Time in The Great Gatsby
Time is an idea described in different periods and aspects, for
example philosophical, psychological, physical and biological. This time
flows evenly but is broken into the past, present and future. Since we
only live in the present forever planning for our futures and dreams, when
we try to live in the past it restricts our future. Throughout
Fitzgerald's novel, Gatsby wasted time and his life for a single dream, and
it was his illusion of his ideal future that made time a key dimension in
his life.
Gatsby suffers from past memories of Daisy and tries to relive the
relationship and in the process Gatsby was murdered. Nick says, "Almost
five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy
tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the
colossal vitality of his illusion". Gatsby's idealistic view of Daisy was,
she was of pure and perfect form and after he kisses her, his ideal perfect
relationship starts to decay, "...and the incarnation was complete". The
incarnation meaning Daisy cannot be ideally perfect anymore now that
Gatsby's with her. Daisy is not pure and perfect like Gatsby thought she
was in the past. From Gatsby's illusions of the past preoccupying all his
thoughts, he forgets about the key dimension he exists in which is the
present.
Although Gatsby was persistent on reliving the past, Gatsby vaguely
lived for the present. This is apparent when he cancels his biology by
leaving home, changing his name, and leaving his heritage behind which was
not done by following the past. In the past Jay Gatsby made, "...a
platonic conception of himself". What Nick said about Gatsby's platonic
theory of himself was that Gatsby "...was a son of God". From Jay Gatsby's
theory he makes a ideal conception of himself, of which he projects himself
into the future. Ultimately Gatsby is left with the choices to "...suck on
the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder," or kiss Daisy
and "...his mind would never romp again like the mind of God". In Gatsby's
choices he is to climb "the ladder" to God which represents Gatsby's future
or choose Daisy and choose the past. Since Gatsby idealized the past could
be his future, from Gatsby's kissing Daisy, he is leaving his past ideal
platonic conception of himself by choosing no longer to have his mind think
like the "mind of God". In conclusion Jay Gatsby's starts to make his
future from his present even though he was stuck in the past.
Gatsby's future was said by his father, to be one of promise.
Gatsby's father states "He had a big future before him...", and Gatsby had
the brain power to be successful. In Gatsby's schedule it shows he kept an
eye on his goals, was eager to get ahead and in fact had a plan to achieve
his goals. But the one goal he didn't achieve showed Gatsby he had "paid a
high price for living too long with a single dream". Gatsby's dream to
make what has already past, his future, and his dream was just out of reach.
As a result of living in the past, Gatsby limited his future and was
doomed by a single kiss which was his only tragic flaw, "...and the
holocaust was complete".
Time is a key dimension in one's life theme and it played a key role
in Jay Gatsby's life. For Gatsby was living in the past and when he came
to the present he was no longer there. The American dream has a tendency
to exaggerate the past and project into the future. Preoccupying Gatsby
with what the past represented, He wasn't able to grasp reality in his
over powering ideals.
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