The critically acclaimed movie Finding Nemo tells the story of Marlin, a clownfish, who in the pursuit of his son Nemo, has difficulty moving on from the violent death of his wife and around 300 of their unborn children. Over the course of the movie, Marlin learns to move on with his life and move forward to the future. However, the same realization is not evident with the narrator in “Boats against the Current” and Jay Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby”. In the novel “The Great Gatsby” Jay Gatsby tries to win the heart of his love, Daisy, back from her husband, Tom Buchanan. Comparatively, the poem “Boats against the Current” has the narrator telling the reader about how he and his ex-lover are now separated, but how he is hopeful that they …show more content…
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
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, “The Great Gatsby”, and Baz Luhrmann’s film, “The Great Gatsby”, both have similarities and contrasts between the two of them. The Great Gatsby is a novel and film taken place in the 1920s filled with wild parties, mysterious people, The American Dream, and most of all, love. There are several things that can be compared between the novel and film; such as the characters and the setting. There are also contrasts between the two as well; which is mainly involving the character Nick.
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...
The past is represented by the clock and how Gatsby wants to repeat it with Daisy. Eble, pg. 58, pg. 78. 963) This quote foreshadows the end of the novel when Nick is left.
Imagine. You are sitting in complete silence, even the nearby crickets won't dare to let out even the slightest of croaks. You stare down at your cluttered, dimly lit desk. Your hand grasps your pen, and the other rubs back and forth across your temple in angst. Your eyes pass over each paper, containing each incomplete thought, and your mind floods with memories of your past. Trapped by writer’s block, you are all alone with only your experiences, surroundings, and philosophy aiding you in the fall that is the dark reality of alcoholism and depression. For renowned authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, these influences all played a crucial role in identifying their style techniques, as well as determining similarities and differences
Novels are very unique things to read. They contain so much detail and information it’s almost hard to comprehend. Sometimes these unique novels are translated into movies and while most movies disappoint the reader by not capturing the complete essence of the novel, I felt that The Great Gatsby did not disappoint. Sure, there are some differences between the two but not enough to make the movie a complete disappointment. In this essay, I will begin by comparing the two together, the two being the novel and movie, then I will gradually move in the contrast of this essay.
To reach his idea of what happiness is,Gatsby must go back in time and relive an old dream. To do this Jay Gatsby is a man who does not wish to live in the present because it offers him nothing. He spends the majority of his adult life trying to recapture his past and,eventually,dies in his pursuit of it. The reason he wishes to relive the past is because long ago he had a love affair with the rich Daisy Buchanan,who he fell deeply in love with. However,he knew that they could never get married due to the difference in their economic and social statuses.
When reflecting on his memories of the man he knew as Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway recalls the unique individual’s finest quality: “It was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again” (Fitzgerald 2). Although Gatsby occasionally stepped off the straight and narrow, he never lost sight of his ultimate goal: Daisy’s love. Even when it seemed as though everything was working against him and that he would never regain his lost love, Gatsby kept going, knowing that the strength of his hope would see him through. His childlike determination, while ultimately his downfall, was what made Gatsby truly “great.”
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 book Gatsby says, “Can’t repeat the past? He cried incredulously. Why of course you can!” (110). This quote explains one of mistakes leading to his downfall by stating that he does believe that you can repeat the pass when you can’t. In the book Gatsby tries his hardest to repeat his past relationship with Daisy and it leads him to trouble. He tries different tactics to gain her attention, like throwing the extravagant parties at his house. He hoped one night that Daisy would wonder in so he could see her again. The scene in the book where Gatsby, Nick, Tom, Daisy, and Jordan were in the apartment you can see how Gatsby’s actions had a toll on the other characters. Daisy specifically showed this when she said, “Oh, you want too much! She cried to Gatsby” (132). When Daisy said this it clarified that Gatsby was asking too much of her and that ultimately lead to his
The past often contains many things that we desire, be it something as simple as a peaceful life to something strong such as a relationship with someone who has been lost. We all attempt to return to these feelings or times in many ways, from simple memories or tastes to ways as ridiculous and outlandish as Gatsby’s parties. Whether this feelings are ever truly experienced again or not varies from attempt to attempt, in the case of “The Great Gatsby” it was for only a brief moment before it was ripped from Gatsby with Tom’s
.We become so lost and caught up in the past that we en up letting it take over ourselves. Gatsby has an obvious desire of Daisy’s love but his dream has him living in the past. Gatsby presumably has everything anyone can ask for. He believes in the green light. He allows the green light to bring him opportunity. He thinks of the glass as half full. Sometimes Gatsby’s optimistic approach can get the best of him. We all face tough moments but we recover from them and try to move on from things from the past. Although Daisy will always have a spot in Jay Gatsby’s heart, not all dreams can be reached. Jay got as close as it gets to gain Daisy and her love, but failed. It may be tough, but unreachable dreams need to be suppressed.
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”(Fitzgerald 180). The Great Gatsby considered to be one a great novel about the 1920’s follows the story of a man named James Gatz, who tries to relive the past, or his alias Jay Gatsby. The story is unravelled through the eyes on Nick Carraway, a young bonds salesman trying to make it in the East. Nick moves in to his house neighbor to Gatsby. Nick meets Gatsby at one of Gatsby’s parties and they become friends quite fast. Gatsby in in love with Nick’s cousin Daisy whom was Gatsby’s lover. Gatsby gets Nick to introduce Daisy to Gatsby. They hit it off but Daisy’s cheating husband Tom Buchanan, racist, is jealous and uses a garage owner, George Wilson, to murder Gatsby. Gatsby has died, George has died and Nick is left to himself to ponder on about Gatsby. Gatsby is a young man that makes it big, say chases the American Dream, yet the American Dream does not exist in The Great Gatsby.
...t our arms farther…. And one fine morning —” (180). Gatsby chased illusions and ignored reality, leading to the downfall of all he ever wanted, Daisy’s love. Gatsby’s optimism that he could overpower time and re-create the past in the present was destroyed by Daisy’s rejection of him due to his suspicious past. Gatsby was not left with the love of his live, nor the green light to imagine her, but rather Gatsby was left with nothing. Gatsby was left with death.
Jay Gatsby’s character, portrayed in the novel, The Great Gatsby, resembled the qualities and characteristics of the male fish in “(love song, with two goldfish).” Primarily, these two lonely characters had the same motivation for most of their actions and decisions later on in their separate stories, which was the separation from the women they loved the most. According to Fitzgerald, “He stayed there a week, walking the streets where their footsteps had clicked together through the November night…” (Fitzgerald 1). This quote indicated that Gatsby had been separated from Daisy, his first and only love, yet she didn’t feel the same way about him in that moment. Since Gatsby had been walking in Daisy and her husband’s footsteps, it highlighted her significance in his life, and how strongly he yearned and desired her love. In addition, Gatsby was so flustered and distraught by Daisy’s lack of presence in his life that separation had caused him to isolate from the outside world. Similarly, Chua stated, “(His heart sinks like a fish… Drowns those sorrows, stares emptily through the glass)” (Chua 4). This quote illustrated that the female fish left the male fish in isolation with a feeling of emptiness
...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).