Body paragraph format
IV. The green light fades in significance
topic sentence
context of the quotation
quotation
reflection
The green light only holds significance for Gatsby as long as Daisy remains out of reach.When Gatsby begins to feel comfortable in his relationship with Daisy, he says:
“You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.”
Daisy put her arm through his abruptly but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. . . Now it was again a green light on a dock.
For so long, all Gatsby has had to feed his dream is the green light. He has no opportunity to see Daisy and only that light allows him to continue to hope. When she becomes a reality, however, everything changes. The light quickly becomes a light again and Gatsby almost senses the difference. Ironically, however, with the temporary attainment of his dream, he appears to lose his drive to improve himself. Because Daisy overpowers everything else in his desires, when he believes she loves him again, all of his money and his huge house and his fancy car lose all value; only Daisy matters. He lets everything fall into disrepair. Although this may seem depressing, the fact that Daisy dominates Gatsby’s version of the American dream makes his striving more admirable just as it makes his quest less attainable. Gatsby could have attained wealth and respect within certain circles, but trying to enter Daisy’s world was an impossible dream.