he green light begins to lose its symbolic strength. "Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one" (98). Now that the realization of his dream has begun, Gatsby needs to feel a greater sense of possession or control over Daisy. He may feel the need to obtain another enchanted object to replace the loss of the symbolic meaning of the light. Now the only enchanted object which he is left to obtain is Daisy's complete and everlasting.Likewise, Tom refuses to forfeit Daisy to another man or even believe that she could love another. Tom states "But all the rest is a God damnened lie. Daisy loved me when she married me and she loves me now." (138). If Tom were to give up Daisy to another man, this would surely be a sign of defeat and failure like losing a football or polo trophy. Instead of admitting defeat, Tom rationalizes Daisy's behavior by demeaning her will. For example, he states "The trouble is that sometimes she gets foolish ideas in her head and doesn't know what she's doing" (138).Another social expectation of "typical" male behavior in the 1920's depicted in The Great Gatsby is the notion that a "real" man should be in control of the woman in his life at all times. This notion is exemplified through the struggling relationship between George and Myrtle Wilson. Although Fitzgerald describes George as "one of these worn-out men...He was his wife's man and not his own." (144), a need for control takes over George when he discovers his wife had "some sort of life apart from him in another world." (131) with perhaps another man. To gain control over this situation and thus live up to the social expectation, George takes drastic measures. He states "I've got my wife locked up in there. She's going to stay up there till the day after tomorrow and then we 're going to move away." (143). Through his actions, George forces his will on his wife and strives to maintain control over...
