The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

He [Gatsby] put his hands in his coat pockets and turned back eagerly to his scrutiny of the house, as though my presence marred the sacredness of the vigil (145).

Gatsby awaits his fairy tale ending that will never occur. He wants it so badly, but it is just out of his reach. When I first began to read this book and saw the love triangle, I thought that Gatsby would begin a new life together. That is what typically happens in a novel nowadays. Everything that ends just perfectly and the way it should; however, in The Great Gatsby that was not the case. Gatsby failed in regaining the love of his life. It demonstrates that life is a little messy. We cannot place it in a little box and keep it there. People change and with them, so do their thoughts. Since Daisy’s thoughts changed, she remained with her husband. She no longer felt the need to leave because of the occurrences of that strange, dramatic day. She wanted stability instead of a past love; those five years apart killed the chance between Daisy and Gatsby. It seems there will be no happily ever after for the two.

As much as an audience loves to watch the romantic comedies, how often do people achieve total happiness? In movies, we see glimpses of how we want to live; a knight in shining armor comes to sweep the distressed girl off her feet. It may not happen in reality, but it does send us the message that as a human race, we are worth an endearing relationship. As often as people dream about the happily ever after fantasy, sometimes they aren’t in the cards. Sometimes, we do not get it. Sometimes, we feel like Gatsby or Jack from the Titanic.