Significance Of The Past In The Great Gatsby

“No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” This is a quotation by the famous Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the character’s attempt in trying to recapture the past is highly noticeable. Gatsby, who is the main character in the novel, tries extremely hard to bring back the past. His longing for something he knew years ago drives him to great lengths to get what he has always wanted. Gatsby finds great success in the bootlegging industry in order to gain all his fortune. His love for the Daisy Buchannan takes him to extreme lengths to do what is needed to win her back. In this novel, his desire to bring back the past creates a clear theme of longing and need to get what he wants. Gatsby
assumes he can start right where he left off with Daisy Buchannan five years ago. Little does he know, “No man is rich enough to buy back his past.”

Gatsby’s pursuit in bringing back the past is obvious in so many ways throughout the whole novel. His love for Daisy is what he thinks he needs to get to reach full and complete happiness. For some background knowledge, Daisy Buchannan was the most popular out of all the girls in Louisville. Jay Gatsby met her when he was a lieutenant for the war. Back then, he was a very poor soldier but no one knew, especially Daisy. They fell in love with each other. Daisy promised to wait for Gatsby after he returned for the war. Somehow in the end, she ended up marrying Tom Buchanan, a man who was born into royalty just as herself. Gatsby wanted to give her nothing less then the life she was used too. After five years, Gatsby ends up rounding up a great fortune through the illegal bootlegging industry. He makes a purchase on a huge mansion on West Egg, right across the bay from Daisy and Tom’s house in East Egg.

Gatsby’s drive was all put into one goal, Daisy Buchannan.
He imagined his life with her and she was the only one he had eyes for. He still believed she still loved him, even after five years and she was married to Tom Buchannan. The narrator, Daisy’s second cousin, Nick Carraway happens to live right next door to Jay Gatsby. Nick and Jordan attend one of Gatsby’s extravagant parties on the weekend and somehow Gatsby figured out that Jordan knew Daisy and asked her for a favor. Gatsby wanted Nick to ask Daisy over for tea and then he would just happen to be passing by. When Gatsby and Daisy saw each other for the first time in five years, it took them both by surprise. I feel as if Gatsby felt as if he could just come back into her life and start from right where they left off. What he did not realize was that she had a life, she had a husband, a marriage, and a daughter. How could she simply drop everything in her life just because someone from her past came back into her life? I feel in this situation, Gatsby was flawed and Daisy was being more
realistic.

“Can’t repeat the past? … Why of course you can!” This was a quote said by Jay Gatsby in the story while having a conversation with Nick Carraway. Jay Gatsby admits to Nick that he just wants to start from where him and Daisy left off. Gatsby has this idea in his head that Daisy has never even loved Tom, that she only and will only love Gatsby. I also feel that Daisy helps to lead Gatsby with his idea by her actions. Gatsby ends up firing all his servants and maids because he did not want them to gossip about the things he was doing behind closed doors. Daisy came over almost every afternoon for a week straight. That had to have been the best week of Gatsby life. Daisy was so close yet so far because she technically was still going back home to Tom. She used her charm to make Gatsby believed that their was still a way for them to be together. That was where she was at fault.

One afternoon, Gatsby comes over for lunch with Nick, Daisy, Tom, and Jordan.
“As he left the room again she got up and went over to Gatsby, and pulled his face down kissing him on the mouth. “You know I love you,” she murmured.” This is the action Daisy did as soon as Tom Buchannan left the room. Tom knew there was something going on between the two of them. He offered for everyone to go to New York. Gatsby and Daisy went in one car while Nick, Jordan, and Tom went in Gatsby car. After a conversation of Gatsby and the college he went too, Tom comes out with the question, “What kind of a row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow?” After this, it took everyone by surprise since this was said so bluntly. Daisy comes out and tells Tom to have some self control. Gatsby is just about to tell Tom the truth about himself and Daisy but Daisy stops him before another word could come
out.

“She never loved you, do you hear?” he cried. She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me!” To Gatsby, this has been going on for five years. He felt that the whole time that they were apart, for those five years, he was still in Daisy’s heart. This was not the case. After Gatsby said those words, Daisy just started to freak out. She told Gatsby that he was asking too much of her, that she loved Tom once but she loved him (Gatsby) now. She was really confused in her decision and did not know exactly what to do.

In conclusion, Gatsby was trying very hard to bring back the past. He bought one of the nicest mansion and kind of tried to buy back the past. He thought that if he could gain all the fortune, he could win Daisy back. He thought he could bring back what happened five years ago and just continue it with Daisy. That is not how a man should live. You cannot put and dedicate all your happiness into a single person. Gatsby ended up getting shot because he took the blame for when Daisy hit her husband’s mistress with Gatsby’s car. In the end, it is clear, “no man is rich enough to buy back his past.”