can’t repeat the past?…why of course you can

by Kaleigh Labadie 6 min read

“Can’t repeat the past? Why, of course you can!” Jay Gatsby, the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows a cast of characters living in the fictional towns of West Egg and East Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaire J…

, said this to his friend Nick Carraway in order to convince both himself and Nick that he could recapture Daisy Buchanan, his former love.

Full Answer

Can’t repeat the past quote?

Why of course you can!" (Fitzgerald, 117). CONTEXT: Gatsby is talking to Nick about how his life was much better when he was with Daisy, and now he wants her back. Nick, in turns, tells Gatsby that he should move on, because the past cannot be repeated. SIGNIFICANCE: Gatsby is the man that has all the glamour, the riches, the success - and also being the perfect bachelor, but the …

Do you agree with Nick that you can't repeat the past?

May 15, 2014 · “Can’t repeat the past? Why, of course you can!” Jay Gatsby, the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, said this to his friend Nick Carraway in order to convince both himself and Nick that he could recapture Daisy Buchanan, his former love. However, some of Fitzgerald’s critics argue that, on a second level, Fitzgerald is asking this question of his own …

Why can't you repeat the past Gatsby?

Mar 08, 2022 · can t repeat the past why of course you can What does Nick believe about the past what does Gatsby believe? Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby reveals much about Gatsby’s past and his true wishes. Nick believes Gatsby’s account of his past, which endears Gatsby to Nick and makes Nick trust the man more. The chapter also hints at Gatsby’s current, possibly nefarious, …

What does Gatsby mean when he says can't repeat the past Why of course you can?

In response to Nick Gatsby say's "can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" This truly highlights his inability to accept the truth, being that Daisy has moved on and is married with a child. It is not only foolish, it is delusional to think that you can turn back time.

Can't repeat the past he cried incredulously Why of course you can chapter?

“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.

When Nick told Gatsby that you can't repeat the past Gatsby replied Why of course you can quizlet?

When Nick told Gatsby, "You can't repeat the past," Gatsby replied, "Why of course you can!" Do you agree with Nick or Gatsby? I believe that you can do your best to duplicate something from the past, but it will not be exactly as it was before.

Why of course you can relive the past even alone I can't say I never loved Tom?

What theme is demonstrated in this quote: "Why of course you can relive the past...even alone I can't say I never loved Tom." What theme is shown by this: Gatsby was very poor and left his family to become rich.

Who said Daisy Daisy Daisy I'll say it whenever I want to?

TomDaisy! Daisy!... I'll say it whenever I want to!” (p. 41) Tom actually gets so angry that he strikes her and breaks her nose.

When Nick told Gatsby that one can't repeat the past how does Gatsby respond *?

Nick tells Gatsby, in reference to Daisy, "You can't repeat the past." Gatsby replies "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" Why is Gatsby so insistent that the past can (and will) be repeated?

How does Gatsby respond to Nick when he tells Gatsby that he Cannot repeat the past?

When Nick cautions Gatsby that "You can't repeat the past," Gatsby idealistically answers "Why of course you can!" words that strike Nick soundly because of their "appalling sentimentality," which both delights and disgusts him.

How does Gatsby's response to you can't repeat the past?

To Nick's statement that "you can't repeat the past" Gatsby replies incredulously, "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" Gatsby is confident that he will be able to repeat the past of when he and Daisy first met now that he has the money to attract her attention. His view is very simplistic and naive.

What is the perfect reality in Jay Gatsby?

Fitzgerald has created a character obsessed with the idea of perfect reality in Jay Gatsby; the "perfect reality" being the achievement of the American Dream. Gatsby, who has managed to acquire sought out wealth and new money status through bootlegging is still not satisfied, as he yearns greatly for Daisy whom he believes is the key to the completion of his American Dream. Gatsby's desperation for Daisy and the American Dream is apparent when he stands with his "hands in still his pockets", "reclining against the mantlepiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease". The act of putting his hands in his pockets appears very collected and self-assured, as should the move of reclining against a mantelpiece; however Fitzgerald describes Gatsby's action as a "strained counterfeit of perfect ease", the words "strained" and "counterfeit" exposing how Gatsby is faking his cool to try and hide his nervousness. Gatsby's inability to stay calm during his encounter with Daisy represents his build up of anticipation for his ideal reality that he is so desperate to obtain. Gatsby's fixation for the American Dream is exemplified further when he catches the falling clock. The mantelpiece clock, which symbolizes Gatsby and Daisy's time spent together in the past, is "defunct" because they have not met since five years ago, thus time on the clock, as well as Gatsby's image of Daisy, has halted since they last met. Instead of letting the broken clock fall and break, Gatsby catches it, unable to let go of the broken past as he clings on to the no longer existing conception of Daisy, who he desperately needs it to be real for the sake of his American Dream. Despite all of Gatsby's efforts to achieve his American Dream, he is killed before he does, and with this pitiful conclusion Fitzgerald is critiquing not only the falsity of the American Dream, but also the futility of perfection that we humans so eagerly strive for. Gatsby dies chasing for this impossible notion of perfection — of perfect status, perfect family, and a perfect society where all honest effort is rewarded — otherwise known as the American Dream. However the very character who is supposed to represent the virtue of the American Dream is immoral; the very character who is supposed to represent the glamour of the American Dream is never content with his life. With this, Gatsby serves as Fitzgerald's reminder that ideals are not reality, that corruption will always exist, and that perfection is not what we should strive for.

How did Fitzgerald describe Gatsby?

As in the chapter 6, Fitzgerald described Gatsby as ambitious and always move forwards and never give up easily. I feel like as Gatsby grew older he's lost those ambitions since he took the easier and immoral way to archive his American dream, since he kind of noticed that it will never happen, no matter how hard he's trying. (This is linking back to the chapter 3 about Vally of Ashes.) Anyways, I feel that James Gatz are more indicated and more committed to his goals and life more than Jay Gatsby. ""

What chapter does Gatsby meet Daisy?

Gatsby’s desperation is seen in chapter 6 where Gatsby meets Daisy. “In a strained counterfeit of perfect ease”, Gatsby is very nervous, meeting and talking to Daisy for the first time in a while. Gatsby then leans against a mantle piece, tipping a “defunct” “clock” off of it.

How does the clock in the book of Gatsby represent Daisy?

It is shown in passage one that there is an old clock that had stopped at Gatsby’s house. The clock symbolises Gatsby’s past about Daisy. Nick says that they “all believed for a moment that it had smashed in pieces on the floor” showing that they all thought that the ideal image of Daisy is broken in Gatsby. When he tips the clock, he “caught it with his trembling fingers, and set it back in place.” This shows how Gatsby is wanting to protect his past: the image of an ideal life with Daisy. Passage two supports the idea of Gatsby relying about his past. When Nick says to Gatsby that he “can’t repeat the past,” Gatsby “looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand,” and says he is “going to fix everything just the way it was before.” Gatsby strongly denies that the past can not be repeated, as Gatsby is dreaming about his dream of his past, an ideal life with Daisy. The past lurking in the house shows why Gatsby is trying to protect everything that represents the past in his house, such as the old clock. The way he says fix shows that he is dreaming of the past, and thinks that the present is not “right”. This is because it is not like Gatsby’s ideal life, and he thinks that his ideal life is what Daisy will want too. This shows how Gatsby is an egoist, by showing that he is doing everything for his ideal life. This criticizes the idea of the American Dream as Gatsby is illegally making money for his own ideal, while the people in the Valley of Ashes are working hard legally for their family.

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