The Great Gatsby Past
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s infamous love story of the nineteen twenties, ‘The Great Gatsby’, the plot is taken primarily in past tense of Nick Carraway's perspective. While conversing with Jay Gatsby, Nick states “you cannot repeat the past” (9, 106, VI). Five years prior to the novel taking place, Gatsby is completely and utterly in love with a young woman, Daisy, but when he goes off to war, Daisy can wait no longer for him and marries a rich fellow of the name Tom Buchanan. This marriage is what triggers Gatsby to go back to the past and bring daisy back into his life. By making this statement about the past, Nick was attempting to ease Gatsby into the reality that him and Daisy could never be together. Because the past cannot repeat itself,
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Of course death can not be undone, but the irony of Daisy hitting Myrtle with Gatsby’s car is immense. Myrtle runs out in front of Gatsby’s yellow car, thinking it was Tom, when Daisy hits her, not knowing that she just killed her husband’s mistress. This affects almost every character in the book, Daisy is now a murderer, Gatsby feels the pressure to protect her and Tom is searching for revenge. Nick is told by Gatsby to let all of New York blame Gatsby for Daisy’s crime. Turning the outsider of this story, Nick into a liar, which brings him to the same shallow level as the other rich and materialistic characters in the boook. This brings a vital realization to Nick; that the Buchanans were “Careless people” which changed his view of west and east eggers, even the whole city of broken dreams.
In conclusion, the past events that take place in ‘The Great Gatsby’ shape and form the personalities and characters of this novel. Nick Carraway’s statement “you cannot repeat the past” rings true throughout the story. A major character, Jay Gatsby struggles with accepting the crushing weight of his reality, so he lives in the past. Through this, it teaches Nick to become more aware and mindful of the past. From reading this novel in Nick’s perspective, one may understand that the past cannot be changed, forgotten or repeated, but it can be
Of course death can not be undone, but the irony of Daisy hitting Myrtle with Gatsby’s car is immense. Myrtle runs out in front of Gatsby’s yellow car, thinking it was Tom, when Daisy hits her, not knowing that she just killed her husband’s mistress. This affects almost every character in the book, Daisy is now a murderer, Gatsby feels the pressure to protect her and Tom is searching for revenge. Nick is told by Gatsby to let all of New York blame Gatsby for Daisy’s crime. Turning the outsider of this story, Nick into a liar, which brings him to the same shallow level as the other rich and materialistic characters in the boook. This brings a vital realization to Nick; that the Buchanans were “Careless people” which changed his view of west and east eggers, even the whole city of broken dreams.
In conclusion, the past events that take place in ‘The Great Gatsby’ shape and form the personalities and characters of this novel. Nick Carraway’s statement “you cannot repeat the past” rings true throughout the story. A major character, Jay Gatsby struggles with accepting the crushing weight of his reality, so he lives in the past. Through this, it teaches Nick to become more aware and mindful of the past. From reading this novel in Nick’s perspective, one may understand that the past cannot be changed, forgotten or repeated, but it can be