Throughout this chapter, the theme of how the past signify the future has been consistently presented through the idea of time. Gatsby’s long-awaited measure to meet Daisy has finally come true, but due to nervousness, he almost knocked over a clock and, “...believed for a moment that it had smashed in pieces on the floor.” Although it was an accident, Gatsby’s clumsy action symbolizes his attempt to stop time and retrieve the past. For 5 years, Gatsby’s success was built from nothing, but with the intention to impress Daisy. Now, with everything, Gatsby is trying to pull back time, as an attempt to reconcile his relationship with Daisy; although time, itself, can never be pulled backward without being fractured. Fitzgerald’s implication of
