Posted by Heather on November 22, 1999 at 20:30:29:

In Reply to: I need help with the illusion of Gatsby posted by Esti on November 21, 1999 at 23:43:54:

: I need to write about Gatsby as an illusion.
: Any help will be appreciated.
: Thanx

Hm. That's a good topic. Well, to begin with, Gatsby was an embodiment of unreasonable and quixotic hope. He idealized Daisy to the point of near-absurdity, and strove tirelessy towards attaining her.

In the novel, the reader is given the impression that Gatsby has no other goal in life than to woo Daisy--indeed, he is obsessed with the prospect. We are given the haunting images of him standing on on his sprawling estate, arms outstretched to the green light of Daisy's mansion in East Egg, and of his standing amidst the crowds of his spectacular parties, looking for her in vain...Although the reader is made to think that having her would be his greates satisfaction, in reality, he wants to want her, only he does not know it--he has built his life upon the illusion of this quest, on the illusion of his TRUE desire for her, and most of all, on the illusion of her perfection. But, in the words of Nietzsche, "Ultimately one loves one's desires and not that which is desired." Since Gatsby had failed to realize this, and since he essentially WAS his desire for Daisy, when the illusion of her was shattered, he was as well. His bitter disillusionment is described byt Nick in one of the final chapters: "...and as he stood there he must have realized for the first time what a grotesque thing a rose really is, and how harsh the sun was on the new spring gr..." He lived in a romanticized, skewed version of reality, and he WAS, in fact, a romanticized version of himself--an illusion. A beautiful misconception, but a misconception nonetheless.

Actually, I feel that the whole novel is allegorical--it is a metaphor which serves to illustrate the price of living too long with a single dream, and being consumed by that dream.

Well, hope I was of some help...

~Heather

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