Monday, June 4, 2012

Journal 20: The Final Goodbye


F. Scott Fitzgerald ends his novel The Great Gatsby by connecting Nick’s final thoughts about Gatsby to the Dutch sailors who discovered Long Island.  As stated in the book, Nick said that Gatsby longed to marry Daisy. He moved to West Egg to construct a wealthy house directly across the waters that surround her mansion just to grab her attention. Then, he would sell illegal drugs to maintain the abundance of his money to be able to give Daisy anything she could ever dream of.  Gatsby wanted to show her that he was different than before.  He was loving and wealthy.  He made all of this happen just to make her fall in love with him. Gatsby pursued his dream for years even though it was considered absolutely ridiculous and absurd. Gatsby’s hopes are connected with the Dutch sailors because they both hoped for a better future.  Fitzgerald uses the color green to describe the land of Long Island to symbolize the growth and new life that the Dutch sailors long to find when entering the shore; just as Gatsby would stare at the green light from Daisy’s dock in hope that Daisy would be looking at him too.  Despite the waves that consistently pushed the sailor’s boats backwards into the ocean, they continued to row to keep their dreams alive.  They longed for something that they were unable to grasp.  The sailors had to keep pushing forward to discover Long Island despite all their hardships.  They wanted a new life.  Both Gatsby and the sailors were fighting to keep their dreams alive.  

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