Post by mslewis on May 15, 2012 12:06:25 GMT
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Gatsby chapter 9
These final words of the novel are from Nick, the narrator. Gatsby is dead by this point and Nick is reflecting on his life and the impact Gatsby made on him. He reminds us that Gatsby is a dreamer ("Gatsby believed in the green light...") and of the importance for us as humans of having dreams and striving for something. This is what is alluded to by "So we beat on, boats against the current..." - the rowing imagery is striving for dreams, having ambition.
However, Nick also reminds us of the novel's central theme: the failure of the American Dream. Water imagery is used a number of times in Gatsby in connection to this: the bay in chapter 1 that divides East and West Egg and symbolises the social class divide in society. Gatsby's pool which represents his dreams and over-ambition, which he refuses to drain throughout the novel and ultimately drowns in. This is another example of water imagery. used to represent the social class divide and resulting failure of the American Dream.
The "current" represents the obstacles standing in the way of so many people achieving the American Dream - it pulls them back. "Borne back ceaselessly into the past" alludes to Gatsby's past and the fact that he can never achieve social mobility and become a member of the upper classes because he was not born into money. The upper classes put a glass ceiling in place, preventing any of the lower classes from entering their ranks because they want to keep their money and status for themselves. They prevent the American Dream from being achievable. Despite all of this, Nick admires Gatsby because he dares to dream and is optimistic, even if his dreams are doomed to failure.
Gatsby chapter 9
These final words of the novel are from Nick, the narrator. Gatsby is dead by this point and Nick is reflecting on his life and the impact Gatsby made on him. He reminds us that Gatsby is a dreamer ("Gatsby believed in the green light...") and of the importance for us as humans of having dreams and striving for something. This is what is alluded to by "So we beat on, boats against the current..." - the rowing imagery is striving for dreams, having ambition.
However, Nick also reminds us of the novel's central theme: the failure of the American Dream. Water imagery is used a number of times in Gatsby in connection to this: the bay in chapter 1 that divides East and West Egg and symbolises the social class divide in society. Gatsby's pool which represents his dreams and over-ambition, which he refuses to drain throughout the novel and ultimately drowns in. This is another example of water imagery. used to represent the social class divide and resulting failure of the American Dream.
The "current" represents the obstacles standing in the way of so many people achieving the American Dream - it pulls them back. "Borne back ceaselessly into the past" alludes to Gatsby's past and the fact that he can never achieve social mobility and become a member of the upper classes because he was not born into money. The upper classes put a glass ceiling in place, preventing any of the lower classes from entering their ranks because they want to keep their money and status for themselves. They prevent the American Dream from being achievable. Despite all of this, Nick admires Gatsby because he dares to dream and is optimistic, even if his dreams are doomed to failure.