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Societal Norms In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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“I would trade all my tomorrows for one single yesterday” — Janis Joplin. The Great Gatsby describes the conflicting relationship of romance and longing in an elite area of Long Island, New York, through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a young army veteran and stranger to the East Coast. Nick becomes entangled in fellow veteran Jay Gatsby’s search for forbidden love and realizes in The Great Gatsby that reliving the past ruins one’s future. Gatsby’s failure to leave his past behind him is evident in two ways: his refusal to recognize that his dream life with Daisy is purely wishful thinking and his resistance to conform to societal norms (a mindset developed by his poor upbringing). Romance and dedication are inherently important for one’s well-being, but never in excess. Jay Gatsby loved too hard, …show more content…

It was because of Cody’s help and Gatsby’s refusal to conform to societal norms as a child that he began to partake in illegal operations as an adult, be it bootlegging or illegally betting on sports games (reportedly). Gatsby became remarkably corrupt and immoral as a result, but only because he saw that society’s failure to support him as a child meant that he had no responsibility to obey the inherent laws of society. Had Gatsby become an honest man after his time with Cody, had he let go of the idea that an individual has a two-sided contract with society, had he realized that life is not fair, he would have been able to prevent his unfortunate past from controlling his future. As seen in The Great Gatsby, looking back to the past is a dangerous habit. Fitzgerald teaches readers an important lesson: to let the past be and to never try to recreate it. This advice is especially relevant today given its importance in helping people let things go, whether that be loved ones who recently passed, failing a drivers test, or an angry exchange with a significant

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