Gatsby is a good example of one who does not let reality
interfere with the conviction of his dreams. He dreams of reuniting with Daisy--a
somewhat realistic goal which he succeeds in achieving. But he also believes firmly
that he can turn back time. He wants to return to the time when he first met Daisy and
begin again. Nick tells him that he cannot repeat the past, to which Gatsby
replies,
readability="5">
"Can't repeat the past. Why of course you
can!"
To that effect, he
encourages Daisy to leave Tom and tell Tom that she never loved him. When this
confrontation takes place in the Plaza Hotel, Daisy backs out, crying to Gatsby, "You
want too much." Even after this incident, Gatsby still cllings to the hope that Daisy
will need him as her protector against Tom and come to him. He waits outside her house
looking for a signal from Daisy. Even Nick at this point knows that Gatsby's dreams are
unrealizable and that Gatsby was like a boat
readability="6">
"against the current, borne back ceaselessly into
the past."
Gatsby dream of
returning to the time he met Daisy, that summer in Louisville full of "youth and
mystery," was real for Gatsby. Gatsby ignored the reality of Daisy's love for Tom, her
life without him, and her daughter.
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