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The Past In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

1195 Words5 Pages

Individuals techniques to deal with the uncertainty of the past can be quite different. While some people strive to let go of the past and move on, others obsess over it and attempt to recreate it in the present. While some people choose to confront their past and try to learn from it, others choose to avoid it entirely. People dealing with their previous issues is a highly personal and intricate process that can have a huge impact on their present and future. F. Scott Fitzgerald examines the theme of the past and its influence on the present in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald makes the suggestion that people frequently find it difficult to deal with the uncertainties of their history and make an effort to duplicate it in the present through …show more content…

Due to this obsession with his previous lover—Daisy— Gatsby fabricates a character and engages in questionable behavior in an effort to get her back. Fitzgerald ultimately uses Gatsby's tale to demonstrate that the past cannot be recreated and that trying to do so can result in disaster.

To win back his former love, Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby deals with the uncertainties of his past by reinventing himself as a wealthy and cultured individual. James Gatz was raised in a rural area of North Dakota as the son of struggling farmers. From an early age, he resented being poor and yearned for riches and elegance. Young James wrote his daily schedule on the inner cover of his favorite children's book, Hopalong Cassidy, which is about a dangerous cowboy who changes himself into a great, clean man, to show how committed Gatsby was to change. According to …show more content…

Jay tries to hide the fact that he is a bootlegger by telling Nick that he used to work in the oil industry, adding only that he owned medicine stores and delivering superficial, non-revealing responses. In order to sound more educated and qualified, he also mentioned that he was an Oxford man. These actions, later on, makes the pursuit of his uncertain past difficult as tensions develop between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby throughout the book. Particularly in Chapter 7, as they enter New York City, the conflict between Gatsby and Buchanan reaches its peak. Daisy is the object of Gatsby's affection, and he wants to hear her explain why she didn't love Tom Buchanan. Daisy, however, is unable to say that because she still has feelings for him and cannot deny their past relationship. This is important because Fitzgerald uses dramatic irony to demonstrate how pessimistic Gatsby is about Daisy and her upcoming remarks. He is convinced that she loves him, but her body language shows that she is uncomfortable and dissatisfied with Gatsby's remarks. Despite his failure, Gatsby is unable to acknowledge it to himself. Gatsby's obsession grew deeper every day, but even after five years, he was unable to comprehend Daisy's intentions for him. Daisy used their interactions as a game and developed a crush on Gatsby in an effort to catch her husband's

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