At the turn of the 20th century, the American people experienced a turbulent change in the way they viewed the world. During the preceding Romantic Period, originating in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, literature and thought focused on hopeful longing, romantic optimism and an abundant use of flowery, complex language, both in the spoken and written word. Romantic poets such as John Keats and William Wordsworth used intricate metaphors and descriptive imagery to give vast, inspiring meaning to their works, which usually encompassed topics such as love, life and belonging. To describe the beauty of this time period, French poet Charles Baudelaire stated, "to say the word Romanticism is to say modern art -- that is, intimacy, spirituality,
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Five years prior to the beginning of the novel, Gatsby met Daisy and fell deeply in love. Knowing that if he chose to love this woman, "his mind would never romp again like the mind of God," this "incarnation," as Nick describes it, marks the beginning of Gatsby's irrepressible desire, binding himself to Daisy forever, and thus disabling him from ever reaching the absolute height of his "Platonic" potential (Fitzgerald 119). It is this moment that Gatsby wishes to reside in for the remainder of his days -- the peak of his desire and the split-second duration of his greatest achievement. Everything seemed to be perfect for Gatsby in that moment, and from then, came the downfall; the war, Tom, and the fact that Gatsby's parents were "dirt poor" farmers in North Dakota curtailed his ability to hold on to Daisy, and would serve as the impetus for his feeble endeavor to recreate the past by creating a new Gatsby -- the rich and sociable West Egg bachelor. Nick Carraway puts Gatsby's dream to test when he states simply "you can't repeat the past;" however, Gatsby cannot see this, responding to Nick, "Can't relive the past? Of course you can" (Fitzgerald 119). Thus, Gatsby is doomed to realize his aspirations of becoming greater than himself and winning Daisy from Tom will never amount to more than just that -- …show more content…
There is a special essence surrounding Gatsby that makes him entirely different from other characters in the story -- including Nick. The Buchanans are "careless people," focused solely on the present; Tom possesses no drive for the future other than a fruitless search for monetary gain, and Daisy's pessimistic persona seeps even into her one desire for her daughter -- that she becomes a fool and remains ignorant forever, as to never become aware of the cruelness and insensitivity of life. Even Nick, the man who venerates Gatsby the most in the entire novel, fails to take action for his friend, remaining a passive narrator of the events rather than an active participant in Gatsby's plan to win over Daisy -- or even an active opponent. If Nick had shown more concern for his friend, either by showing him the past truly could not be recreated or telling him of the familial sincerity between Daisy and Tom the night of Myrtle's death -- the culmination of five years of irreversible intimacy -- it is possible he could have unveiled Gatsby's blind desire. Instead, Nick's inability to act is show through the fact he only paid Gatsby one compliment throughout the entirety of the story, "You're worth the whole damn bunch altogether" (Fitzgerald 164). At the end of the novel, Nick is as much to blame as the rest of the "foul dust
Five years prior to the beginning of the novel, Gatsby met Daisy and fell deeply in love. Knowing that if he chose to love this woman, "his mind would never romp again like the mind of God," this "incarnation," as Nick describes it, marks the beginning of Gatsby's irrepressible desire, binding himself to Daisy forever, and thus disabling him from ever reaching the absolute height of his "Platonic" potential (Fitzgerald 119). It is this moment that Gatsby wishes to reside in for the remainder of his days -- the peak of his desire and the split-second duration of his greatest achievement. Everything seemed to be perfect for Gatsby in that moment, and from then, came the downfall; the war, Tom, and the fact that Gatsby's parents were "dirt poor" farmers in North Dakota curtailed his ability to hold on to Daisy, and would serve as the impetus for his feeble endeavor to recreate the past by creating a new Gatsby -- the rich and sociable West Egg bachelor. Nick Carraway puts Gatsby's dream to test when he states simply "you can't repeat the past;" however, Gatsby cannot see this, responding to Nick, "Can't relive the past? Of course you can" (Fitzgerald 119). Thus, Gatsby is doomed to realize his aspirations of becoming greater than himself and winning Daisy from Tom will never amount to more than just that -- …show more content…
There is a special essence surrounding Gatsby that makes him entirely different from other characters in the story -- including Nick. The Buchanans are "careless people," focused solely on the present; Tom possesses no drive for the future other than a fruitless search for monetary gain, and Daisy's pessimistic persona seeps even into her one desire for her daughter -- that she becomes a fool and remains ignorant forever, as to never become aware of the cruelness and insensitivity of life. Even Nick, the man who venerates Gatsby the most in the entire novel, fails to take action for his friend, remaining a passive narrator of the events rather than an active participant in Gatsby's plan to win over Daisy -- or even an active opponent. If Nick had shown more concern for his friend, either by showing him the past truly could not be recreated or telling him of the familial sincerity between Daisy and Tom the night of Myrtle's death -- the culmination of five years of irreversible intimacy -- it is possible he could have unveiled Gatsby's blind desire. Instead, Nick's inability to act is show through the fact he only paid Gatsby one compliment throughout the entirety of the story, "You're worth the whole damn bunch altogether" (Fitzgerald 164). At the end of the novel, Nick is as much to blame as the rest of the "foul dust