In this passage, Gatsby becomes the archetype of a hero.
The "shiftless and unsuccessful farm people" who raised him seemed hardly his parents at
all. Like Oedipus who was raised by foster parents, Gatsby creates an identity that is
not defined by the parents who raised him. In other words Gatsby leaves his parents and
recreates his own larger than life image.
Dan Cody serves
as the archetypal mentor who helps the hero find his way. Dan Cody's appearance on Lake
Superior resulted in our young hero's transformation from a lowly farm boy named James
Gatz to the yachting world traveler named Jay Gatsby. In essence, Cody plays the
fairy-godmother and changes our young hero to the young man in a "blue coat," and "white
duck trousers and a yachting cap," beginning Gatsby's journey to a role in life more
fitting Gatsby's imagination. Perhaps we have a Cinderella story here, because after
five years with Dan Cody, the clock strikes midnight, and Jay Gatsby is turned out,
never receiving from Cody the money he was supposed to get, having only dreams of
attaining the lifestyle to which he had been exposed.
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