How Is The Past Presented In The Great Gatsby

Thomas Merton once said, “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” What can be said about this is we need to embrace our person for who they are and not who we like to think they are. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby feels love is monogamous, through an idealized, obsessive pursuit in order to recover the past. Throughout the novel, Gatsby’s view on love is shown greatly idealized due to his romanticized memories of the past. In chapter 6, Nick reflects on Gatsby's obsession with the past. Nick observes, “He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself

Again in chapter 6, Gatsby got uptight about Nick’s comment on not being able to repeat the past. Gatsby cried, “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before. She’ll see” (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby’s assertiveness on being able to recreate the past as it was, aligning with his idealized view of Daisy, displays his perception of love. Additionally, Gatsby’s love for Daisy is seen to be an obsessive pursuit which motivates his actions throughout the novel. In chapter 5, Nick observes how Gatsby shows Daisy around his lavish home. Fitzgerald writes, “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (Fitzgerald 91). Gatsby’s fixation on Daisy’s reactions to his possessions expresses his fluid opinions, dependent on her judgment and strong desire to impress Daisy. Another example of his obsession was told by Jordan Baker to Nick when talking about Daisy’s and Gatsby’s past. Jordan informed Nick, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the