Examples Of Hope In The Great Gatsby

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” This statement shows that even in times of complete despair, there is still hope to look for. Four very different books support this universal theme and can be tied together by infinite hope. In Night, the victims of the holocaust continue to look past the hate of the Nazis. In The Great Gatsby, Jay and Daisy hold onto whatever they think is hope, despite their withered love. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch children somehow held onto hope as racism surrounded their lives. Finally, the climbers from Into Thin Air, displayed a profusion of hope as they stare death in the face, but choose to hike upwards anyway. The theme of finding hope

The best example of hope in a hopeless world for Night is when the Jewish people continue to live their lives as normal as possible. Such instances include Juliek playing his violin. Juliek is a very short-lived character, but he makes an impact on Eliezer. His violin was very symbolic as it made the camp victims, not only see hope, but hear it as well. Juliek provided beautiful music and delivered the most amount of hope in the novel. The perseverance that the Jewish people display is like none other. Even as their population is dwindling from famine and execution, characters like Elie keep their heads up, even if that means watching the life leave people’s eyes from the pressure of the nooses. “And so he remained for more than half an hour, lingering between life and death, writhing before our eyes. And we were forced to look at him at close range” (Wiesel 65). Although hope is expressed by the Jewish prisoners, they still need a great deal of outside help. When all optimism is used and Elie’s father is on the verge of death, a final stroke of hope is spread upon Buchenwald. The American army comes to the rescue of the few remaining Jews. The finale of the novel left the Jewish captives with a great deal of appreciation for everyone that helped them survive. At the end of the day, when exhaustion and famine consumed the victims, they were fed only with a cup of

Scott Fitzgerald. Every character has their own tangible object that symbolizes their hope. For instance, Gatsby’s image of hope resides within the shining green light from across the bay. Jay gazes into the bright green light from his own dock, wishing that one day, he and Daisy would be reunited. On the other hand, Daisy sees a few items as hopeful. She views the color white as hope; she loves the white flowers that Gatsby surprises her with and she values his white shirts in a distinct way that usually goes unnoticed. Nick Carraway’s image of hope isn’t too far away from him. Instead of across the bay, Nick’s hope lies in his neighbor’s mansion. Nick looks out his own window and sees this spectacular life full of engagement and adrenaline. Although it is never said within the novel, Nick longs for a life like this, he longs for a life like Gatsby’s. Three very distinct images of hope apply to three very distinct characters. Jay, Daisy, and Nick may hope for their own different reasons, but they all wish for a better future. Another example of hope in the novel is the hopeful relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. The two “lovers” hold tight to their old hope as they ride the waves of their past life. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Fitzgerald 182). Both Jay and Daisy make the mistake of assuming that their lives would be the same as when Gatsby went to war.