The Great Gatsby: Jay Gatsby
By: Lexi Hicok
Bio Poem
- Jay
- Rich, passionate, hopeful, determined
- Son of Henry C. Gatz
- Lover of Daisy, making memorable first impressions, and the phrase "old sport"
- Who feels proud to live across the bay from Daisy, thankful Nick is willing to help me when I need it, and determined to have Daisy for myself again
- Who needs Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him, money to impress Daisy, and Nick's friendship
- Who gives my love to Daisy, my weekends to people that want to party, and my dedication to remaining sober
- Who fears not being with Daisy, not being able to maintain the title of Jay Gatsby thus forcing myself to become James Gatz again, and never being able to "touch the green light"
- Who would like to see my past with Daisy become the present, Daisy to be impressed with the person I've become, and my past to stay hidden from the majority of people
- Resident of West Egg, New York
- Gatsby
The Green Light
The green light, in which Gatsby reaches for, shows the hope that Gatsby has. The light that is on Daisy's dock represents Daisy. Gatsby reaches out to touch the light, showing his yearn to one day have Daisy for himself again. Due to Gatsby's whole life being based around getting Daisy back, I choose to pick the green light as the symbol representing his dedication and yearning for his reunion with Daisy.
Gatsby's Car
I choose Gatsby's car for multiple reasons. Firstly, it represents the wealth that Gatsby has with the cream exterior and green interior. Secondly, I believe it represents the irony of the ending of the book and the death of Gatsby. If it wasn't for this car, the whole ending of the book could have been different. If Daisy had killed Myrtle with Tom's car, Wilson would have potentially killed Myrtle's true lover, leaving Daisy widowed or potentially dead as well. If Daisy had been widowed, she may have gone to Gatsby, making a happy ending rather than tragic. Because of the this, I felt it was Gatsby's car that ruined Gatsby's life goals and life, and why I chose it as a symbol.
"'I wouldn't ask too much of her,' I ventured. 'You can't repeat the past.' 'Can't repeat the past?' he cried incredulously. 'Why of course you can!' He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand. 'I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before,' he said, nodding determinedly. 'She'll see.'" p. 110
I choose the quote of Nick and Gatsby talking for one reason in particular. When I think of Gatsby, everything he does in the book, in his life, is to get Daisy to fall back in love with him. The whole book he wants Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him in order to reverse time and go back to when they were in love in Louisville. I think this quote shows how dead set Gatsby is on his dreams. He truly believes things can be as they once were five years ago. He believes that the moment Daisy denies ever loving Tom, a little time machine will bring everything back to normal. Nick, however, realizes that everything can't be as it was 5 years ago. Even when Gatsby hears that things can't be as they once were, he denies it and is still firmly set on his beliefs. Overall, I think this quote shows how powerful his emotions are and the level of dedication he has to get Daisy back.