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Examples Of Obsession In The Great Gatsby

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Another factor contributing to the struggle of Both Holden and Gatsby is their obsession with an immature ideal they hold for the future. This obsession is identified in the concluding words of the novel, The Great Gatsby. Nick Caraway writes, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” This quote is definitely one that takes the reader back into understanding, that Gatsby uses his collection of the past as a source of inspiration for the expectations he holds for the future. For example …show more content…

In more depth, this quotes shows his need to save children like his sister phoebe or his dead brother Allie from losing their childhood innocence and becoming adults which he believes are all phonies. In reality, Holden is one person so he can not be the catcher in the rye; despite that he keeps trying to be till he reaches a loin where he is truly lost in touch with reality and blinded. He does however realize that in the back of his mind, which is what leads him on such a destructive path of competing with himself constantly on meeting the idea he believes he is. He does this by drinking, smoking, becoming involved in fights and even attempting to have meaninglessness sexual encounters. However in the end he comes to the realization that he can not be the catcher in the rye despite what he’s done, and what triggers this realization for him is when he sees the word “Fuck you” on the walls of phoebe’s school. He fights this realization by attempting to wipe the vulgar words off the wall, but then acknowledges that couldn’t protect the children from such vulgarity due to “If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn’t rub out even half the “Fuck you” signs in the world. It’s impossible” (Salinger, 202). In saying this he finally admits to the fact he could never be the catcher in the

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