreme way, because they are accustomed to being more subtle with wealth. Gatsby doesn't recognize this, because of his relative inexperience in dealing with the social elite, and their "old money's" etiquette and customs.

Another thing that Gatsby is unaware of is how badly his car makes him look. He uses his car as a status symbol and shows it off. It is a huge yellow Rolls-Royce that can't be missed. Gatsby cannot see that it is so over the top that it makes him look like a fool. Tom remarks how ridiculous the car is and the car is sure to have had the same affect on Daisy. Fitzgerald highlights this when the only time Gatsby truly has Daisy is when he is in Toms much more elegant and reserved roadster.

Gatsby's attire in the book serves to further highlight how he is unaware of the difference between having money and showing it off. When he was with Daisy before the book began, his uniform hid who he really was.