The Great Gatsby Reflection

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“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Fitzgerald 189). This well-known quote from arguably one of the most acclaimed novels of the 19th century sets up the theme of The Great Gatsby perfectly; as the story progresses, it is clear that the main character is destined to stand still in his past, all attempts at moving forward in vain. Jay Gatsby is the epitome of mystery: his past is murky even to himself, the vast amount of money he seems to have pulled from the sky like rain*, and how he has come to be in New York provide evidence of his secretive lifestyle. The only constant reader’s can cling to about Gatsby is that he is in love with a married woman and mother, Daisy Buchanan, but even this love …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s mind, truly bringing you beyond reading with outrageous visuals. My favorite scene in the entire novel, without a doubt, has to be the party scene at Gatsby’s mansion. This chapter is filled to the brim with visuals that bring you back to the fashion of the roaring twenties, bring you back to the jazz era, bring you back to New York in the 1920s*. Not only could I imagine what is going on at the party, it was almost as if I could hear the “whole pit of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos and low and high drums” (Fitzgerald 44). The description of the food alone- “On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d’oeuvres, spiced baked hams crowded against salads… and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold”- made my mouth water like the Mississippi* (Fitzgerald 44). There was romance and wild fun in the air, with everyone dressed, and intoxicated, for the occasion. An additional part of the book that really stuck out for me visually was Gatsby’s death scene. The occurrence obviously doesn’t have a very detailed explanation because the story is told from Nick’s perspective and he wasn’t at Gatsby’s house when he was shot, but rather after it happened. What Nick sees when he arrives, however, is haunting: “There was a faint, barely perceptible movement of the water as the fresh flow from one end urged its way towards the drain at the …show more content…
The refined themes and established symbols make it clear that the story of Jay Gatsby is one that should never cease to be told by teachers and comprehended by

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