Final answer:
Gatsby hosts many parties primarily as an attempt to reconnect with his past love, Daisy Buchanan, conveyed through Fitzgerald's themes of unattainable love and individual identity during the Roaring Twenties.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason why Gatsby hosts so many parties is subtly layered and reflects F. Scott Fitzgerald's exploration of themes such as unattainable love and the pursuit of individual identity, especially in the context of the 1920s. Gatsby's lavish soirees are not just a display of his newly acquired wealth, but also a desperate attempt to reconnect with his past love, Daisy Buchanan. Unlike other wealthy individuals of his time, Gatsby's grandeur and incessant partying serve a personal quest rather than a universal characteristic of the era's affluent society.
As highlighted in Fitzgerald's various works, the era was marked by a propellant pursuit of pleasure and a rapid decline into disillusionment, captured brilliantly through Gatsby's own narrative. His parties are elaborate affairs aiming to capture Daisy's attention and hopefully, reignite a lost romance. The grandiosity of these events mirrors Fitzgerald's own dealings with wealth and love, alongside his views on individualism during the 1920s.
Thus, Fitzgerald's detailed portrayal of Jay Gatsby's character as seen through the eyes of the flawed narrator Nick Carraway ensures that Gatsby's actions, while reflective of the era's tendencies, are intrinsic to his character's narrative arc, embodying his personal desires and the futility of his dreams within the Jazz Age.