Gatsby is living in the past

Memories can often trick us into believing in something that isn’t real. Gatsby has spent five years living with a dream of what could have been but having no real knowledge of reality had Daisy been waiting for him upon his return. Gatsby is not in love with Daisy but rather is in love with the idea of Daisy. He has built her up in his mind and put her on such a high pedestal that he can’t see anything beyond his vision. Nick tries to help him understand that he’s caught up in the past and Daisy is living in the present but Gatsby is unwilling or unable to grasp the concept. Gatsby tells Nick, “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before… She’ll see.” He is blind to the person Daisy really is, a selfish rich socialite who is only really in love with the person with the most money. And, in the end this is what leads to his downfall. Daisy can do no wrong in his eyes. When Gatsby tries to get Daisy to tell Tom that she never really loved him, Daisy can’t, whether she did love/loves Tom or not. And finally, when Daisy hits Myrtle and continues to drive on, causing even more trouble, Gatsby can only think of the Daisy before that he must protect. Daisy is only a symbol of what could have been, a symbol that he can’t let go of.