Death And The Great Gatsby Analysis

The past forever remains in our minds, unable to be forgotten. It changes the way we see the present and future. Ariel Dorfman and F. Scott Fitzgerald explore and illustrate this idea in Death and the Maiden and The Great Gatsby. These authors provide the reader with characters who are reminded of experiences from the past, which impact them and their thinking in significant ways. In Death and the Maiden and The Great Gatsby, Ariel Dorfman and F. Scott Fitzgerald use characterization, symbolism and flashbacks to drive home the message of the significance of the past and its impact on the present and future.

In both texts, the authors use characterization to illustrate how the past experiences of a specific character are able to have such a

She is troubled by her time in captivity, resulting in her not being able to even consider her present and future life or plans. Her memories of the past remain too clear in her mind, and have too much of a large impact on her for her to be able to simply forget them and move on. It’s evident that her character is determined and strong-willed, meaning she doesn’t forgive and forget easily and is prepared to go to extreme extents to get revenge for what has happened to her. Paulina says to Gerardo while talking about her power to kill the man who has raped her and caused her so much misery and grief: “And then I’ll put the gun in my mouth and pull the trigger.” (Dorfman 20) Paulina’s past experiences have had extreme effects on her character, desires and beliefs, that her and her husband, Gerardo, hold an unstable relationship. Paulina needs to try to forget some of her terrible past and live her life without it consuming her, while Gerardo needs to learn to accept what happened to his wife and country, particularly if he wants to succeed in his new position and in his marriage. (GradeSaver, Jessie

In The Great Gatsby, the symbol of the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock reminds Gatsby of Daisy and the month of spectacular love they once shared. Gatsby thinks to himself: “Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock.” (Fitzgerald 100) For Gatsby, the green light somewhat acted as a constant reminder of his hopes and dreams for the future, associated with Daisy and their past together, affecting his desires for the future. Another symbol in The Great Gatsby, which connects the past and future, is money and specifically, Gatsby’s money. Gatsby believes that money is able to recreate the past. He has this idea that the money that he has gained over time can get Daisy back, because he wants to prove he is good enough for her and is able to provide her with a lavish and deluxe lifestyle. Gatsby describes Daisy’s voice as being “full of money”. (Fitzgerald 128) Daisy spoke in a lazy-elegant and casual manner, a manner in which someone that is secure in their social class would speak. This is a reminder to Gatsby of the lifestyle that Daisy lives, and the symbol of money is a constant reminder of Gatsby’s wish for Daisy. These symbols are reflective of the love that Gatsby and Daisy had in the past, which somewhat