Theme

A main theme relating to the novel suggests that “you cannot try to re-live the past”. This theme can be viewed differently depending weather it is from a male or female perspective. Gatsby attempts to re-live his past by persistently fighting for Daisy’s love again so things could be how they once were five years ago.

           

Men are stubborn, naïve and do anything for love or a woman. In this case, Gatsby, the man with the psychological crisis is driven to attain Daisy’s love again. He is persistent and has lots of aspiration towards his goals, for example, his desire to be successful as a child. No matter how many times he is told that one cannot re-live the past, he is reluctant to grasp the idea that the past and present are just allusions, “’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.’” As the traditional male character in the novel, Gatsby has an obsession to control and obtain woman. Gatsby wants things to be how they were 5 years ago before the war when he and Daisy were committed together even though she makes it clear that she is not willing to commit herself to him once again..

             This theme also leads to many deaths that could have been avoided. Two deaths have occurred in different fashions during Gatsby’s mission to regain Daisy’s affection. Myrtle died by getting hit by a car driven by Daisy (a girl). “A moment later she rushed out into the dusk, waving her hands and shouting”(Fitzgerald p.146) then moments later, “He looked up as Tom’s broad hand fell sharply on his shoulder. “What you want, fella?”

“What happened? — that’s what I want to know.”

“Auto hit her. Ins’antly killed.”

“Instantly killed,” repeated Tom, staring.

“She ran out ina road. Son-of-a-bitch didn’t even stopus car.’”(Fitzgerald p.149). She can be viewed as dumb, uneducated and even childish because she was crying, having a temper tantrum and not thinking logically to understand the dangers of walking on the middle of a street. On the other hand, Gatsby gets shot in result of male to male conflict.” It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete.” (Fitzgerald p.173). Mr.Wilson figures that Gatsby was the one who killed his wife and believes that he was also having an affair with her and later on comes to  the conclusion that violence is the only solution to solve this problem. Overall, it is too late when Gatsby realises that when people live their lives in a straight line, they do not live at all.