Write About the Significance of Time Settings in the Great Gatsby

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Write about the significance of time settings in the Great Gatsby Gatsby and Nick are consistently troubled by time; the past haunts Gatsby and the future clouds around Nick. Nick tries to tell Gatsby that you can't repeat the past, but Gatsby says "Why of course you can!" Gatsby has dedicated his entire life to recapturing a white/golden perfect past with Daisy, (his dream). Gatsby believes in the future and the American Dream, and believes that money can recreate/buy both. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby as "overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves." But Gatsby confuses "youth and mystery" with history; he thinks a single glorious month of love with Daisy can compete with the years and experiences she has shared with Tom. Just as "new money" is money without social connection, Gatsby's connection to Daisy exists outside of history. Nick's fear of the future foreshadows the economic crisis that pushed the country into depression and ended the Roaring Twenties in 1929. The day Gatsby and Tom argue at the Plaza Hotel, Nick suddenly realizes that it's his 30th birthday. He thinks of the new decade before him as a "portentous menacing road," and clearly sees in the struggle between old and new money the end of an era and the demolishment of both types of wealth. Chapter 5 is the first chapter in the book that purposely focuses on time; Gatsby’s life up until this stage had been completely consumed by Daisy. His time was utterly dedicated to thinking of her, and this idea is shown by the lack of reference to time in the book. Time of day is rarely mentioned nor is the day of the week or even the month because of its clear unimportance. Seasons are the only concrete use of time in the novel. The season of summer seems to represent Gatsby’s dreams with Daisy (summer suggests longer and brighter days). Summer is when he met

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