The Great Gatsby Quote Analysis

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Contending with The Past
“The Great Gatsby” is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, during the Jazz Age. The story is revealed through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a simple man that works on Wall Street and lives in the West Egg. Many of the characters in “The Great Gatsby” have deep and strong connections to the past. One of the main characters, Jay Gatsby, is someone who lives and dwells on the past throughout the novel, more so than any of the other main characters. Fitzgerald clearly shows Gatsby’s love and obsession with the past and with Daisy, and he does so by revealing Gatsby’s choices and judgements throughout the novel. The author displays this to the reader to help support and drive the main plot. Daisy was in love with …show more content…

In the novel, Nick states, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 78). This quote demonstrates Gatsby’s willingness and desire to finally have Daisy as his own. He purchased an enormous castle across from Daisy in the hope that she would stumble into his dwelling one afternoon. Nick was asked if he could invite Daisy over to his house so that Gatsby and Daisy may meet “unexpectedly”. Nick said to himself, “The modesty of the demand shook me. He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths--so that he could come over some afternoon to a stranger's garden” (Fitzgerald 76). Gatsby needed an excuse to be at Nick’s house when he met Daisy. This is part of the reason Gatsby purchased the large estate. This event shows how desperate and wanting of Daisy Gatsby truly is, and how he is more in love with the old Daisy, rather than the current one. He craves the idea of their relationship before Tom, and he is infatuated with his own …show more content…

“My Finn informed me that Gatsby had dismissed every servant in his house and replaced them…” (Fitzgerald 113). Daisy has been visiting Gatsby from time to time, and Gatsby was concerned that they were going to spread rumors of their relationship, because Daisy is married. In turn, Gatsby fired all of his servants and replaced them with new ones. Gatsby had his servants for quite some time, so it was probably very difficult for him to make the decision, but he did to protect Daisy. Gatsby’s actions demonstrate how much he wants Daisy to embrace him rather than shun him and how much he desires to be with her. But it is too late for Gatsby because she is already married to Tom, and Daisy isn’t decisive or confident enough to make such a key decision for herself. Gatsby is still obsessed with his past visions of Daisy, rather than what she has become

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