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Quote Exercise: The Great Gatsby

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Quote Exercise: The Great Gatsby
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“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . And then one fine morning—
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (Pg. 180)

Nick is explaining how people struggle to reach their goals by striving so hard for what they believe in and then they let the past get in the way of that belief. When Nick says, “So we beat on, boats against the current” he is relating the boats to humans striving for what they believe in, and the current symbolizes the past reeling us back. Even though it is not mentioned we are all rowing towards the green light. The green light symbolizes our dreams that we strive for to become reality. We try and relive the past in the future like Gatsby and Daisy. Gatsby tried so hard to relive their affair from 1917, but he then realizes that people drift apart and move on in life. He can’t escape the mind set of wanting to get back together with Daisy, and he struggles to do anything else but try and impress her. He never loses hope, “tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…” he expresses all of his energy towards wanting to get back with Daisy, a goal that keeps running farther and farther away from his grasp.
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