In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the characters Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan to demonstrate that clinging to the past excessively can inhibit a person’s future experiences, which he portrays through their relationships and daily lives. Prior to the events of the book, Gatsby was romantically involved with Daisy during World War I. However, Daisy grew tired of waiting on Gatsby, and her love was bought by Thomas Buchanan instead. The Great Gatsby takes place roughly five years after the war, as the protagonist, Nick Carraway, reminisces on Gatsby’s attempts to win Daisy back. The couple’s aversion to moving on from their past is a key theme throughout the book, and is evident in their relationship together by Fitzgerald’s use of
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In spite of how frequently he throws extravagant parties, they are often for strangers. When Nick arrives at one such party, he observes, “Sometimes [the guests] came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission” (Fitzgerald 41). Fitzgerald’s use of juxtaposition contrasts well between the assumed demeanor of Gatsby’s wealthy and civilized guests, to how they are actually “conduct[ing] themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with an amusement park” (41). This implied childish behavior would be considered disrespectful at a high class party such as Gatsby’s, but as only a few guests have met their host, they feel free to act as they please. Nick also discerns, “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whispering and the champagne and the stars” (Fitzgerald 39). Much like the insects that the guests are being compared to, this simile instigates that the majority of Gatsby’s guests are only attracted to him for the light of his wealth and extravagant parties alone. Nick also continues to reference this simile when he notes that "[Gatsby] had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths – so that he could come over some afternoon to [Nick,] a stranger’s, garden" (Fitzgerald 78). This quote also proves that Gatsby had been throwing these parties solely in the hopes of attracting Daisy, as this sentence follows shortly after it being revealed the Gatsby wanted Nick to invite himself and Daisy over for tea. As a result, Gatsby’s lack of companionship with others and his motives behind his lifestyle supports the idea that Gatsby was obsessed with rekindling his love with
In spite of how frequently he throws extravagant parties, they are often for strangers. When Nick arrives at one such party, he observes, “Sometimes [the guests] came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission” (Fitzgerald 41). Fitzgerald’s use of juxtaposition contrasts well between the assumed demeanor of Gatsby’s wealthy and civilized guests, to how they are actually “conduct[ing] themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with an amusement park” (41). This implied childish behavior would be considered disrespectful at a high class party such as Gatsby’s, but as only a few guests have met their host, they feel free to act as they please. Nick also discerns, “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whispering and the champagne and the stars” (Fitzgerald 39). Much like the insects that the guests are being compared to, this simile instigates that the majority of Gatsby’s guests are only attracted to him for the light of his wealth and extravagant parties alone. Nick also continues to reference this simile when he notes that "[Gatsby] had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths – so that he could come over some afternoon to [Nick,] a stranger’s, garden" (Fitzgerald 78). This quote also proves that Gatsby had been throwing these parties solely in the hopes of attracting Daisy, as this sentence follows shortly after it being revealed the Gatsby wanted Nick to invite himself and Daisy over for tea. As a result, Gatsby’s lack of companionship with others and his motives behind his lifestyle supports the idea that Gatsby was obsessed with rekindling his love with