The Great Gatsby
Prompt #12 · The Great Gatsby
Prompt Type: Character Arc
Jay Gatsby remains committed to his idealized vision of Daisy until his death. Analyze how Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's unwavering devotion to explore both the nobility and the tragedy of romantic idealism. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Quote 1
“He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.”
Chapter 6
Argument
This quote captures Gatsby's early idealization of Daisy, marking the moment his romantic devotion becomes an unchangeable part of his identity, setting the foundation for his tragic arc.
Quote 2
“But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room.”
Chapter 7
Argument
This quote represents the turning point in Gatsby's arc, where his dream begins to crumble as Daisy withdraws, yet his devotion persists 'undespairingly,' highlighting the tragic nobility of his idealism.
Quote 3
“And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.”
Chapter 9
Argument
This quote reflects the resolution of Gatsby's arc, illustrating how his unwavering devotion to Daisy—symbolized by the green light—remains even as the narrative reveals the futility and tragedy of his dream.
Quote 4
Chapter 6
Argument
This quote exemplifies Gatsby's delusional persistence in his romantic idealism, as he refuses to accept the impossibility of recreating the past with Daisy, highlighting both the nobility of his devotion and the tragic futility of his dream.
Quote 5
“Almost five years! 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 his illusion. 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 can store up in his ghostly heart.”
Chapter 5
Argument
This quote underscores the disparity between Gatsby's idealized vision of Daisy and her reality, revealing how his 'colossal vitality of illusion' transcends her actual self, thus emphasizing the tragic nobility of his unwavering devotion.