IndexIntroductionMetaphors of the Past in The Great GatsbyImagery in The Great GatsbyConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionThroughout history, attempts to repeat the past have been a prominent and routine action undertaken by many individuals/ villages . For example, acts of genocide (such as the Cambodian genocide) were more frequent after one of the first genocides known as the Holocaust. While their motivations may be different, it is clear that as a society we have a reputation for repeating the actions of the past. Similarly, this idea of ​​wanting to repeat the past is also expressed in a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald called The Great Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, repetition of the past is portrayed as an elusive and intangible concept, explored through various rhetorical strategies in the novel's first interaction between Daisy and Gatsby. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Metaphors for the Past in The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald first uses the clock on Nick's mantle as a metaphor to show that the past cannot be recreated. When Gatsby, Daisy and Nick settle into Nick's living room during the tea party, the text reads: "Fortunately the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously under the pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and grabbed it with trembling fingers and adjusted it into place” (Fitzgerald). Excited at seeing Daisy for the first time in quite a while, Gatsby almost knocks over Nick's old watch that was on his shelf. Metaphorically, the old watch represents the lost time between Daisy and Gatsby during the 5 years of separation between them his clumsiness in trying not only to stop time, but also to recover the past as he almost drops the clock while catching the old clock also means that, despite all his efforts to recover the past, time continues as the The watch was saved and therefore still working. However, if the clock had broken as they believed, this would not have reshaped the outcome since clocks are replaceable and time is not an exhaustible resource. This suggests that time is a concept that cannot be altered or diluted by an individual and, despite any attempt to stop it, will continue for eternity. The imagery in The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald also implements the imagery in the first interaction between Daisy and Gatsby to exemplify how the past is a frozen part of time that cannot be recovered. During the time when all three are first in Nick's living room, the text states, "Gatsby, with his hands still in his pockets... fingers trembling... then sat down, stiffly" (Fitzgerald). Through Gatsby's description when he reunites with Daisy, it is evident that he is nervous and anxious. Even though Gatsby's dream and what he has worked for for the past 5 years is literally and figuratively right in front of him, Gatsby still expresses immense nervousness, implying that he may not be as ready for his dream as he initially thought. This also affects the breakdown of Gatsby's own character since before this confrontation, Gatsby was a peculiar man who expressed little/no emotion. However, this is the first time in the novel where Gatsby's fragile and sensitive side is clearly expressed. Because of this "break" in his true character, it can be inferred that Daisy is perhaps the only person he shows affection for and has true feelings for. This shows that Gatsby is, 2004.