The Great Gatsby Personal Narrative

A moment in time that I hold close to myself is the funeral of my grandmother. It occurred a couple of weeks ago on the Friday of the blood drive. The funeral itself was well done and the homily offered by the priest enlightened us with hope and truth. But when the anti-climatic end of the funeral came my family members and relatives were somberly shedding tears. A sense of disapproval began creeping into my mind. I was completely shocked that I did not feel any sense of sadness or remorse. I wanted to feel the pain. I wanted to mourn, but there was no source of grief for me to mourn. My grandma had lived a great life and left her imprint on the world. After further contemplation, I realized why I felt the way I felt. My grandmother still

Wyeth’s painting “Indian Brave Fishing.” Occurring in the early stages of the novel, Fitzgerald writes, “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 25-26). This example illustrates both the beauty and horror of time and its effect on the human being. Gatsby looks out onto the open waters at the green light, a moment from the past within sight but out of reach, and trembles because it’s a juncture in time he holds close to himself. He undergoes feelings of exultation and sadness when he recalls the special moment that the green light brings back. I feel the same way when I recall the Kairos I felt at my Grandmother’s funeral. While I cherish that moment in time I also understand I might never feel that way I felt ever again. I hope I do, but I’ll never know until it comes again. This truth eats away at me because I want to experience the Kairos again, but I also understand that if I live too much in the past my future will be futile. N.C. Wyeth demonstrates the conflicting emotions of the past and future in his paintings “Indian Brave Fishing.” The Native