Kanye West once said, “Reality is catching up with me Taking my inner child..” Kanye West himself is an idealist and has trouble accepting reality. He relates this to how it ‘takes his inner child’ to show that romanticizing your reality is childish and accepting it is required in order to live a logical, reasonable, accepting life. Sometimes, reality is rather hard to accept. Especially when the world you live in is not the one you intended, and when an individual is caught up in their own fantasized world, reality hits them all at once. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Gatz, otherwise known as Jay Gatsby, gets caught up in his own idealized thoughts. Like Kanye, Gatsby soon realizes his reality, and this results …show more content…
His wealth was not earned legally, for he bootlegged illegal alcohol to make the obscene amount of money he has. At his parties, one could hear ’’He’s a bootlegger,’ said the young ladies, moving somewhere between his cocktails and his flowers.’’(Fitzgerald 61) Though these were just accusations, it is later revealed that these ladies were correct about Gatsby, and he created this reputation for himself. Gatsby makes the accusation that he won’t get caught doing this, which is an example of his idealistic expectations. Tom Buchanan finds out the person Gatsby really is, and Daisy finally discovers the truth of how he got his wealth. Nick Carraway, the narrator, is introduced to Gatsby’s ‘friend’ Meyer Wolfsheim. As the scene goes on, the reader discovers that Meyer is no friend, he is a part of criminal activity. This is first revealed when Nick and Meyer have the conversation regarding his cuff buttons, which were made of “‘Finest specimens of human molars,’he informed me[Nick]” (Fitzgerald 72). This created the idea that he is a man who participates in illegal actions. Soon enough, Gatsby informed Nick that “‘He’s the man who fixed the World Series in 1919”’(Fitzgerald 73). All this information is the evidence that Gatsby was up to no good, and he never expected for it to come back to him, being the idealist he …show more content…
In conversation, he tells Nick “‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!”’(Fitzgerald 110). Obviously, this is not the case for most situations, especially the one Gatsby finds himself in. John Green also brings up this topic in his CrashCourse video and explains that “Gatsby believes the key to the beautiful future is a perfect restoration of the beautiful past” (CrashCourse 4:15). John Green analyzed Gatsby’s beliefs perfectly and completely agrees that Gatsby is awfully obvious of recreating what he once had. Gatsby has performed several actions displaying his desperacy, such as purchasing a house near Daisy’s, hosting extravagant parties, and will even go to an extent where he would illegally become equal to her wealth just to win his old lover back. Once he has tea with her, Gatsby is blinded by the fact that the past cannot be repeated when he comes to the terms that Daisy is not what he wants. This is revealed by the weather symbolism. “Outside the wind was loud and there was a faint flow of thunder along the Sound”(Fitzgerald 95) Here, it is shown that the weather is poor and so is the way Gatsby feels about this date. Later on in the novel, it is explained that “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: "I never loved you." After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to
He is insistent upon Daisy admitting that she has never been in love with her husband. Gatsby says to Daisy, “just tell him the truth—that you never loved him—and it’s all wiped out forever” (Fitzgerald 7,139). Jay Gatsby believes, with all his heart, that his dream of recapturing his long lost love is dependent upon erasing and forgetting the past five years. Nick tells Gatsby that the past cannot be repeated. Gatsby foolishly denies this and continues to believe that he can fix what has already occurred. Gatsby is only thinking with his heart and not with his mind. Gatsby feels as though his past with Daisy can be recreated if he could hear that he is the only man who Daisy has ever loved. Unfortunately, Gatsby is not Daisy’s only love; she has also loved Tom. Daisy informs Gatsby that he is asking too much of her and it devastates him.
Gatsby is unrealistic. He believes he can relive the past and rekindle the flame he and Daisy once had. He is lost in his dream and accepts that anything can be repeated, "Can't repeat the past…Why of course you can!" (116, Fitzgerald). For Gatsby, failure to realize this resurrection of love is utterly appalling. His whole career, his conception of himself and his life is totally shattered. Gatsby's death when it comes is almost insignificant, for with the collapse of his dream, he is spiritually dead.
Gatsby has many issues of repeating his past instead of living in the present. A common example of this would be his ultimate goal to win Daisy back. He keeps thinking about her and how she seems perfect for him, but he remembers her as she was before she was married to Tom. He has not thought about the fact that she has a daughter, and has been married to Tom for four years, and the history there is between them. The reader cannot be sure of Gatsby trying to recreate the past until the reunion between him and Daisy. This becomes evident when Nick talks to Gatsby about how he is living in the past, specifically when Nick discusses Daisy with him. “‘I wouldn’t ask too much of her,’ Gatsby ventured. ‘you can’t repeat the past.’ I said. ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” (110). This excerpt shows how Gatsby still has not learned that eventually he will have to just accept the past and move forward with his life. If he keeps obsessing about Daisy, and trying to fix the past, more of his life will be wasted on this impossible goal. Througho...
Wolfsheim, a high-rolling gambler, is famous for fixing the 1919 World Series, and his ability to carelessly cheat makes him a symbol of corruption. Tom excitingly reveals Gatsby’s involvement with Wolfsheim’s schemes when he finally announces, “He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts (143).” Gatsby’s illegal manner of attaining wealth with Wolfsheim’s plans contrasts the generous and benevolent exterior he proudly wears, which he allows Daisy to believe. Because of Meyer Wolfsheim, both Gatsby’s virtues and vices can be explored to fully understand his past and present
Based on the consequences of the past, Gatsby’s priority is to earn a place in high ranks in order to win Daisy. Remaining faithful through the years he endures apart from her, Gatsby builds a reputation of being affluent, for her. He expresses his loyalty towards Daisy through the wealth he establishes, for her. In the hopes that she will return to him after seeing his newly gained assets, Gatsby flaunts his mansion and possessions to Daisy. Everything he earns plays an important role in displaying his wealth to Daisy, as well as his dedication to her. Gatsby devotes several years to earning a fortune for Daisy, never deviating from his original motive of living the past, except with Daisy. However, Gatsby becomes “dazed” because her physical existence erases the importance of his belongings. Even though Gatsby’s valuables once signified the path to Daisy, because Daisy is now with him, the items mean nothing. Gatsby proves consistency in his love for Daisy as she is the motivating force that occupies his life. Gatsby’s persistent hope gives him the belief that he can and will live his happy ending with Daisy. When Gatsby’s imagination of Daisy does not align with the existing Daisy, he tells Nick, “Can’t repeat the past?...Why of course you can!” (110).
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.
Gatsby is determined to relive his past, but Nick points out, “You can’t the past,” and Gatsby replies with, “Why of course you can!” (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby has dedicated his whole life reliving the past with Daisy. Gatsby whole-heartedly believes he can repeat the past, “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before,” he says (Fitzgerald 110). In Gatsby’s fantasy, he believes that Daisy and him can be together now that he has the money she wished he had in the past. “In the end, it is this romantic idealism that destroys Gatsby; he refuses to relinquish the illusion that has propelled his life,” Gatsby’s inability to let go of a fantasy built upon events from past, Daisy, is ultimately what led to his death (Hickey). There is one character in the Great Gatsby that proves to be the only one not drowning in a fantasy, Nick. “They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together,” Nick says to Gatsby (Fitzgerald 162). He says this because he realizes that everyone around him is corrupt and living in a fantasy world, including Gatsby, but Nick realizes that this is the very thing that is destroying
Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has indisputably been one of the most influential and insightful pieces on the corruption and idealism of the American Dream. The American Dream, defined as ‘The belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone,’ was a dominant ideal in American society, stemming from an opportunist pioneer mentality. In his book ‘The American Tradition in Literature’, Bradley Sculley praised The Great Gatsby for being ‘perhaps the most striking fictional analysis of the age of gang barons and the social conditions that produced them.’ Over the years, greed and selfishness changed the basic essence of the American Dream, forming firmly integrated social classes and the uncontainable thirst for money and status. The ‘Roaring Twenties’ was a time of ‘sustained increase in national wealth’ , which consequently led to an increase in materialism and a decrease in morality. Moreover, the
This is evident when Gatsby states, “Can 't repeat the past?...Why of course you can”(cite). Gatsby implies here that the past can be repeated, in this case with Daisy. Gatsby does not realize, however, that she is now married and has a child. Thus the past cannot be repeated and he is being way too overambitious. .....This is evident when Nick and Gatsby state, “Was Daisy Driving?....Yes...but of course, I 'll say I was”(cite). Gatsby implies here that he is taking the blame for the car accident, even though Daisy was driving. This was overambitious of him and led him to his tragic downfall, as
The theme “blind pursuit of an ideal is destructive” is the main message of The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is on a blind pursuit of happiness. His ideal is to be with Daisy as he was in the past. Although, you can not ever really grasp the past and have things the same as they once were. This pursuit is destructive because Gatsby can not be satisfied with Daisy anymore. He really longed for an image of the past and how he and Daisy used to be, but she is not the same as she once was. Her past self is unobtainable but Gatsby is persistent. Gatsby vision of Daisy is unrealistic and much better than her true self. Nick stated in the book, “Daisy tumbled short of his dreams- not through her own fault, but because of his colossal vitality of his illusion”.
In the novel, “The Great Gatsby” Gatsby uttered this line of dialogue after Nick had told him that people can’t repeat the past, “‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’”. Another quote Gatsby stated in the novel that validates the theme of Gatsby being stuck in the past is when he says, “‘I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before,’ he said nodding determinedly. ‘She’ll see’”. These two quotes assisted in helping prove the theme not wanting change in their lives since Gatsby thinks the past can repeat itself and have him and Daisy spend the rest of their days together. Gatsby does not consider that when he and Daisy first met they were still young and careless. Gatsby does not take into account the time lapse from the last time they gazed at each other and how people's feelings change over time. Another example of this is a quote from the poem by Eric Carmen named “Boats against the Current”. “Reasons are changing, But the story isn’t ending, So we find ourselves pretending one more day, While the years keep slipping away”. The quote is about how the narrator and his ex-lover had differences in the past, but how eventually they will come back together. The narrator wants his ex-lover so much in his life that he would rather have both of them “pretending one more day” that both of are in love than just moving on to find a person who could be better for them. These characters do not want their lives to change but would rather wait an eternity for their loves to come back to them and without them, they struggle with
Recreating the past will only result in sorrow and misfortune. Leave what happened long ago where it is and create a new future and make this new life whatever is desired. If only Gatsby believes in this. Daisy knew this to be true and even Nick knew that reliving the past will never truly result in happiness. Gatsby pushed his ideals onto Daisy and made her do something she does not want to do. Gatsby wants to go back five years and live this life again whereas Daisy just wants to create a new life. The uncertainties of the past are not grounds to repair a current situation in an individual’s life. The basis of the future is that what is created in the present. The future is not created in the memories of days before, the future cannot the same as the past once was. The future is the life of an individual, this present day reflects how the individual feels now and not how they felt five years ago. Using what has already occurred to change the future will never end well and individuals who seek to use memories to fix the present will only dig their own grave. Gatsby slowly digs and digs as he attempts to win over Daisy and even when he does, he will take nothing less than to go back five years and start
he was younger so now the great wealth is out to destroy him in a way.
The paradox of “unreality of reality”, highlights Gatsby’s view of the world. To Gatsby, the story he has created in his mind is reality. Gatsby does not doubt that he and Daisy will one day be reunited in their everlasting love for one another. He ignores the worldly signs that tell
...nable to let go off the past because the past is safe. This is true for Gatsby because he cannot let go of his past because his dream of Daisy is safe there. He tries very hard to repeat it and wants to even try to erase the past and change it so that he will end up with Daisy at the end. “’Can’t repeat the past?…’why of course you can!”(page 116). And all he wants is for daisy to be with him and leave Tom but he is of dirty new money. “ He wanted nothing less of Daisy then that she should go to tom and say: ‘I never loved you,’”(page 116).