The old adage of 'not learning from the past dooms one to repeat it' ring true in this novel by Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is one of memory and the past and it is these two elements that drive Gatsby on to his own demise. In his past he wasn't 'good enough' or 'rich enough' to hope to impress and win Daisy. Now, he is in her class and he finds himself in the same predicament. She doesn't want him; or she does but she loves the lifestyle she has with Tom, more. Gatsby has spent a lifetime pursuing something from his past.
