Water Symbolism in The Great Gatsby: Struggle and the American Dream

Gatsby’s Pursuit of Love, Belonging, and the Turbulence of Obstacles

The classic American novel, The Great Gatsby, tells the tale that belongs to the book’s narrator Nick Carraway. How the roaring 1920s were unforgettable as he retells the summer of 1921 when he comes to live on West Egg across the water from his former college classmate, the arrogant Tom Buchanan, and his wife, Nick’s distant beautiful, and sophisticated cousin, Daisy Buchanan and their palace of a home on the wealthier East Egg.

Back in West Egg, Nick meets his neighbor Jay Gatsby, a mysterious but infamously wealthy man who throws massive parties each week when he receives an invitation to those parties. He goes and runs into another member of the Buchanan household Jordan Baker, a cynical, competitive golfer, and spends the evening with her until he finally meets Gatsby himself and learns his true motives. Nick begins to now narrate the journey that is Gatsby chasing after his old Love, Daisy’s hand.

In a way, that very hand is symbolic of the American Dream. The way Fitzgerald eloquently describes the pursuit of one’s ultimate goals through Gatsby’s pursuit of his true Love and his eagerness to fit in with the crowd can be traced right back to Maslow’s third tier in his hierarchy of needs, Love, and belonging. However, in any and most journeys to success, there must be some sort of conflict or obstacle. In this case, it can be represented through water.

Connecting and Dividing Gatsby’s Dreams in Fitzgerald’s Narrative

In the novel, the first mention of Gatsby is when he is reaching his hand out to the “dark water in a curious way” at the end of his dock, looking at the green light across the bay on Daisy Buchanan’s property. Gatsby is separated physically from Daisy at this moment by the vast stretch of water between their two homes. Another example can even come from humble beginnings, like when Gatsby’s past is finally revealed, his claim to fame was when he was on his boat during a storm helping the alcoholic, tremendously wealthy Dan Cody dock his ship.

In doing so, he caught his ride out of what he once was and used this to become who he was. Unfortunately, the water comes back to separate him once more from his dream of Daisy In the form of a swimming pool when he requests his butler to “Don’t do it today” when the butler mentions draining the pool before the leaves start to fall. One can argue had Gatsby not decided to swim that day. He would not have been shot and killed while waiting for his dearest Daisy to call him and come to him finally.

F. Scott Fitzgerald has a way of showing that even in the chase of your dreams, there is always a but. Choosing to share this example through Nick’s eyes of Gatsby’s aim to finally get the girl and fit in with the wealthy people he always dreamed of being a part of but also choosing water to symbolically represent the struggles and obstacles that will stop that feverous pursuit in its tracks. Showing how everyone has a dream and can work their hardest to achieve it, but in the end, not everyone can succeed.

References:

1. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925.
2. Maslow, Abraham H. “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Psychological Review, vol. 50, no. 4, 1943, pp. 370-396.
3. Tucker, Lindsey. “Water Symbolism in ‘The Great Gatsby’.” Study.com, 15 Jan. 2021, www.study.com/academy/lesson/water-symbolism-in-the-great-gatsby.html.
4. Berman, Ronald. “The Green Light at the End of Daisy’s Dock: A Vision for Gatsby.” The Arizona Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, 1972, pp. 57-64.
5. Wulick, Andrea. “The Great Gatsby: Study Guide.” Course Hero, 25 Jan. 2017, www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Great-Gatsby/.
6. Donaldson, Scott. “Possessions in The Great Gatsby.” Modern Critical Interpretations: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, edited by Harold Bloom, Chelsea House Publishers, 1986, pp. 63-78.