The aim of this essay is to analyze the concept of rugged individualism in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. This paper will also examine the American Dream since rugged individualism is related to the American Dream. Marxist criticism problematizes rugged individualism and the American Dream. The title character Jay Gatsby is portrayed as an exemplary rugged individualist. Gatsby shows several traits of rugged individualism and he can be used as a representative for both rugged individualism and the American Dream.

The purpose of this essay is to perform a comparative psychoanalytic reading of The Great Gatsby (1925) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) in terms of the titular characters’ narcissistic behavior. My claim is that Jay Gatsby and Dorian Gray can be seen as different depictions of narcissism. Literary critics in previous research characterized Gatsby and Gray as narcissists, but, there has not been a comparison between the two with focus on their narcissism. Gatsby and Gray display crucial differences which suggests that they portray narcissism in different ways. Theodore Millon identified four subtypes of the original narcissistic personality in order to better identify different types of narcissists. My aim is to use his subtypes to identify, and provide the causes and effects of Gatsby’s and Gray’s particular narcissistic behavior. My analysis indicates that Gatsby can be seen as a fictional illustration of the unprincipled and compensatory narcissist while Gray can be viewed as a fictional characterization of the amorous narcissist.

The present essay attempts a psychoanalytic interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby’s id, superego, ego, and core issues. The first stage of the paper offers an analysis of Gatsby’s id, superego and ego; and finds that the id largely rules his behaviour, with few instances where the ego takes control and manifests the superego. The second stage proposes that three psychoanalytic core issues are identifiable in the character of Gatsby: fear of abandonment, low self-esteem and insecure or unstable sense of self. Through the lens of Psychoanalytic Criticism, the present essay looks at fictional literature in order to gain insight into the human psyche, in hopes of discussing and spreading awareness about mental health.