In “The Great Gatsby” we learn about many different themes and ideas presented to us in the book. Themes and ideas are presented to us through the results of the choices and actions the characters make in the story, ranging from Tom's adultery to Gatsby's nostalgia. One of the themes that Fitzgerald teaches his readers is that nostalgia (an extreme longing for the past) can cause many problems in a person's life, through the use of several literary elements present in the story. At the end of the first chapter, Fitzgerald uses symbolism to describe Gatsby's longing, introducing us to the "mysterious green light at the end of the platform" that Gatsby stares at. The green light, through its color, symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams, which constitute the completion of his materialistic wealth through his marriage to Daisy. The color green represents wealth, which is his love for Daisy, in which the color reveals to us that Gatsby's wealth would be complete when he finally gets Daisy to marry him. As stated above, the green light is the first symbolic representation of Gatsby's longing, which is his love for Daisy and his dream of marrying her to complete his wealth. Towards the end of chapter 6, the author uses hubris to emphasize the nostalgia and illusion expressed by Gatsby, even after he is told that he cannot change the past. When Nick tells Gatsby, "you can't repeat the past", Gatsby responds to Nick's statement by saying, "why of course you can", this statement implies that Gatsby is nostalgic and delusional, despite evidence to the contrary proving Gatsby's statement. as incorrect. Additionally, even though Daisy was married to Tom, Gatsby was still obsessed with marrying Daisy, as was shown in chapter 5 where h...... middle of paper .... .. longing for the past is futile and will only lead to bad events in the future, to the point that there will be no future for the nostalgic individual. In conclusion, we have learned that nostalgia is what will prevent an individual from reaching for the future and any subsequent desire for the future. past, will lead to the end of the possibility of a future for the individual. Gatsby, being an example in the story, was filled with nostalgia in an illusory way and as a result, he experienced the tragic fate he experienced at the end of chapter 8, with his death after being shot by George Wilson. Overall, the lesson that Fitzgerald taught his readers is that we must leave the past behind and move forward into the future, otherwise the past will drag us down with it and the future will no longer exist for us, ending in tragedy. is the result of continuing to be delusional nostalgic.