Hope In The Great Gatsby

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Hope is a word that can be completely underestimated and do more harm than good. “Harsh reality is always better than false hope”. (Abbey) Hope in today’s world is centered around fantasizing and dreaming, just like in The Great Gatsby. F Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, wanted “something new and beautiful”, this book was exactly that as millions of copies were sold. The book was published in the 1920’s; surrounding wealth, parties, alcohol, materialism, and love. With all of the events in the book, they are all tied to some sort of ‘hope’. In the novel The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the color ‘green’ to symbolize the main character, Gatsby’s hopes and dreams seem like they are within reach but are yet so far. …show more content…
Gatsby holding out hope for this green light that is far away, “he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...Involuntarily I glanced seaward — and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Gatsby 26). The green light is shining to show Gatsby his hope is still alive and there, he just has to chase it. It is far away from him, but yet so close and obtainable. Next, Gatsby’s hopes were so close and then vanished quickly, “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that green light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” (Gatsby 93). Daisy was in reach and the hope disappeared; when she left the hope reappeared. His dream was bit by bit reached, until it vanished again. Then the green light, Gatsby’s hope, went farther away even when Gatsby chased after it. No matter what he did it didn’t work, “Gatsby believed in the green light... run faster, stretch out our arms farther” (Gatsby 152). Gatsby always reaches for his hopes and dreams but always falls short. His dream stayed a dream and never came true. Gatsby will always remain a dreamer. As a result of time moving forward, Gatsby’s hope kept dwindling away. Gatsby always stands with his arms open wide in hopes of winning Daisy back. Yet it was still there, it was a very small chance. Gatsby always believed in ‘running faster and stretching farther’ but that never worked
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