Essay on the Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby’s journey to reunite with his past love Daisy is one of great tragedy and romance. Fitzgerald’s use of past, present, and future paints the picture of truly how tragic this five-year journey was for Gatsby. Gatsby loses the ability to live in the present because of his intense fixation on the past and his dreams of the future. Because of this inability, it becomes clear rather quickly that a relationship with Daisy is an unreachable goal.
Gatsby values his past relationship with Daisy more than anything in the world and dedicates the rest of his life to returning to it, but once Gatsby leaves for war, there is no real hope of their relationship ever going back to the way it was. Gatsby has loved Daisy since they first met, as is clear from Jordan’s story, where she says, “The officer {Gatsby} looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at some time, and because it seemed romantic to me I have remembered the incident ever since,” (page 75). Gatsby’s love for Daisy is evident to the reader from the way Jordan describes the way he looks at her. Despite this obvious love, their relationship is bound to end badly, especially when Gatsby leaves for war. Before Gatsby comes into Daisy’s life, “All day long the telephone rang in her house and excited young officers from Camp Taylor demanded the privilege of monopolizing her that night,” (page 74). Gatsby’s absence stimulates numerous men to attempt to form a romantic relationship with Daisy, making it increasingly difficult for her to stay faithful to Gatsby. Eventually, she marries Tom Buchanan while Gatsby is still in France fighting in the war. According to Jordan, “I thought I’d never seen a girl so mad about her husband,” (page 76). Despite Daisy and Gatsby’s meaningful relationship, Daisy moved on and married a man with whom she is, according to Jordan’s story, happy. Gatsby decides to fixate his life on this seemingly perfect past relationship, but fails to
Gatsby values his past relationship with Daisy more than anything in the world and dedicates the rest of his life to returning to it, but once Gatsby leaves for war, there is no real hope of their relationship ever going back to the way it was. Gatsby has loved Daisy since they first met, as is clear from Jordan’s story, where she says, “The officer {Gatsby} looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at some time, and because it seemed romantic to me I have remembered the incident ever since,” (page 75). Gatsby’s love for Daisy is evident to the reader from the way Jordan describes the way he looks at her. Despite this obvious love, their relationship is bound to end badly, especially when Gatsby leaves for war. Before Gatsby comes into Daisy’s life, “All day long the telephone rang in her house and excited young officers from Camp Taylor demanded the privilege of monopolizing her that night,” (page 74). Gatsby’s absence stimulates numerous men to attempt to form a romantic relationship with Daisy, making it increasingly difficult for her to stay faithful to Gatsby. Eventually, she marries Tom Buchanan while Gatsby is still in France fighting in the war. According to Jordan, “I thought I’d never seen a girl so mad about her husband,” (page 76). Despite Daisy and Gatsby’s meaningful relationship, Daisy moved on and married a man with whom she is, according to Jordan’s story, happy. Gatsby decides to fixate his life on this seemingly perfect past relationship, but fails to