Time in The Great Gatsby

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.