The descriptions of Daisy suggest the value she holds in Gatsby’s eyes. Gatsby’s joy regarding Daisy’s appreciation for his shirts and the description of Daisy’s eyes as being like diamonds illustrate Gatsby’s tendency to focus too much on materialism, which causes him to miss what truly contributes to love. The mirage of Daisy is appropriate because of its connection with heat, which Fitzgerald uses in the novel to symbolize tension and the past. Mirages are illusions one sees on a hot day that often look like water, which represents connection (as with the gulf between Gatsby’s and Daisy’s house) and sadness (in the form of rain and tears) in the novel.
Gatsby’s neglected pool symbolizes how one can become so focused on one dream and the past that one misses what is blatantly in reach, in the present. All summer, Gatsby overlooked the pool in his backyard because he was so focused on Daisy and his dream, symbolized by the green light across the bay. But Gatsby’s decision to go swim illustrates that he is starting to let go of his dream, for he no longer stays in his house (which he bought in hopes of attracting Daisy) to wait for her phone call. However, he does not completely give up for he tells the butler to inform him if anyone calls.
The yellowing of the leaves as Gatsby walks towards the pool further illustrates the death of Gatsby’s dream. Fitzgerald’s use of seasons reflects the plot of the novel. The tensions between characters, notably Tom and Gatsby, rise during the summertime. The coming of fall symbolizes the cooling down of tensions, but also the coming of death. This death not only refers to the death of Gatsby’s dream, but also his own death. The final statement about how summer would still come again reveals Gatsby’s tenacious hope, though he realizes death, whether it is his own or his dream’s, is coming.
The Coming of Fall
After bidding Nick goodbye, Gatsby returned to his study to await the phone call from Daisy. As he sat nervously in his chair, Gatsby stared intently at the small clock sitting on his desk, its ticking sound serving as a persistent reminder of each second passing by.
Perturbed, Gatsby turned away from his desk and gazed around his room. His eyes rested upon the pile of neatly folded shirts lying on his bed—a proud display of silken green, gold, and blue fabrics. A warm rush of pride flooded over him as he recalled Daisy’s sobs of appreciation for his shirts; the luxuries he owned had met Daisy’s approval.
Gatsby’s eyes blurred and the hot, humid room faded from focus. Daisy stood in front of him, her eyes twinkling like precious diamonds. She was a younger Daisy of five years ago, her white dress rippling in the wind like water. Gatsby stretched out his arms towards her, but the mirage dissolved just as he was about to touch her.
A strong, cold wind blew the window open with a whip, and startled Gatsby out of his reverie. He sat still for a moment, his fist still clenching the thin air.
He then strolled over to shut the window. He did so, and his dazed eyes caught sight of the swimming pool that he had neglected all summer. He had gazed intently at the green light wavering across the bay on countless summer nights and subsequently overlooked the body of water in his own garden. Now, with the arrival of cooler weather, the time for him to use the pool was drawing to a close.
But Gatsby could not simply leave to swim without receiving Daisy’s call; he needed to know what she was going to do. Daisy would surely choose him; he was no longer the poor James Gatz whom she left to recede into her rich, full life above the heated plights of the poor. He could provide her with as much luxury as Tom could—and as abundant a life as she desired.
However, as the clock continued to tick, a cold wave of doubt washed over him. Ever since the accident, Gatsby felt as if Daisy was retreating away from him, slipping out of his hands. He would envision her sparkling eyes and hear her tinkling laugh, but then he would recall her appalled eyes when he desperately tried to defend himself to her in front of Tom.
Around two o’clock, Gatsby emerged from his hot study, his conviction that Daisy’s call would come steadily fading. He put on a bathing suit and said to his butler, “If anyone calls, come find me at the pool.”
Gatsby stopped at the garage for a pneumatic mattress that his guests had enjoyed during the summer, and the chauffer helped him pump it up. The chauffer asked whether he wanted anything else. Gatsby stared at him with confused eyes. Then he said, “Don’t take the car out under any circumstances.” He placed the mattress on his shoulder and started for the pool. The mattress began to slip and he stopped and shifted it a little. The chauffer asked him if he needed help, but he shook his head and continued on.
Gatsby noticed the yellowing trees along the path way as he strolled towards the pool. The passing of time, the coming of fall, was beginning to spoil the leaves which had been vibrantly green all summer. He continued on.
Nothing would stay the same or stand still. Even his mattress would not remain still as he lay on it in the pool; it moved with little ripples as the fresh flow of water from one end drifted toward the drain at the other. A persistent, small gust of wind disturbed the linear flow, causing the mattress to move in an irregular, back and forth motion.
Gatsby gazed up at the somber clouds hovering, ghost-like, across the sky. He began to realize that it might be too late. But he had held on tenaciously for so long and given so much that he could not give up. Fall may have been coming, but summer would surely come again as well.
Bibliography
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 2003
