Similarities Between The Great Gatsby And The Painted Door

Both the main characters in “The Painted Door” and The Great Gatsby have very eventful pasts. These characters falsely rely on the past to motivate them in their future actions.“The Painted Door” tells a story about a married couple named John and Ann, they live in an isolated farmhouse where they have minimum contact with other individuals besides themselves. A bad winter storm came upon the couple and John went to visit his father. As the day progresses Ann has many hours to be alone and think about the life she is living. As she reminisces about her past she begins to grow resentful toward John. Her past memories cause her to doubt the life of a farmer's wife. She speaks to herself about the flaws of her husband , “ Why sit trying to
talk with a man who never talked? Why talk when there is nothing to talk about but crops and cattle, the weather and neighbours?”.
Ann dwells on the fact that her husband is not an intellectual companion whom is engaging and captivating towards her. She has no more motivation to initiate conversation with her husband, making her dwell the time she spends with him. She has all these past memories in her head that shine a false negative light on her husband. Her past memories are blinding her of the virtuous and giving person that her husband really is. She is relying falsely on the past to interpret how she wants to live in the future. She is scrutinizing John for the little things he does that are wrong but does not focus on the bigger picture, as he makes sure “ she should have the clothes... should slave away fifteen hours a day to give them to her”. John makes many sacrifices for Ann and always puts her first. However, Ann does not see this as she is fixated on a delusional reality of what she wants her ideal husband to be. At this moment in the story her ideal husband is not John, by the time the false expectations that she has formed from the past have faded away it is too late. Jay Gatsby is quite similar to Ann on that he relies heavily on the past to affect his future
relationships. Unlike Ann’s negative interpretation of the past, Gatsby puts his faith in this idea of his own golden reality, which is formed from his determination to repeat the events of five years ago. Jay Gatsby grew up as James Gatz, a man from humble beginnings. His parents were farmers, he only attended college for a few weeks and was leading an average American life. Gatsby joined the army and was stationed in the south. As this was happening, he fell in love with a woman named Daisy. He relies on his happiest memories, and wants to recreate them no matter the consequences. Gatsby speaks to the narrator, Nick, with ease saying “‘I wouldn't ask too much of her,’ I ventured. ‘You can't repeat the past. Can't repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” ( page #). Gatsby’s answer to Nick’s statement is said with such insistence and determination, that one almost believes he will be able to recreate the past. Gatsby has a misapprehension of the reality he is living as if he can expect Daisy to give up and forget about the last five years of her own life. Unlike Gatsby, she has been married and has a child, to give up these people is not an easy task. Gatsby will try his very best to resurface the life he lived so contently five years ago, to create a new future with Daisy no matter the consequences.

As each of these stories prevail each of the main characters acquires an object of desire.
In “The Painted Door”, Ann’s nearest neighbour Steven finally comes over. Ann has delusioned herself to make Steven the epitome of what she is looking for in a man. Ann felt that Steven was irresistible and his physical features were more attracting than John. She gushes over Steven, “ There was something strange, almost terrifying , about Steven and his quiet unrelenting smile; but strangest of all was the familiarity: the Steven she had never seen or encountered, and yet had always known, always expected, always waited for.”.(**) As she speaks about Steven’s smile being something she has “always waited for” (**), Ann is deluding herself into thinking physical attraction is the most important aspect of a relationship. Ann is misunderstanding that the man she desires at this moment does not have all the amazing qualities that she imagines he does. She realizes this mistake after she cheats on her husband. She thinks to herself, “ she knew- now- John was the man”.( ***) Ann finally realizes that she wants to be with John but her few hours of misunderstanding where she sleeps with Steven had caused a destructive end to her relationship with John, the man she really loves.Jay Gatsby and Ann similarly misunderstand the people they long to be with. For Gatsby, this person is Daisy. Gatsby dreams about Daisy as being this perfect creature. His expectations are impossible to live up too.
Gatsby is blinded by his past memories with Daisy to realize that she falls far short from his expectations of her. The sacrifices that Gatsby has made to be with Daisy are endless, through buying a house across the bay from her, making extravagant parties hoping she will attend one of them and making a fortune to prove himself worthy of her. Gatsby’s love and devotion to Daisy has become an obsession. He expects Daisy to make the same sacrifices as he made for them to be together. At the climax of the book Gatsby and Daisy have a fight about Gatsby’s high expectations, “Oh, you want too much!" she cried to Gatsby. I love you now--isn't that enough? I can't help what's past. She began to sob helplessly. I did love him once--but I loved you too.” (7.264) Five years had passed from when Gatsby and Daisy were together. From that time the two have had very different lives, Daisy has tried to move on with a new husband Tom but Gatsby has always been in the assumption Daisy was waiting for him. Though Daisy loves Gatsby she once loved her current husband Tom. This is not enough for Gatsby. His unattainable expectations for his desired have started to drive her away. This causes him to sabotage the relationship with the woman he loves just because of the delusional expectations he had for her.