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Passage Analysis: The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Jadyn Soares Mr. Rollenhagen American Literature (F) January 25, 2023 The Great Gatsby: Passage Analysis This passage occurs following Gatsby’s funeral, after Nick chooses to go back home to the west and, on his last day in West Egg, decides to pay one last visit to Gatsby’s house. The language used in this passage conveys the impact that Gatsby had on Nick. Nick’s caring and dedication to Gatsby’s house display the loyalty and faithfulness he and Gatsby had in each other. As Nick goes over to Gatsby’s for the last time, he notices “an obscene word [on the white steps]” (Fitzgerald 179-180). Instead of simply passing by and forgetting about it, he chooses to get down on his hands and knees to erase it. Though Gatsby is no longer alive to witness Nick’s favor, Nick does his best to …show more content…

While laying on the sand of Gatsby’s beach, Nick begins to think of the first settlers that came to America. He states that the island which Dutch sailors discovered was a “fresh, green breast of the new world” that gratified “all human dreams” (Fitzgerald 180). In this statement, Nick equates their ‘green breast’ to Gatsby’s hopes and dreams—his green light, Daisy, in the distance. In making this comparison, Nick shows that dreams should be enchanted, not materialistic—as he feels that “as the moon rose higher, the inessential houses began to melt away” (Fitzgerald 180). The moon, which could symbolize the romantic part of his dream, gets bigger and bigger as the materialistic mansions that surround him become less and less significant. This statement resembles Gatsby’s life, as his success resulted from his desire to gain monetary wealth so that he could impress the only person he truly longed for—Daisy. Thus, Nick’s reflections portray the influence that Gatsby had on Nick, by displaying that every person should have their green light, or their romantic dream, which motivates

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