How Does F Scott Fitzgerald Use Time In The Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the word time appears 450 times throughout the novel, either by itself or in a compound word. Fitzgerald’s excessive repetition of the word emphasizes the fact that time is an important concept to the overall design of the book; in this novel, it serves as a major theme that portrays that fact that we collectively as humans cannot alter and control time, no matter how hard we try. Fitzgerald’s characters are seen both trying to live in the past and skip ahead and towards the future -- each is on a separate journey to achieve their own personal dreams -- while avoiding what is presently at stake in their lives. For every character in the novel, issues arise due to the relationship between their pasts and their futures, as well as their lack of personal responsibility for the choices they make in navigating the present between these two time gaps. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald uses clocks and time -- specifically the mantelpiece clock -- to support Gatsby’s hopes of winning Daisy after having lost her, as well as his inability to let Daisy, or rather

Gatsby had spent so much time amassing wealth to win Daisy over. That the clock is broken symbolizes his efforts to win her were broken and a complete waste of his time. After catching the clock to keep it from breaking, Gatsby apologizes profusely to Nick, who assures him that it does not matter because the clock is already broken. However, Gatsby carefully places it back in its place as if it is a previous object. This could be viewed as a symbol of Gatsby’s refusal to let his relationship with Daisy go. (elaborate.) Daisy, too, drops a lot of her socialite persona when she and Gatsby finally are together. Her tears of joy are real; she is honestly happy to have seen him succeed so wildly. But like the broken clock, neither can stop time, go back to the past, or control the