Similar Opposites
Ironically in the world, that that is unknown is usually what is talked and thought about most. Whether it is consciously or not, certain situations and events in the past, present, and future will be brought into the conversations and minds of the people around us. The Great Gatsby is one to be filled with passionate symbolism and scenarios that occur to be hidden in such a way where one needs to open there mind up to an entirely different standpoint to understand. The lives of the characters in this book could not be more different from each other. There are the rich, the poor, the happy and the sad. The wealthy and so to be joyful Daisy and Tom, as well as Gatsby, seem to be on a completely different state of living then Nick and others, who seem to be the complete opposite. While wealth and love, happiness and dissatisfaction, and the past and the present become frequently noticed, the lives of these characters may be surprisingly more alike then they previously had thought.
It has been said that money can bring happiness, and in some cases it may be true. Although, money can only go so deep until one finds the one thing it really cannot buy, love. Tom and Daisy live their lives in luxury. Their money gives them the title in society that will promise them respect for as long as they maintain it. While underprivileged George Wilson states, We are unable to go west, Tom and Daisy may go North, South. East, West, and whichever other way they please due to their high-class living. The separation between the wealthy and poor may seem discrete, but the lives of the Wilsons, Buchanans and Jay Gatsby are connected by that separation. When Daisy pours her heart out to Nick, he starts to realize that regardless the amount of money she has, she still says, Im pretty cynical about everything. As Daisy explains her ideals and harsh outlook on her daughter, her husband is having an affair with a lower class woman, Myrtle. If Tom had the dream family, with the money, child, and wife, why would he betray them for an underclass married woman? Perhaps Daisy isnt hiding her cynicism as much as she thinks, as Tom picks up on it and tries to find his own pleasure in something else. Yet money and happiness can be flipped. The situation between Myrtle and Tom seems to be the opposite from Myrtles point of view. She is neither wealthy nor high-class, Her facecontained no facet or gleam of beauty, as Tom, describes her. Yet, she is living the double life with a wealthy man, going from a life of unhappiness to a life filled with joy and money. Love may also be caused by wealth, as well as separation. Gatsby says, "her voice is full of money, which could mean she is hiding behind her wealth to keep how she is really feeling from others, or wealth is what is separating Daisy from Gatsby.
F. Scott Fitzgerald seems to set the scenario that the characters are dissatisfied with their lives. No one seems to be happy with his or her marriage or love in general, with the overall concept of life, and they all demolish the lives of each other in search of fulfilling their emptiness. Tom destroys Daisys love for him by having an affair with Myrtle, Daisy just about ruins her marriage by looking for a happier life with Gatsby, and Gatsby destroys himself by wanting to be with Daisy. This circle of disaster is caused by unhappy individuals trying to seek happiness, yet, in the process end up causing more dissatisfaction then they were originally experiencing. So far, happiness seems to be based on wealth but wealth appears to be a mask for dissatisfaction. It may be possible that what once made them happy, was lost in all of the labels and money. They just cant seem to find their way back to thinking with their hearts and not their egos.
The Great Gatsbyhas a great deal of issues from the past, present, and future. Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world havent had the advantages that youve had. This advice, given to Nick by his father as a child, sets the mind-set he decides to live by. The way he; interacts, looks at, and thinks with or about the people he meets in the present and future are all based on this bit of guidance from his past. Gatsby on the other hand, is in love with Daisy, a girl from his past. Although, now that Daisy is married to Tom, he can no longer have her in the present yet, still dreams of having her in the future. The way it seems to be working is just in one life-size circle. Daisy, Gatsby, Tom and Nick all start off with dreams from the past. By trying to use the past during the present to create a better future, they lose their footing while trying to make the transition. Not being able to find what they are looking for, they end up back in the past, lost in their own memories.
The way life works, no one can plan it. Daisy and Tom have it all, yet continue to seek more which could lead to the thought that being wealthy and happy may very well be equivalent to being poor and unsatisfied. Gatsbys wealth was inspired by love, whose love is being based on wealth. Money may not be able to buy ones love, but there is a great likelihood that love can be deceived by money. As Nick, Daisy, Tom and Gatsby let the past steer their way of life, they may just end up right where they left off. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
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