"Where is the Love?"

"Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are" (Fitzgerald, 152).

This paragraph, introducing "the very rich" sets the tone for the rest of the story as it delineates the boundary between the social classes. "We" refers to the middle and lower classes, or anyone who is not one of the ultra-rich born into wealth. I noted that Fitzgerald specified being "born rich" and did not include those who become rich as a result of hard work. This story invites us to peek through the window into the lives of those "born" rich, but it is not the fairy tale where we get to enter their world and become part of it, like a Cinderella story.  We love to read about the rich, fantasizing about their lavish lifestyles. Still, this was no Cinderella story and there is no happy ending.
The main character, Anson Hunter, moves through life with ease taking what he wants from each relationship and not taking responsibility for the pain he causes the people he takes advantage of. It is interesting that Fitzgerald named his lead character Anson "Hunter," because throughout the story, Anson is a hunter searching for the perfect game. He goes through Paula, Dolly, and other women who cross his path. He claims he loves Paula, but he can never commit. He never finds what he's looking for because he's never found happiness inside himself. Contentment was something even his wealth couldn't buy for him. So he self-medicates by excessive drinking and joining lavish parties, firm evidence of his attempt to escape from himself.

Discussion question: Fitzgerald never precisely tells the readers why Anson has so much trouble in
maintaining long-term relationships. Why do you think that Anson cannot commit and why wouldn't Fitzgerald share more depth of Anson's character?