How Does Fitzgerald Present Optimism In The Great Gatsby

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence” (Helen Keller). This inspirational and historic quote near perfectly captures the mindset of Jay Gatsby in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel often uses symbolism as a tool to help the reader understand and comprehend emotions, relationships, or foreshadowing in the story. There is symbolism used to portray Gatsby’s hope and optimism towards reuniting with who is revealed to be his former love, Daisy Buchanan, in the form of a humble green light at the end of Daisy’s dock.

The first time that the green light is called to attention is also the first time that Jay Gatsby becomes more than just a name. Prior to this moment,

However, Gatsby was not the one that killed her; it was Daisy. Both Daisy and Gatsby were in the car that ran Myrtle over, and witnesses had the false assumption that Gatsby was the driver. Tom, Daisy’s husband who recently learned about her and Gatsby’s affair, told George that Gatsby was the driver. The world was against Gatsby, and his undeserved death was accepted by him to preserve the innocent appearance of Daisy. At the end of the novel, Nick reminisces seeing Gatsby reach for the green light, stating, “As I sat there, brooding in the old unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock” (Fitzgerald 189). This suddenly changes the significance of the green light back to what it was at the beginning of the novel. It represents the hope and optimism that Gatsby had for Daisy, and the positive mindset that Gatsby will be remembered for. It is stated earlier in the novel that Gatsby and Daisy met five years before when the novel is set, and Gatsby bought the mansion he lives in purely so he could be close to Daisy. He held on to his dream of reuniting for five years with his only sign of hope being a simple green