Commentary

commentary on great gatsby

quote: “There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of hisillusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way.No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.” (p. 95)

At this moment in the novel, seen in chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nickis observing Gatsby's attitude and actions as he meets Daisy again for the first time in five years. Here, Gatsby and Daisy are listening to the rusty, yet sensual sound of Klipspringer playing "TheLove Nest" on the piano. While West Egg and New York seem to come alive with energy coinciding with the bewilderment eminating from Gatsby's house, Nick can see a slight bit of doubt upon Gatsby'sface. This doubt is Gatsby's uncertainty about whether or not Daisy makes him truly happy at this point in his life. Nick's observation of Gatsby gives an inside look at Gatsby's emotional attachment andgloification of Daisy during his time awaay from her. For so long Gatsby has drempt of the day Daisy walks into his life again, and this has caused him to fantasize about an unreal, idealized Daisy.No matter what she does, Daisy's true self will never match up with the picture perfect visual Gatsby has conjured up in his mind over the long years of their separation. Gatsby's verison of Daisy isso built up by this moment in the book because through each day and every night, layer upon layer of fantastical substance is added to this dream of his. Since Daisy was the sole provider of happinessfor Gatsby, his heart made a protective barrier guarding his version of the ideal Daisy from any type of reality check. Holding onto a singular dream, and for so long a time, Gatsby set Daisy up for...