ipl-logo

The Past In The Great Gatsby

724 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gatsby's problems with wealth

In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the past comes up quite a bit for a few of the characters and Fitzgerald shows how the past affects each of the characters. Each character in the book has their own unique characteristics that create who they are. In this book it is explained what happened in Gatsby’s past and how he was able to become the successful person that he now. Throughout the book, Fitzgerald shows us how Gatsby keeps looking back at his past, especially when Daisy is involved she is everything to him and the biggest reason that he wants what he had in the past to come back. Successful futures cannot be justified by the unethical actions of the past. In chapter 6, Gatsby tells us the truth about his past how he changed his last name and worked for a man who left Gatsby with some of his money when he died but, Ella Kaye stole it. He worked with Dan Cody and started to realize his obsession with being wealthy. He wanted to become wealthy himself one day. As Gatsby goes through his life, …show more content…

Throughout the book Gatsby uses his actions and events that happened in the past to either bring it back or move on from it. His love for Daisy started in the past, and it is so strong that he wants to bring back what they had and not leave it. Nick takes us through his story as he learns more about this character who, for everyone else in the book, is a mystery and no one really knows where he came from and what his past really was. The way he started off getting his money doing illegal actions was not exactly the right thing. When Daisy leaves Gatsby for Tom he is devastated because Daisy was everything to him and he wanted to recreate what they had in the past. Due to the evidence provided above that is why even though Gatsby obtained the wealth that he wanted it was through unethical means it did not help with his biggest goal of winning Daisy’s love

Show More
Related
1044 Words | 5 Pages

“The orgastic future [...] year by year recedes before us” and the past consumes us with its “moments of hope and promise and wonder” (Fitzgerald 180, Parr 76). To be human is to be unfulfilled, always wanting more, but such aspirations often prevent one from living in the present. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, an obsession with the past consumes the lives of many of those living in an “universe of ineffable gaudiness” (Fitzgerald 99). Using a motif of water, Fitzgerald traces Jay Gatsby’s relationship with the past, to reveal that those who attempt to escape the past will remain there should they mistake it for the future. In the short term, they often recognize and attempt to overcome the shortcomings of their own

Read More
864 Words | 4 Pages

With his mind set on his dream life he hoped to once live, Gatsby tries to press on into the future yet is offset by the effects of his past. The Great Gatz hides from his past, his means and his truth in order to win back Daisy’s love. “‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’”

Read More
1396 Words | 6 Pages

Gatsby has spent numerous years trying to authenticate to Daisy, and the populace around him, that he is worthy of her. If Mr. Gatsby were to give that up now, he would lose what he feels is his entire life. Since this is not possible, he has to contend to convince to others that he truly is old money rather than old money. Due to this, he has consumed his life around her and refuses modify his ways. “‘ Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly.”

Read More
1175 Words | 5 Pages

Obsession can blind you, it can stop you from paying attention to the possible mistakes you can make because you are so focused on your goal you don’t think about anything but that. In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a fiction novel, published on April 10th 1925. Fitzgerald shows that Gatsby’s obsession with his of idea Daisy led to temporary successes that eventually led to failures. His obsession with the idea of what he thought of was the perfect Daisy led to his illegal money making business; his obsession with Daisy also led to him having no real friends and thirdly, no true love.

Read More
1374 Words | 6 Pages

Gatsby is in love with the symbol of Daisy. If obtains the privilege to obtain her, it would mean that he is truly old money. This completes the idea that he has turned himself into old money. It is so important to obtain her because that is the girl he’s gone after for years. This is all he knows.

Read More
838 Words | 4 Pages

Although Nick believes it’s mendacious, Gatsby uses this part of his past to take control of the present. His past with Daisy has been the part where he keeps romanticizing as he is being

Read More
410 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is crazy because of his love obsession with Daisy. Throughout the book, Gatsby has been a mysterious rich guy whom no one knows anything about besides rumors regarding him. No one knows why he lives there, why he throws all the parties, and how he makes all of his money. As Nick and Gatsby create a friendship, Gatsby begins to trust Nick and lays the truth on him. As a result, Gatsby admits his love for Daisy.

Read More
1039 Words | 5 Pages

Gatsby was becoming desperate to make Nick happy so he’d agree to the plan of inviting Daisy over for tea. Gatsby was setting himself up for failure by becoming so desperate to see Daisy again. Also, Gatsby is bribing Nick into becoming his friend rather than really developing a relationship with Nick. For example, Gatsby offers to have someone cut Nick 's grass and offers Nick to join him in some business he does on the side. Gatsby was over reacting to inviting Daisy over.

Read More
507 Words | 3 Pages

At the beginning of the book we find out that Gatsby is Nick's next door neighbor and Nick wants to learn more about the mysteries of Gatsby. Gatsby lied about his past by saying it was great while he had to bring himself up. Gatsby left for the war and while he was enlisted he and Daisy sent letters of communication. Daisy made it a point to explain “I wish we could just run away. ”even

Read More
756 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby’s dreams and aspirations in life are rather interesting and amazing as he goes about his life in the book. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald helps highlight the social, moral, and political issue that were very present during the 1920’s and today. Gatsby is the focus of the book as before the book began, he was an ex-soldier who came to wealth by some rather illegal ways. Daisy a married woman is his person of interest, who was his ex-lover 5 years before the book started. Gatsby’s actions, and words demonstrate a clear obsession with Daisy that seems to have no end.

Read More
839 Words | 4 Pages

In The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, one of the characters is “stuck in the past”. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is constantly longing for a past relationship he had with a woman named Daisy, who moved on from Gatsby and married another man when Gatsby left for the war. Gatsby’s view of the past is used to develop a major theme of the novel: the moral decay of society. The novel begins with Nick, the narrator saying how the events that happened in New York, where the novel takes place, caused him to leave, and how he doesn’t like any of the people he was involved with.

Read More
988 Words | 4 Pages

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby main character, Jay Gatsby develops in many ways. Jay Gatsby’s mysteriousness, loving nature towards others, and boldness towards other changes at a wide span throughout the book. All of these lead to his death by gunshot. All of these areas that Gatsby changes in make Tom more suspicious of him. He then tells his former lover’s husband that Gatsby killed his wife because Tom is upset with Gatsby.

Read More
1122 Words | 5 Pages

Daisy however, very heartbroken and anxious to start a family, failed to wait for Gatsby while he was at war and she vulnerably fell in love with Tom and his money. Throughout the time Gatsby was away she grew and developed mentally, leaving him to love someone that no longer existed. When Gatsby says “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!”(Fitzgerald 110)it shows how his imagination has affected his sense of reality. He became lost in the idea that he could get Daisy back and things would automatically return to how they were before he went away.

Read More
2095 Words | 9 Pages

"I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before, he said, nodding determinedly. She'll see" (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby had an idea in his head about Daisy and would not let it go. His need to repeat the past, the perfect image he had of Daisy, and the unrelenting need of completing his task of gaining back Daisy is awful for him and the people around him. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Gatsby's obsession with the past is what ultimately led him to his death.

Read More
853 Words | 4 Pages

Jay Gatsby, the title character of the novel “The Great Gatsby” is a man that can not seem to live without the love of his life. Trying to win Daisy over consumes Gatsby’s life as he tries to become the person he thinks she would approve of. What most readers do not realize is that Jay Gatsby’s character mirrors many personality traits and concerns that the author of novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald, had. In fact, Gatsby and Fitzgerald are similar in that they both had a girl they wanted to win over, took a strong stance on alcohol, and ironically both had similar funerals, also, both people also symbolize the American dream.

Read More

More about The Past In The Great Gatsby

Open Document