The past and the present can often be at a constant struggle within individuals and lead to moral confusion and conflict with each other. As the past teaches one thing and the present another, the concept of right or wrong is broken and the idea that both must be embraced is not realized. The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, utilizes numerous elements and literary devices to portray many different themes and topics. Using these, he portrays the struggle between the past and the present. Specifically, Fitzgerald utilizes foreshadow to show us that certain events or conversations hold deeper meaning, relating a future event to a characters past and their struggle through their decisions. He also applies characterization to portray
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We see characters struggle with their past and current situation through hidden meanings and events. We see foreshadow displaying struggle between past and present when characters do not realize that they cannot run from the past and hide behind the present, or vice versa. The quote, “‘Oh you ask too much!’ she cried to Gatsby. ‘I love you now, isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s in the past.’” (Fitzgerald 132), further proves this. The context of this line involves the confrontation between Tom and Gatsby, as he asks Daisy to elope with him and to say she never loved Tom. It foreshadows that Gatsby’s dream is dead, because Daisy is a different person now than she was in the past. She has changed in many ways. She cannot simply shut out her current life and live in the past, however she also cannot hide from the past. She must learn to embrace both, but we see her struggle doing so. The quote foreshadows her irrational decision to run away from the East, Gatsby and her past, however Gatsby’s memories and her past will always haunt her. Furthermore, foreshadow is seen when characters cannot distinguish the difference between the past and present and realize that the present separate from the past. This is seen most with Gatsby, who wants to relive his past with Daisy, as seen in the quote “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and as far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling.” (20). The context of this quote shows Gatsby earnestly reaching out toward the green light on Daisy’s’ dock. Gatsby is lost in memory and the scene foreshadows his longing for Daisy, and to reach the “green light”. There are many metaphor in this line, as it foreshadows that he wishes to swim over the lake to reach the past, however as he reaches, he cannot get to it and separate himself from the present. This shows us Gatsby’s struggle between past and present
We see characters struggle with their past and current situation through hidden meanings and events. We see foreshadow displaying struggle between past and present when characters do not realize that they cannot run from the past and hide behind the present, or vice versa. The quote, “‘Oh you ask too much!’ she cried to Gatsby. ‘I love you now, isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s in the past.’” (Fitzgerald 132), further proves this. The context of this line involves the confrontation between Tom and Gatsby, as he asks Daisy to elope with him and to say she never loved Tom. It foreshadows that Gatsby’s dream is dead, because Daisy is a different person now than she was in the past. She has changed in many ways. She cannot simply shut out her current life and live in the past, however she also cannot hide from the past. She must learn to embrace both, but we see her struggle doing so. The quote foreshadows her irrational decision to run away from the East, Gatsby and her past, however Gatsby’s memories and her past will always haunt her. Furthermore, foreshadow is seen when characters cannot distinguish the difference between the past and present and realize that the present separate from the past. This is seen most with Gatsby, who wants to relive his past with Daisy, as seen in the quote “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and as far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling.” (20). The context of this quote shows Gatsby earnestly reaching out toward the green light on Daisy’s’ dock. Gatsby is lost in memory and the scene foreshadows his longing for Daisy, and to reach the “green light”. There are many metaphor in this line, as it foreshadows that he wishes to swim over the lake to reach the past, however as he reaches, he cannot get to it and separate himself from the present. This shows us Gatsby’s struggle between past and present