Personal Response: The Great Gatsby
“At the enchanted metropolitan twilight I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others” (Fitzgerald 56)
In the quotation, Nick is talking about how he feels about New York. Although he is in the biggest city in the United States at the time, he still felt alone. Since he is not from New York, he feels very lonely because he only knows Daisy and Tom and even then, he does not know them very well. I agree with the quotation, being surrounded by millions people does not change the loneliness that people can feel and sometimes increases it. An example of this is when students move away from home for university. The first few weeks of university can be very enjoyable for some, but for others the experience may not be the same. Even though they will be surrounded by others that have moved away from home, they may still feel very lonely and will want to go home. It is as if being around other people that are not lonely makes people feel lonely because they do not have the same relationship with people. By talking to my friends who have just entered university, many have said that the hardest part of university is making new friends other than the ones they live with. Another example of this loneliness is when I was away at summer camp. I already knew people before going to the camp so I did not feel like I knew nobody, but at times I still felt as if I was alone. The moment my friends were not present, I instantly felt the loneliness described in the quotation. This loneliness was felt even though I was surrounded by kids that were having the time of their lives. Through my experiences, even by going to events that should be enjoyable, I could still have this feeling of loneliness if none of my friends are around. Overall I agree with the quotation, being surrounded by people in big cities or events can create a sense of loneliness. By being with people you know well, this feeling of loneliness can be avoided.
calhoho 