As George R. R. Martin said “Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.” Jay Gatsby is essentially an innocent victim (romantic idealist) who is destroyed by his inability to accept reality. Gatsby has been pining after Daisy for years. They dated briefly before Gatsby was drafted into the service to fight the war. While he was away, Daisy Fay married Tom Buchanan, an old money polo player from Chicago. From then on, Gatsby is a prime example of denial. His whole life is focused on Daisy and trying to repeat the past. Sometimes people get so focused on one thing that they find it hard to accept what is really happening. Gatsby is a romantic idealist. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of idealism is “the attitude of a person who believes that it is possible to live according to very high standards of behavior and honesty”
…show more content…
There are definitely people who live in the past or cannot move on from a past event. The book is called ‘The Great Gatsby’ and although he made some questionable decisions and choices, it is true. “Gatsby is great, because his dream, however naïve, gaudy, and unattainable, is one of the grand illusions of the race which keep men from becoming too old or too wise or too cynical of their human limitations” (Koster 40). It is sad to see a person be obsessed with an impossible dream, to the exclusion of any other life option. What if Gatsby had realized after a few months that his quest for Daisy was doomed? What if he had learned to accept that he and Daisy would never be? He would likely have mourned the loss of what he thought he had, and then would probably have been open to finding a true love. People cannot exclude options in their life, especially if the current one leaves you suffering. Being wise enough to know what can be changed and what cannot be, allows a person some peace of mind through acceptance and moving on with
There are definitely people who live in the past or cannot move on from a past event. The book is called ‘The Great Gatsby’ and although he made some questionable decisions and choices, it is true. “Gatsby is great, because his dream, however naïve, gaudy, and unattainable, is one of the grand illusions of the race which keep men from becoming too old or too wise or too cynical of their human limitations” (Koster 40). It is sad to see a person be obsessed with an impossible dream, to the exclusion of any other life option. What if Gatsby had realized after a few months that his quest for Daisy was doomed? What if he had learned to accept that he and Daisy would never be? He would likely have mourned the loss of what he thought he had, and then would probably have been open to finding a true love. People cannot exclude options in their life, especially if the current one leaves you suffering. Being wise enough to know what can be changed and what cannot be, allows a person some peace of mind through acceptance and moving on with