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Essay / Theme of wonder in The Great Gatsby - 1301
Gatsby moves to West Egg so he can look at "the green light at the end of Daisy's dock" (180) which represents Daisy's wonder and the future that 'He really wants her. The green light is so blinding to Gatsby that he doesn't realize that Daisy is nothing more than a vision he invented for her. For him, the wonder of Daisy lies in her past, her present and her future. Even though Daisy is nothing more than an image fabricated by Gatsby's illusions of wonder, when he finds her, “he literally glowed; without a word or gesture of exultation, a new well-being radiated from him and filled the small room” (89). Daisy's enchanting and wonderful voice is reflected in Gatsby's dazzling appearance. The wonder Gatsby feels is so strong that it is visible on his body. When they are reunited, his body and mind are completely overwhelmed by Daisy's wonder. When they are together, Gatsby cannot control his actions or his sense of reality because, in Daisy's "real and astonishing presence, none of it was real anymore" (91). Even though Daisy married Tom and didn't wait for Gatsby, he is still completely seduced by Daisy because of how amazing she is at him. His wonder is so deceptive that he believes in the Marguerite who is the product of his imagination. Gatsby believed in the "green light, the orgastic future" (180) so much that he was unable to see Daisy's reality before her arrival.