Gatsby is a Pathological Narcissist

Giles Mitchell explains the theory that Gatsby’s journey was driven not by optimism, but by a sense of perfection and omnipotence perpetuated by narcissism. A clinical profile of Gatsby’s character is used to connect behavioral tendencies to symptoms of pathological narcissism. Mitchell views Gatsby’s idealization of Daisy as a mirror for his own perfection. He spiritualizes her to worship himself− he basks in a reflection of his own perfection and creates a paragon to which he feels entitled. Since he lacks real emotional intimacy with anyone, Gatsby exploits those around him while he absolves himself of all culpability. Mitchell asserts that Gatsby’s narcissism contributes to his “Son of God” persona which entails omnipotence, entitlement, and grandiosity, which all are substitutes for the repression of real circumstances. Gatsby creates his own identity and rejects his unfavorable parentage, background, and situation. Another characteristic of narcissists is their desire to control time, an effort to abolish any threats that might undermine their worth. Gatsby exhibits this when he continually tries to return Daisy and himself to the time they fell in love. His “tawdry romanticism” conceals his underlying impersonal coldness characteristic of narcissists, and his dual character deceives people into believing he possesses morality and humanity. In the end, Gatsby’s self-absorption overcomes his sense of reality: when Daisy rejects him, Gatsby grieves the loss of his narcissistic mirror and commits “emotional suicide”. Essentially, Mitchell believes that Gatsby is faithful to the “Jay Gatsby persona” and dies for his egocentric dream, rather than allow the dream to die itself.

Mitchell’s thesis claims that the novel contains “insuperable evidence” of Gatsby’s narcissism, but this is an overstatement of Gatsby’s character. Mitchell accredits all of Gatsby’s actions to his narcissistic complex. While he provides legitimate evidence that matches symptoms of pathological narcissism, Mitchell ignores the possibility of other circumstantial evidence that may have influenced his actions. Although narcissism may have provided some impetus, there are other aspects of his character that are not as obsessed with “grandiosity” as Mitchell claims. For example, the creation of the “Jay Gatsby” may have been a product of infantile fantasy, something a “seventeen-year old would be likely to invent” (Fitzgerald 98). “Gatsby”, although an idealization of himself, acknowledges reality and comes to accept its terms. Gatsby realizes that, regarding the quest for Daisy, “he had lost a part of it, the freshest and the best, forever” (Fitzgerald 153). Mitchell also discusses the idea of a dual personality, between corruption and benevolence, which Gatsby uses in order to manipulate others around him. However, hypocrisy and a desire to reconstruct one’s identity are common flaws of human beings. Although Gatsby may have been carried away by his “overwhelming self-absorption,” it does not mean that he is entirely disconnected from reality.

Giles Mitchell is a professor of English at the University of North Texas. He has written other works detailing pathological narcissism including analyses of characters in Dostoevskii's Crime and Punishment, Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, and Miller’s Death of a Salesman.

Works Cited
Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1925. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1992.
Mitchell, Giles. “Gatsby is a Pathological Narcissist.” American Journal of Psychoanalysis 51.4 (1991): 387-96.

Monica Cho
Allison Duh
Soumya Yanamandra