... on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." (Fitzgerald 189). Here, Nick reveals Gatsby's lifelong quest to transcend his past as ultimately futile. In comparing this backward-driving force to the current of a river, Fitzgerald presents it as both inexorable and, in a sense, an inevitable aspect of humanity. The America envisioned by its founders was a land made for men ... ...

• Word Count: 1786
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate