The Great Gatsby Daisy Water Analysis

When the Joad family, Gatsby, and IM are reborn it leads to a sense of blind hope. When the Joads arrive in California, the water that they bathe in symbolizes a new start for the family. They believe that California will be a place where satisfaction and happiness is achieved. Steinbeck writes, “He cupped his hands full of water and rubbed his face...dusty water ran out of his hair and streaked his neck” (284). The “water” represents purity and holiness and when he washes himself “dusty water” runs down his body, symbolizing his past. The dust on the man’s body has travelled with him throughout his journey; it represents the memories. When the dust disappears, so do the memories. The Joad family is now able to focus all of their energy
When Daisy arrives, it is raining outside, symbolizing a purge of the past. As Gatsby walks around the house through the rain to reunite with Daisy, he is reborn and begins his unrealistic fantasy of life with Daisy. Gatsby seizes his opportunity to rekindle with Daisy despite the fact that all odds are against him; Daisy and Gatsby have not been in touch for nearly a decade and Daisy is married to Tom, but he does not let these obstacles stop him. It is almost impossible for the relationship to work out, especially since Daisy’s feelings are superficial; she only likes Gatsby for his money. Alternatively, IM’s final symbolic death and rebirth is when the police cause him to retreat into his hole underground. He recalls feeling “the tug of sleep, it seemed to move out upon black water. It’s a kind of death without hanging, I thought, a death alive" (566-567). Ellison uses negative connotations to convey IM’s death and rebirth. The “tug” is pulling IM underground, ostracizing and eventually killing him. The “black water” is a common imagery throughout the story and represents darkness and unrest in the black community. Ellison’s use of “death alive” is contradicting and conveys IM’s realization of his societal