The Most Misunderstood Line in ‘The Great Gatsby’

This F. Scott Fitzgerald traditional famously particulars the story of a want that burns so shiny that it units ablaze the particular person bearing it. This particular person, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), lives on the earth of magnificence, noise, and huge goals, and regardless of his want burning him down, he refuses to let it slip off him.On this scene, the place one among his wonderful, legendary, and exorbitant events has simply ended, Gatsby stands, lamenting its fruitless conclusion: Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) wasn’t impressed.On this second, he realizes that this extravaganza was neither for strangers nor for status; it was for her. He spirals into plans of recreating the magic. A do-over. And he needs Nick (Tobey Maguire) to assist him out. However Nick has a special tackle the state of affairs.“You may’t repeat the previous,” he says.Nick has identified the reality, however Jay will not be prepared for it. He isn’t completed along with his want but. He counters, “Why, after all you may.” He’s a person desperately stretching backwards attempting to come up with the love he thinks is slipping away, with the assumption that if he holds tight, he can have it.The scene could also be mild, but it surely holds the movie’s thematic fact: want rooted in delusion gained’t let him settle for that life strikes solely in a single route.The QuoteNick’s Voice of Actuality Nick is the narrator of Jay Gatsby’s story. We discover the protagonist (Gatsby) from Nick’s viewpoint. So, Nick’s position within the story is to watch somewhat than affect the narrative. And that’s precisely what he does. Earlier than he met Gatsby, Nick thought he was mysterious. Once they turned pals, he additionally realized of his charming character, his love for Daisy, and, after all, his immensely hopeful spirit.Nick appreciates Gatsby’s spirit however can be conscious of the issues it might trigger. Nick’s background is completely different from Gatsby’s; his world and worldview are extra grounded and formed by expertise, not like Gatsby’s, who dwells in illusions. So when Nick tells Gatsby that he can’t repeat the previous, he’s not spilling water on Gatsby’s hopeful spirit; he’s warning his pal that he’s heading in the direction of a cliff.Gatsby’s DenialGatsby nearly immediately rebuffs Nick’s argument. It comes out with a peaceful confidence, however additionally it is laced with desperation. His hopeful spirit can’t afford to be improper on this. So, when he rejects Nick’s argument, he additionally rejects actuality. The best way Gatsby sees the previous will not be how Nick does. He doesn’t suppose the previous is (or must be) reminiscence. He thinks it’s a promise by time itself. And going a step forward, he additionally believes that robust hope, sheer willpower, and, if wanted, cash are sufficient to bend time to his will.That’s not Gatsby being conceited or silly. He has religion. It’s one other factor that this religion lastly destroys him.Gatsby’s Obsession with MemoryRewriting the Previous by means of ReinventionThe present Gatsby is mainly who he all the time wished he was. On the floor, it sounds innocent—ultimate, even. It’s a typical success story, is not it? Who wouldn’t admire it if their goals have been materialized?However there’s a catch. His goals are wonderful, however his hope is giving him the improper impression that by altering his current, he can rewrite his previous. And that’s what is occurring. All the things Gatsby is or has proper now’s meticulously regulated: a brand new identify, a brand new fortune, and a painstakingly curated picture. And all this as a result of he thinks that by turning backwards, he can reshuffle the items previously. He has constructed a brand new id, however when it’s constructed on solely want and never the reality, it’s at excessive threat of cracking. The Nice Gatsby appears wonderful from a distance, however up shut it turns into clear that he’s a heartbeat away from chaos. ‘The Nice Gatsby’ Credit score: Warner Bros. Photos Daisy, Time, and the Ghost Gatsby LovesJay met Daisy in 1917, and so they fell in love. All of a sudden, Gatsby was drafted to combat within the Nice Warfare (WWI), and their romance was minimize quick. They misplaced contact. Then Gatsby reinvented himself, bought wealthy, and have become the mysterious Nice Gatsby. This get together scene takes place 5 years after he fell in love with Daisy. He supposed to rekindle their romance and steal her away from Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton), but it surely did not go as deliberate. Daisy wasn’t impressed by Gatsby’s wealth and his get together.The issue lies in the truth that Gatsby thinks she continues to be the identical Daisy whom he fell in love with—pure and hopelessly in love. Daisy was his world earlier than his ambition and pursuit of success hollowed him out. He believes in and longs for that Daisy from 5 years in the past. However he doesn’t issue within the risk that, similar to he did, Daisy has additionally lived since then. Similar to he sought wealth and success, she did too. She has chosen consolation, stability, and the protection of cash. She has stopped being the dream that he worships and, since then, has turn into somebody actual.His animosity in the direction of Tom is comprehensible however finally pointless. Tom has nothing to do with Gatsby’s misplaced love. He was simply one of many items that future used to deliver issues to the place they’re proper now. If he needs accountable somebody, he can blame time, however that’s much more pointless.His hopeful spirit makes him consider he can drag the previous into the current, however he fails to see that whereas reminiscences do not age, individuals do. And that’s the common tragedy of any love story.ConclusionJay Gatsby’s story is a reminder that nostalgia might really feel like hope, but it surely may also be quicksand. We chase a wonderful second from the previous however don’t understand that it was stunning within the second. That second is frozen in time, and time retains transferring on. It doesn’t cease for stunning goals or hopeful love tales.All of us have Jay Gatsby in us, to a better or lesser extent. All of us chase after the gorgeous previous. And maybe that’s why a film quote like “You may’t repeat the previous” stings on a really private degree. All of us might have stunning reminiscences, however we should study to understand them whereas additionally figuring out that we should always go away them be the place they have been born—previously. Gatsby refuses to study this, and that makes his heartbreak extra painful than it must be.