Essay On The Green Light In The Great Gatsby

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Mostly all of the efforts humans make come from an underlying drive to achieve something. Humanity is always acting for a purpose, and someone’s personal goal is often not recognized until after it has been achieved. However, this does not change the effects that come from them. Steve Jobs once said, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards”. The importance of analyzing others actions is evident in recognizing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s purpose for the way he writes The Great Gatsby. Throughout his writing, Fitzgerald uses many literary devices to enhance the beauty of the novel. One of these devices is symbolism. Fitzgerald uses symbolism throughout the novel in attempts for the readers to understand …show more content…
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...” (189). Fitzgerald is no longer focused on Gatsby’s green light alone, but with the green light that exists in all of humanity. He’s telling the readers that humanity needs this drive, and that these dreams fuel imagination. “So we beat on..” (189). Fitzgerald is writing to inform the readers that it is important not to dwell on the past, like Gatsby did. He is also warning the readers to not lose themselves in their dreams. “No- Gatsby turned out alright at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams...” (6). He is ultimately showing the readers how Gatsby’s green light fueled him, but warning humanity of the “foul dust” that can arise from these aspirations. It is important to have these desires that fuel us, but Fitzgerald wants the readers to remember to keep dreams as dreams. Humanity cannot rely on these dreams for happiness, because when you attain them it could leave a person’s world in ruins. When there is too much reality in your aspiration, it can defeat the purpose of
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