Describing Tom and Gatsby’s Meeting: Revelations and Hidden Agendas

Unraveling Gatsby: The Mystery, Precision, and Undying Hope Behind West Egg's Enigma

Throughout literature, the intricate detail of the setting and characters establishes an image seen through the reader’s point of view. Connecting with a character starts with the initial encounter to the plot and is collected through novels, in their actions and personalities. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald describes a love story portrayed in the 1920s, told through the perception of the protagonist, Nick Carraway. Set in the West and East Eggs of Long Island, Nick and his extravagantly presented neighbor, Jay Gatsby, create a two-faced relationship.

Gatsby is handsome, polite, and an extravagant millionaire from the West Egg who throws parties that draw crowds from all over New York City but has a dark secret connected to him. Every night, he stands out from his mansion’s dock to the green light across the bay. Revealed to us at the end of the novel, the green light is shining from the married, rich couple, Daisy and Tom Buchanan. The average love affair has a history, as Gatsby went off to war after college, and Daisy Buchanan waited, but he never returned. Gatsby has dedicated his whole life to his past connection with Daisy in hopes of meeting her again. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby’s characters portray a mysterious, meticulous, yet hopeful side of his personality.

Nick's Defensive Stance: Deciphering the Enigma of Gatsby's Mysterious World

From the beginning of the book, Jay Gatsby presents a mysterious character from his success rumors to his extravagant parties. Gatsby has no personal growth throughout the book and keeps quiet, but rumors help the readers understand his personality. In Chapter 4, Jay and Nick go into the City, starting with a car ride discussion with Gatsby about his wealthy and successful past, but is interrupted when the readers are introduced to Meyer Wolfsheim. He suggests that Gatsby has a shady, underground business, contrary to his words when Meyer comments, “I understand you’re looking for a business connection” (Fitzgerald 70), and Gatsby quickly replies with, “Oh, no.. this isn’t the man” (71). When Wolfsheim mentions a “business connection,” he is inferring that Gatsby wanted Nick to be part of their secret business. This sets the table for Gatsby’s mysterious life, which he shares with no one. Another unknown part of Jay Gatsby’s life is the over-the-top parties he throws for thousands of New Yorkers to attend each weekend, with one motive: to have Daisy Buchanan show up some night. Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor, attends one of his parties with Jordan Baker, who was called to see Gatsby, and when she returns with news, he says, “I wanted to explain that I’d hunted for him early in the evening and to apologize for not having known him in the garden” (52). Nick had met the unknown Gatsby, who had never been seen before” (41). This quote proves that Gatsby has no relationship with anyone, just waiting for Daisy. Gatsby’s mysterious persona creates a secretive depiction for the readers and other characters in the novel.

Gatsby's Precision: The Methodical Pursuit of a Dream and Daisy's Affection

Gatsby’s meticulous identity has been a part of him from the time he was a kid until the day he reconnects with Daisy. He has always been described as a dreamer and knows what he wants in life. In a book written when he was younger, he had a day-by-day, detailed schedule that consisted of “Rise from bed at 6:00 A.M., Dumbbell exercise and wall-scaling from 6:15-6:30 A.M.” (173). Gatsby put together such a knit-tight schedule to follow for his life, which shows the preciseness about something so little in his life compared to the goal of getting Daisy. Throughout Gatsby’s life, he has a plan that he has set and followed, especially around what would impress her the most. Nick always sees people coming in and out of Gatsby’s house, planning and bringing items in to prepare for his next party. He never knew the reason why he was so extra and precise and described this saying, “Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrive…By seven o’clock the orchestra has arrived, no thin five-piece affair, but a whole pitful of oboes and trombones” (39-40). Gatsby always made his parties so elaborate and put so much time into what was there, just to impress Daisy if she were ever to come.

The Luminous Beacon of Gatsby's Hope: Unyielding Pursuit of a Dream and Daisy's Embrace

Hope shapes the way Gatsby’s outlook on life as he wishes and waits for Daisy Buchanan to follow his path across the bay to West Egg, Long Island. Nick Carraway saw Gatsby as a man who had endless hope and saw many examples shine through him many times in The Great Gatsby. At the beginning of the novel, Nick describes Gatsby’s life and his commitment to his dream, which never came true, when he illustrates that he “was an extraordinary gift of hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which is not likely I shall find again” (Fitzgerald 2). Nick’s words of “gift of hope” and “not likely to find again” show that Gatsby’s hope is unlike anyone else’s as he surrounded his life with nothing but thoughts and actions for Daisy. He went over the top with his life and belongings with immense amounts of hope, thinking that he could reach for his dream and win her back into his lavish life. One of the most arresting uses of imagery is of Gatsby reaching out across West Egg Bay to the green light coming from Daisy’s dock, imagining their lives finally coming together again. This thought of being reunited and love preyed on his life, but “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year recedes before us. It evolved us then, but that’s no matter-- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…And one fine morning” (Fitzgerald 180). The green light is not only an object in Gatsby’s mind; it is a reason to keep pursuing his vision of Daisy. He keeps pushing through the pain of not knowing if he could ever lay eyes on the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, but his hope is his greatest motivation.

References

1. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925.
2. Bruccoli, Matthew J. Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald. University of South Carolina Press, 2002.
3. Churchwell, Sarah. Careless People: Murder, Mayhem, and the Invention of The Great Gatsby. Penguin, 2013.
4. Tredell, Nicolas. F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
5. Mizener, Arthur. The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Houghton Mifflin, 1951.
6. Gillespie, Neil C. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Routledge, 2007.

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