On the other hand, Nick as a writer can be seen as isolated, just as Gatsby was throughout his life, due to the extravagant parties with non-invited strangers and a friendless funeral. Fitzgerald therefore emphasizes Gatsby’s hopeful obsession of meeting Daisy ever again, by hoping she would attend his materialistic parties, however by his death, he was only described as a “poor son-of-a-bitch”. The reader feels that Gatsby was indeed this as he had dedicated part of his life in trying to reignite his love with Daisy showing he only ever became successful due to his materialistic desires, turning Daisy into an object.
In contrast, when Gatsby’s father attends the funeral, he believes in Gatsby’s true success in relation to his mansion, as Nick comments, it “was more real to him now than the house itself”, showing the house resembles Gatsby’s success to his father, instead of its physical presence. Henry Gatz’s view of his son contrasts with those who knew Gatsby during his quest for wealth to impress Daisy, because he believed in his son’s success, that it was genuine and was a positive thing, however Gatsby was never happy with his wealth as he was always striving, “faithful to the end”. Therefore, this shows Gatsby was indeed distant from his father, as shown in chapter 6 when Gatsby tells Nick of how he changed his name. This can be interpreted to be the result of Gatsby’s parents, detaching him from them as they were “shiftless and unsuccessful”. Fitzgerald shows this detachment again in chapter 9 as Gatsby’s father learns of his son’s death indirectly through the “Chicago Newspaper”.
Fitzgerald concludes in chapter 9 of how the characters had no sense of purpose, in contrast to the Dutch sailors who were looking for “a fresh, green breast of the new world”. Their sense of wonder and amazement by America is represented by the novel to have transformed into people who “drifted here and there unrestfully” as demonstrated by Daisy and Tom. Fitzgerald throughout the novel uses the colour green to symbolise illusion and desire, like Gatsby whose obsession was represented by “a single green light, minute and far away”. Therefore, Fitzgerald mentions green again at the end of the novel, as he first did at the end of chapter 1, representing the end of Gatsby’s life and quest for the illusion of Daisy.
However, Fitzgerald symbolises Nick to have a purpose, the account he has written being a result of this. Although Nick has a view that being thirty brings a “promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning briefcase of enthusiasm, thinning hair” he still, even two years later has dedicated his time to completing the account of his experience with Gatsby. So, like the Dutch sailors, Fitzgerald mentions throughout the novel, Nick’s wonder and amazement of Gatsby creates a sense of purpose, unlike the rest of the characters, prompting him to write the account.
On the other hand, Gatsby is represented to have dreams and desires, causing him to dedicate his life to the purpose of rekindling his love with Daisy. Fitzgerald concludes at the end of the chapter how Gatsby “believed in the green light, the orgastic future” prompting Nick to reflect Gatsby and create his own dedication in writing the account of his experience, owing it to Gatsby’s life.
Fitzgerald again emphasises the Dutch sailors’ “boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”. This is shown to reflect Gatsby and his determination to “borne back” to the past in order to be with Daisy again, however, like the “boats against the current” time prevents Gatsby from fulfilling his dreams.
