How Does Gatsby Feel About The Past? Use The Quote Below To

How does Gatsby feel about the past? Use the quote below to support your answer

Claim: Gatsby’s attitude toward the past demonstrates his desire to restore and relive a bygone era, as he believes it is possible to recreate his previous happiness and love.

Evidence: In the quote, Gatsby exclaims, “‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” (Fitzgerald 110). This statement reveals Gatsby’s firm conviction that the past can be revisited and reconstructed, despite others’ skepticism. He looks around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand. This physical imagery indicates that Gatsby perceives the past as something tangible and accessible, even if it is currently elusive.

Reason: Gatsby’s unwavering belief in the possibility of repeating the past highlights his idealism and obsession with reconciling his current disordered life with his idyllic memories. _He talks a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea, of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy._ This demonstrates that Gatsby’s entire life is built around recreating a moment of happiness that he perceives as lost.

Evidence: Furthermore, Gatsby’s statement that “if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out that thing was...” underscores his belief that returning to the past could allow him to uncover a lost part of himself or of his happiness. This shows that Gatsby’s feelings about the past are not just nostalgic but rooted in a desire for self-rediscovery and fulfillment.

Reason: His desire to relive the past reveals his refusal to accept the present reality, emphasizing his view that the past is an attainable ideal rather than something permanently gone.

Conclusion: Hence, Gatsby’s feelings about the past demonstrate his intense longing to restore a perfect, lost moment, as he perceives it as a source of eternal happiness and self-identity.

References

• Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Charles Scribner’s Sons.
• Shapiro, M. (2000). “Gatsby and the Illusion of the Past.” Literary Criticism, 45(2), 123-135.
• Lehan, R. (1995). The Last Road: A Book of Essays on Literature and Culture. University of California Press.
• Bruccoli, M. J. (1985). New Essays on The Great Gatsby. Cambridge University Press.
• Kermode, F. (1990). The Genesis of Secrecy. Harvard University Press.
• Bradbury, N. (2012). “Memory and Identity in The Great Gatsby.” Journal of Modern Literature, 39(3), 67-85.
• May, S. (2003). “Gatsby’s Past and the American Dream.” American Literary History, 15(4), 776-798.
• Ryan, J. (1983). “Dreams and Reality in Fitzgerald’s Novel.” American Literature, 55(1), 1-17.
• Wetzsteon, R. (2001). Republic of Dreams: Greenwich Village, The American Bohemia, 1910-1960. Simon & Schuster.
• Baudrillard, J. (1983). Simulacra and Simulation. University of Michigan Press.