Great_Gatsby

Monisuer Blach 10/25/09 Mrs. blahblah Great Gatsby Essay English "So we beat on boats against the current borne back ceaselessly into the past". This metaphor represents Gatsby, Nick, and people in general striving to achieve their goals, reliving the past, and the conflicts undertaken while pursuing our goals. This is the connection shared between us and the characters within the novel of "The Great Gatsby. Nick's reference pertaining to his experiences, along with friends and acquaintances highlights these central themes within the novel. For instance, Gatsby’s struggle to achieve his success, Nick’s return to his hometown, along with the emotional struggle between the old aristocracy of East Egg and its disdain of West Egg’s new money, are a few applications of the themes. The boat is a representation of us the reader embarking on a journey to our destinations or goals, the current is what prevents our goals, while the opposite direction of our goals is already covered, metaphorically the past. Gatsby’s reliving of his past is evident as he continued to chase Daisy due to their romance. From his first glance of her, Gatsby viewed Daisy as the embodiment of perfection; elegance and opulence. Their love was short lived due to Gatsby being drafted into the army during World War I, but the mutual love never disappeared. “'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!' I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before; he said, nodding determinedly.'” (pg.110) Gatsby outright proclaimed his intention of repeating the past. Daisy and Gatsby’s past is ironically repeated in the present events. Similar to the past, Gatsby lost Daisy’s love to Tom Buchanan due to his untimely draft into the World War I; Gatsby then looses Daisy’s love to Tom yet again. Nick, the protagonist, also relives the past by resettling to his hometown by the end of the novel. “After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eye’s power of correction.... I decided to come back home”. This refers to Nick’s reasoning for moving back west. Nick was considerably bored of the west due to its dull aspects. Nicks sojourn to the east made him aware of his even deeper hatred towards the avarice of the East, thus impacting his decision to relieve the past by moving back west. Gatsby reliving his love struggle with Daisy, and Nick’s migration to the west yet again highlights the theme in the quote of reliving the past. Gatsby’s determination to gain wealth to recapture Daisy’s love is perhaps the quintessence of the theme striving to attain your goals. Jay Gatsby was a determined and passionate man, whose desires were fueled by his actions throughout. His desires were Daisy and to achieve a higher social status with prestigious accomplishments. Gatsby’s desires to improve were even recognized by his father and began at a young age. “It just shows you”. “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something.” (pg.173) This reference to his childhood schedule is a primary source of proof Gatsby was determined to improve his negative qualities. His desire to achieve his goal of wealth and Daisy was clear once he relieves to Nick the fact that the extravagant parties were designed for the sole purpose to attract Daisy’s attention. Gatsby’s struggle to become wealthy was due to his desire to compete with Daisy’s social status in order for Daisy to even consider Gatsby. Gatsby’s determination did acquire him wealth but none the less brought him back to the same results in the past with Daisy. The struggle against the social structure and animosity of the East Egg old aristocracy towards Gatsby was the metaphorical current heading towards the opposite direction of Gatsby’s goals. The old aristocracy of East Egg was a group of wealthy individuals who provoked and criticized the new money of West Egg. The embodiment of the cruel old aristocracy was Tom Buchanan. Whenever Tome came into contact with Gatsby he would insolently mock and mistreat Gatsby. “I found out what your drug-stores were.” He turned to us and spoke rapidly. “He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and wasn’t far wrong.” (pg.133) Tom referring to the way Gatsby made his fortune openly attempts to embarrass and undermine Gatsby as if he were inferior, and hurt his reputation in Daisy’s perspective. Tom was a metaphorical resistance for Gatsby trying to attain Daisy’s love and eventually set him back to the past conclusion. The experiences of the characters within the novel support the main themes illustrated by the quote. Gatsby’s struggle with social classes, Gatsby and Nicks desire to improve, and their habit of reliving the past is said examples of the themes. “So we go on like boats, against the current borne back to the past”.