What Is The Past In The Great Gatsby

Memories are a window into the past, and through this window one is able to reflect upon the decisions they have made and the future that lies ahead. This is true of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. There is nothing wrong with remembering the good times, but living in the past just leads oneself to tragedy and dissatisfaction. Jay Gatsby states, “I don't think she ever loved him. You must remember, old sport, she was very excited this afternoon” (Fitzgerald 117) In relation to the theme, memory of the past; Gatsby is living in the past, everything he does now is related directly to the tenets of the past. He is stuck to the memories and the past of Daisy and their the life they had a long time ago and he cannot bring himself to move …show more content…
A memory of the past is the capacity of reviving events and feelings. Nick states, “No telephone message arrived, but the butler went without his sleep and waited for it until four o'clock – until long after there was anyone to give it to if it came. I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn't believe it would come, and perhaps he no longer cared. If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream” (Fitzgerald 124). It is evident in Nicks narration that Gatsby is only doing all these grand things for one reason, which is to relive his past since all he thinks about is the memories he had once a time ago. He pays a high price for living too long with a single dream, with him never moving on it has caused his death. He tried to get with a married women and resulting in him passing away. His dream to get Daisy back has made him crazy trying to do everything possible to the way he thinks she wants it. All he wants to do is relive the past, and to her the past as just a sole memory. Similarly, the visual represented for the memory of the past is a representation of young Gatsby and Daisy growing apart from each other but always having a