In the last pages of Chapter 5, Nick describes that Gatsby has created an illusion of “colossal vitality” (Fitzgerald, Pg.
95). He referred to the illusion of Gatsby himself, his relationship with Daisy and Gatsby’s elevation of Daisy to almost epic status. Gatsby’s transformation; from a poor farm boy to rich man living in West Egg is dramatic. He spent all his time, after the war, in making himself a new identity. His illusions are colossal because they are loosely based on reality.
An example of this illusion is when he calls Nick “old sport” but it doesn’t really suit himself. This is because Gatsby acts like a gentleman, and never truly expressing his real emotions. In Chapter 3, when Nick first met Jay Gatsby, Gatsby had a short conversation with Nick where he admits being the host. Immediately afterwards, Nick thought that Gatsby was carefully selecting his words. He was probably right since Gatsby created this illusion of friendliness to make an impression on Nick. Another example of this illusion is in Chapter 3, Nick describes Gatsby’s smile as “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it” but after that, Nick said that the “speech just missed being absurd” so the smile and the way he picks his word is the illusion, but the truth is not like that.Although he seemed happy when he was reunited with her, he had a slight bit of doubt. The day when the two lovebirds met, Gatsby was irritated, because he feared Daisy was not coming.
He also seemed like he did not sleep the night before. Since he was probably simulating how to talk to Daisy and most of all how to impress her. As you could see from the way Gatsby tried to talk with Daisy and how he makes Nick invite her cousin over to his house. This show he is very precise or calculated. Usually, men would not go through the troubles of planning various schemes to talk with one lady. Furthermore, he brought her to his gorgeous mansion, showed her the countless number of shirts he had in his closet or call people to play the piano. Those things are not normal. He does these things because he loves Daisy and wants to impress her.
Gatsby’s vision of Daisy, over 5 years, continued to increase into an impossible ideal. Not to mention, she was married, and she could not possibly live up to that princess on a pedestal that Gatsby had painted in his mind. Gatsby sustained this idea of he and Daisy being together whereas Daisy moved on with her life and got married. Gatsby created a new persona and a potential world in which he and Daisy can be together. Even when they are briefly together, the reality can’t match his dream. It is colossal in the lengths, he went to win Daisy back.
This took years of his life, designed around this one goal and he was willing to take the necessary means to achieve that goal. Going to any means to achieve what might be an impossible end is colossal.
