The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby and Nick talk about Gatsby's attempt to impress Daisy in order for her to leave Tom Buchanan and they to finally be together. Nick reminds Gatsby of a very true concept on the subject of the past, “I wouldn't ask too much of her,” I ventured. “You can't repeat the past” (Fitzgerald, ch. 6). I feel that Nick said these lines in order to allow Gatsby to realize that not all things can be as they once were and you shouldn't get your hopes up. Of course, Gatsby reiterates back, “Can't repeat the past?” he cried incredulously. “Why of course you can!” (Fitzgerald, ch. 6). Reading that quote, I felt that I could actually be there when Gatsby said it, the tone had such conviction behind it and you could feel that he had such an undeniable belief that it's possible and that he could just step through the echo's of the past and change it all in a heartbeat. Just for a man to rekindle the sparks of an otherwise, dead relationship with the woman of his dream. As time propels forward, people and ideas change and what may have worked out before, may not work out now. I feel that Gatsby's clinging to the past and his obsession with Daisy is what ultimately led to his downfall. I agree with Nick, the past cannot be undone and you cannot relive it and no amount of money or power of will, can change that and it was Jay Gatsby's obsession with the past, affections for Daisy and his deceit about his past that are the reasons why you shouldn’t try to relive the past.

The past and the ability to hold dominion over it is an important concept that surrounds the character Jay Gatsby. Nick Carraway comes to the same conclusion and argues that Gatsby is infatuated with the past, “He looked ar...

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...ded long ago, for a women who in the end, wanted nothing to do with him and instead of creating an illusionary figure for all to see, should have picked up the pieces and moved on.

Word Count: 1559

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Great Gatsby." The Great Gatsby. University of Adelaide, 7 Mar. 2014.

Web. 16 May 2014.

Scisco, Mason. Past and Hope in The Great Gatsby. Ithaca: Cornell University, n.d. PDF.

Stocks, Claire. "'All men are [not] created equal': F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: Claire

Stocks illustrates how the narrator's bias towards this novel's hero is central to the critique of belief in the 'American Dream'."The English Review 17.3 (2007): 9+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 May 2014.

Will, Barbara. ""The Great Gatsby" And The Obscene Word." College Literature 32.4 (2005):

125-144. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 May 2014.