The Down-to-Earth, Mentally Stable Gatsby

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Like a clock or a Rube Goldberg device, the plot of The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a specimen of fine machinery. If at any moment a piece fails, the structure of the entire story will cease to function as intended. If Gatsby had not stumbled upon the excursions of Dan Cody, if Gatsby had sent his letter to Daisy a few months sooner, if Gatsby had passed the house of Myrtle Wilson a moment earlier: all of these scenarios constitute a much different telling of the life of James Gatz. Every event falls perfectly into place to give the reader a coincidental but telling story of wealth and its corruptions. Nonetheless, as a broken clock can still be used as decoration, these alternate realities can still hold a powerful message as well. For example, had he not enlisted in the military, Gatsby’s life would be a drastically different tale involving rejection, defeat and acceptance.
Some of the most defining moments of Gatsby’s story are his first encounters with Daisy, but would this meeting have occurred if Gatsby was not a military man? The answer is almost assuredly no. Gatsby met Daisy while stationed at Camp Taylor, a place he never would have been had he not been enlisted. Also, Gatsby only found out of Daisy’s existence because he went to her house with a group of other officers. Gatsby’s chances of meeting Daisy drop considerably if he does not join the military. Even if Gatsby happened upon Daisy on the accord of fate itself, he would no longer possess the military garb in which to shroud his secrets. This young, dirty vagrant would find little in the lane of compassion from the snobbery of Daisy and her exclusive lifestyle. It is clear to see that if Gatsby had chosen to stay out of the military, he would ...

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...s interesting, then, that by removing one puzzle piece, a person could unveil a new picture formed by the pieces, one that is disturbingly similar to the pictures formed in so many other lives. In one foul swoop, a man held in such majesty, with enough hopefulness to inspire readers for a hundred years, is brought to his knees and is forced to reveal himself as an average man with dreams far taller than the any redwood and failures as biting as the coldest wind. The final result of a Gatsby claimed victim by normality is simple what you would call a normal man. The contrast between the real Gatsby and our Gatsby is shocking. From his beliefs to his actions, there is no doubt that a Gatsby stricken by the hard, cold fist of real life acts more subdued than a battered spouse. It is pitiful to imagine and begs the question, does being normal really just mean giving up?

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