Quote #6

page 99
8/15/10

Nick finally hears the story of why Gatsby changed his name. Along with the story is an explanation as to why he thought he needed to change his name. Gatsby had been living a single life and had never experienced love before. He would often fantasize of being in love to help himself fall asleep. " For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy's wing." He thought love was a fairytale. This part of his life and part of the book explains a lot about why Gatsby's feelings are so strong. Imagine his surprise when he found that what he was feeling for Daisy was love. This gave me, the reader, a chance to consider that maybe the reason Gatsby held on to Daisy so long was because she was the only love he knew. He hadn't experienced it with anyone else. This quote helps mostly with the character development of Gatsby.