gatsby
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Reality vs. Illusion in The Great Gatsby
Certain people within society see the world through a much different perspective than the average person. These imaginative people view the physical qualities of the real world and transform this vision into an illusion. This is portrayed in The Great Gatsby, when Jay Gatsby does not see the physical reality of the brutal world: "Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw the blocks of the sidewalk really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees- he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder" (Fitzgerald 117). The romantic attitude of Gatsby within the story leads him to perceive the world through a distinctive standpoint. This attitude causes his vision to be "blurred" and Gatsby to see the world through an "illusion" rather than the reality of the world.
Gatsby's altered ability to see enables him to have a different "sight" or perception of the world. This ability is portrayed when Gatsby sees that "the blocks of the sidewalk really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees" (Fitzgerald 117). Instead of seeing the sidewalk for its main purpose, Gatsby sees it as a ladder leading to prosperity and pleasure. Although the sidewalk is "concrete" and definite in the material world that surrounds Gatsby, he does not see it for its true meaning and transforms it into his illusion...