Great Gatsby

The story of Jay Gatsby is a romantic one that actually began years before. However, his romantic story turns into a troubling one when we realize that he is not the man he seems to be. The story of Jay Gatsby is not only filled with romance, but with secrecy, obsession, and tragedy. The symbol of Jay Gatsby’s troubled romantic obsession is a green light at the end of the dock of Daisy Buchanan, a woman to whom he fell in love with five years earlier. The green light represents his fantasy of reuniting with Daisy and rekindling the love they once had. This light represents everything he wants, everything he has done to transform himself, and ultimately everything that he cannot attain.

We are first introduced to Jay Gatsby’s mysterious side when Nick, the book’s narrator, notices him across the lawn. Nick first believes that Gatsby is a secure man by his stance and posture, but he realizes that Gatsby is actually crying at the sight of the green light across the lake. Gatsby then mysteriously vanishes, leaving Nick in curiosity. Nick soon realizes that the green light across the lake is actually a light at the end of the dock of his cousin, Daisy (20-21). This is when the romance side of Gatsby’s story begins to slowly unveil.

As the story continues, we soon learn that the romance behind Daisy and Gatsby first began in 1917. They had fallen in love when Gatsby was an officer, but their relationship was cut short when Gatsby was sent away to be a soldier overseas. He continued to write letters to her, but she had found someone else, a man by the name Tom Buchanan. She married him the following year for his money, but there was much difficulty getting her to the actual wedding. The day of, she received a letter from Gatsby, making her unsure of her marriage to Tom. But she went through with the marriage, and never thought of Gatsby again.

However, their romance is rekindled when Gatsby asks Nick to invite him and Daisy to tea. Nick obliges and creates a simple romantic situation for what seems to be a long lost relationship. When Daisy finally arrives, Gatsby greets her by saying, “we’ve met before”. Daisy agrees, saying it’s been many years. Gatsby quickly replies, “five years next November” (87). Gatsby’s obsessive side starts to reveal itself, showing that this is more than just an old romance. As the day continues, Gatsby brings Daisy to his own house, showing her all of his possessions. Nick notes that Gatsby cannot take his eyes off of her and he begins to reevaluate the value of his things solely by Daisy’s reaction to them. As their evening continues, Gatsby pulls out an album filled with clippings about Daisy. She doesn’t seem to sense anything peculiar about this, but the reader has to wonder why a man would keep clippings about a woman he hasn’t seen in five years. Gatsby also mentions the green light that burns at the end of her dock. However, when Gatsby realizes then that the fantasy behind the green light has become a reality, the significance of the light has vanished forever (93).

As the story develops, the mysterious side of Gatsby is also revealed. Gatsby seems to be a man of great wealth and culture. He tells Nick that he is the son of wealthy people from the Middle West, was brought up in America, and then educated at Oxford. But Gatsby makes mistakes in telling his story; for example, when Nick asks him what part of the Midwest, Gatsby replies “San Francisco” (65). When Gatsby takes Nick to his house after the first meeting with Daisy, he begins to discuss the beauty of his house, letting slip that it took him three years to earn the money