Authors message: deception affects when one falls in love and when one realizes reality. Gatsby is unable to forget the past (the past is the past we must move forward)
How does one truly know they have fallen in love? What does falling in love even feel like? According to Oxford Language, love is when one feels a deep affection towards a person that is filled with great intensity. The only problem is where is the line drawn between love and obsession? How does one distinguish between the feeling of affection from those of infatuation? A perfect example of someone who can not distinguish that imaginary thin line is James Gatz, famously known as Gatsby. He believes that he has truly fallen in love with Daisy Fay since the day they first met. Gatsby has had his fair share of ‘relationships’ before, but to him Daisy is special, more than all of his previous encounters. When Gatsby discovers Daisy has married someone else, he can’t seem to let go of the past and move forward which is seen through the use of symbolism by Fitzgerald when stating “[Gatsby] was running down like an overwound clock” (92) expressing Gatsby’s botched attempt to rewind time back to that moment Gatsby and Daisy shared together. Though despite all rational thoughts, Gatsby truly believes he can make it happen, he can go back to that moment five years ago and have Daisy not just fall in love with him again but to spend a life with him. For him knowing she loves him isn’t enough. James Gatz was a bit of a player, he was popular amongst the female population. What we understand from the novel, Daisy had not engaged in sexual relations before meeting James Gatz. As he was getting ready to deploy off to war they spent a lot of time together and grew close forming a bond. This mutual affection resulted in a moment in which Daisy gave him her flower. He was left with this memory to cherish for about 5 years while away at war, something that may have helped during times of sadness and despair. This is where Gatsby’s love transforms into an obsession, it becomes the only thought that can get him through each grim day.
Gatsby was crazy, acting like a girl with a crush. Planning what to say, and what Daisy would say. Planning ways to bump into her. Gatsby has passed love and it has turned into an obsession, and will not let go of the way it was before the war. Gatsby can not find true love because he thinks there is no one besides Daisy and doesn’t want to give up the fantasy of them together. He even worked hard to become wealthy just to have her and can not accept the realization that this was in the past and never will be now in the present or in the future.
When Gatsby bought his house after asking Nick to have a tea party. It was a strange coincidence but not at all, “‘Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay’”(78).
“He was running down like an overwound clock”(92).
Symbolic meaning of the green light (93)
“No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart”(96).
“That voice was a deathless song”(96).
“…an outlet for [Gatsby’s] imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing”(99).
“‘I feel far away from her’… ‘it’s hard to make her understand’”(109).
“He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she could go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you’”(109)-132
“‘Can’t repeat the past?’…. ‘Why of course you can!’”(110)
Flashback on page 110-111
130-131 Obsession description from Gatsby and Tom’s realization that Gatsby and Daisy were not fooling around
132 He asks Daisy again to tell Tom she doesn’t love him.
“He spoke as if Daisy’s reaction was all that mattered. (143)
Gatsby was going to take the blame for running over Myrtle to prove his ‘love’ to her.
First nice girl he had ever known. It increased her value in his eyes. Took her because he had no real right to touch her hand. (148-149)
“Getting deeper in love every minute” (150).
“-and love me more even then”(152).
Page 152 obsession, left Paris.
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