Was Jay Gatsby... Lucid Dreaming?

It is a typical school night after a hectic Monday, and you’re heading off to bed. As you slowly slip into the realm of dreams and imaginations, you realize that you are aware of yourself while dreaming, an experience you find exhilarating yet also terrifying. Every lucid dream begins with an awareness of one’s dream self and the decision to explore and create a unique reality (lucidity.com). There are a few traits common to this phenomenon: the dreamer usually attempts to relive a memory, create a distinct reality from their (his/her/their) real life, and use narration as a way to describe their views. The dreamer might also observe recurring themes or objects that often appear in their dream world. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s description of Jay Gatsby’s experience with Daisy, Gatsby’s lifestyle, and some recurring objects throughout the story share similar traits with lucid dreaming and its elements. Like to know how? Keep reading.

Experts usually say that for one to be an adept lucid dreamer, one must be observant. The reason is that in lucid dreams, there are hidden objects that appear over and over again. These objects are useful because they tell the dreamer if her she is in a land of imagination, or if it is real life. For example, if one regularly sees a magenta firefly in a dream or many dreams, that could indicate that it is a lucid dream. Similarly, in The Great Gatsby, one can compare the motifs throughout the story to the reoccurrence of objects in lucid dreaming. An example of a recurring object is the billboard with the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. When Fitzgerald mentions the advertisement initially, it is easy for the reader to brush over it. However, it becomes a significant symbol as it is repeated more often throughout the story. Numerous other objects such as Gatsby’s yellow car, the color gray, and Klipspringer (the cRaZy guy that basically lives in Gatsby's mansion) are subtly repeated to make the readers aware of their significance, as well as create a sense of symbolism in the story. One of the most discussed motifs is the green light at the end of the Buchanan’s Dock. Fitzgerald repeatedly mentions this view throughout the book and states that it represents Gatsby’s "count of enchanted objects” (Fitzgerald, 113). The presence of the light serves as a reminder to Gatsby of his "unattainable dream" of being with Daisy, similar to how a recurring object in a lucid dream can make the dreamer aware of his or her consciousness (atkinsbookshelf.wordpress.com).

Throughout the novel, and especially in the development of the plot, Gatsby tried to relive his past romance with Daisy Buchanan. Likewise, in a lucid dream it is common-  because one has absolute control - to try to re-enact certain experiences either for the thrill or merely to do things differently. As shown in The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is obsessed with the idea of reliving his past romance with Daisy. Through the lens of a utopia, Gatsby envisions a reality where Daisy gives up her marriage with Tom and follows him instead. “[Gatsby] wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: “I never loved you” (Fitzgerald 133). Although this could be a possible scenario, readers can see that Gatsby’s attitude towards he and Daisy’s romance is blind, and stems from his obsession with the need to recreate their past. Even when Nick attempts to draw Gatsby to the realization that “[one] can’t repeat the past,” Gatsby refuses to accept this notion and mentions that “[he is] going to fix everything just the way it was before” (Fitzgerald, 133). He is determined to find the same happiness he had with Daisy five years before, and through his “dream” of perfection, willing to do what it takes to lure Daisy back to him.  

The motifs of the novel, Jay Gatsby’s obsession with reconnecting with Daisy’s, and his façade of wealth all point towards the common trend of lucid dreaming. In the ways that Fitzgerald delivered the characters and style of this novel, he succeeded in making it interesting, yet complicated, and available to all, and well as available to none. To understand The Great Gatsby and its elements, one has to place themselves inside the story; one should be able to feel and experience what the characters go through. All these characteristics can be linked back to the fundamentals of lucid dreaming, and through The Great Gatsby, readers observe a sense of human nature tied to a phenomenon that is commonly understood to be remote. ~ Now, close your eyes, and begin to dream. ~