In chapter six of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Gatsby tells an anecdote about how he came to be Jay Gatsby. This story gave the reader more backround on Gatsby, and revealed much about his character. Gatsby was not born into money, but rather was entranced by it and earned it in a way still unclear. Although he is now clearly wealthy, he still as a stigma of not being from a noteable high-class family. Gatsby clearly overcompensates for this stigma, wanting to be fully excepted into high-society. I believe this is the reason he is infatuated with Daisy. Daisy comes from an old family, and Gatsby wants to be fully inducted to high society by being accepted as one of their own and marrying into an old family.
In the anecdote, young Gatsby, formerly Gatz, happens upon a yacht, which to him symbolizes "all the beauty and glamour in the world" (Fitzgerald, 100). Undoubtably, Gatsby saw a yacht as the ultimate symbol of power. Despite many years and experience, adult Gatsby posses a similar mindset. Gatsby sees Daisy as the life he should have had. To him, she symbolizes ultimate happines, due to her wealth, status, and innocence.
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