People often times wish to create a new image for themselves by completely severing ties with the past. However, despite Jay Gatsby’s recreation of his social status in The Great Gatsby does not free him from his enduring past that holds memories of his precious lover Daisy. Fitzgerald uses numerous details to shape symbols pertaining to the past and vivid imagery to provide an overall nostalgic tone throughout this novel that heavily incorporates Jay Gatsby’s past in the whole plot development.
Starting as a impoverished young man named James Gatz, he falls in love with Daisy and lets her believe that he is of the same high social status as she. They fall deeply in love, but ultimately part ways after he leaves America to serve in World War One. Daisy loses patience, and ends up marrying Tom Buchanan. Upon learning this, Gatz devotes his life to reconstructing his social status. He resorts to bootlegging in a desperate attempt to completely terminate his sad past life of squalor and poverty so that maybe he has a chance of winning his dear Daisy back. By changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby, he both literally creates a new name for himself while also figuratively producing a completely new person.
Eventually, Gatsby reconnects with Daisy through his accquantaince Nick Carraway. While the three of them are conversing, the clock on the mantle falls. Fitzgerald accounts how Gatsby dramatically catches it, emphasizing how important this is symbolically by writing more than just a sentence or two about the occurrence. The clock falling is an emblem of the past, as Gatsby tries to rekindle the flame that was once there with Daisy. The falling clock also represents time that the two of them are losing, and Gatsby saving the clock demonstrates his effort to stop that by winning her back.
Fitzgerald switches up the settings of his chapters, not keeping the typically expected chronological sequence of events. He frequently jumps from the past to present and back to past in order to give certain happenings more meaning. His imagery, such as that to describe the past moment of Daisy and Gatsby together, makes the past seem like a much more pleasant setting and makes readers just as nostalgic as Gatsby. Fitzgerald evokes feelings such as sadness and loneliness in the present that convinces readers how much better the past is.
Throughout Fitzgerald’s timeless classic, his details and imagery make the readers of the novel look romantically on the past. But despite Gatsby’s recreation of himself as a wealthy upperclass gentleman, he does not successfully detach himself from his former life. His love for Daisy not only forces him to look backwards, but also serves as a constant reminder of how he truly does not belong to her social status.
I rather enjoyed this essay of yours! You are able to couple plot description along with analysis in a very balanced way, I almost never had the sense that you were describing the novel too much and examining the techniques and meanings too little. I particularly enjoyed your thoughts on the symbolism of the falling clock and its relationship with the past.
ReplyDeleteI personally have never had the time to read “The Great Gatsby”, in saying that, I am at a disadvantage when critiquing your essay. With my limited knowledge of the novel, I would have like a little more explanation of the plot, however, insofar as an open prompt essay goes, I felt you did quite well!
Open Prompt:
ReplyDeleteThe Great Gatsby is a perfect example for this one. Fitzgerald’s novel is all about the past influencing the present. Your description of the plot is really detailed, and while this might be great for any other class, AP Lit essays to not reward plot summary. I like your description of the clock falling scene, but what is the clock exactly? A symbol? A motif? If you are really specific in describing your techniques, the AP people will love you. The way you tied the techniques into the mood was quite excellent. You are definitely on the right track!