Examples Of Hope In The Great Gatsby

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Throughout the 20th century, people have always been told to believe that with a little hope, anything is possible; but is this actually true? The answer to that question is, it depends. It can depend on anything from the setting, the conflict, and the resolution. The point is, nobody can ever really be certain that if you have hope for something, that it will always produce a positive outcome. This idea can be demonstrated in the novel, The Great Gatsby to be viewed as both harmful and naive. In the novel, The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald conveys the idea that hope is harmful through symbolism, figurative language, and through the actions of the other characters.
One example on how Fitzgerald conveys the idea that hope is harmful can be demonstrated by the symbol of time. “I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before” (Fitzgerald 110). This quote demonstrates how Gatsby is trying to recreate the past with Daisy as if everything will turn out to be the exact same way that it was five years ago. This form of forceful hope that Gatsby possesses can be viewed as both harmful and naive if it isn’t understood that letting go of the past is necessary in order to live happily in the present. More so naive than harmful because Gatsby is …show more content…
“Was Daisy driving? Yes, but of course I’ll say I was” (Fitzgerald 143). This quote demonstrates how hope is thought to be harmful because Gatsby heavily focused his priorities on getting Daisy back in his life. If Gatsby were to use this hope in an attempt for his own well being rather than focusing on another person; maybe he would have turned out to live a successful and meaningful life without any downfall. “I’m just going to wait here and see if he tries to bother her about that unpleasantness this afternoon” (Fitzgerald

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