George Gray’s poem reminded me very much of the last line from The Great Gatsby (So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past), because of its use of the boat and the sea (in the quote from Gatsby, the current) as a metaphor for life and the journey in which one must embark upon in life. This poem relates to the idea of American dream we explored in the last chapter of The Great Gatsby: just as Gatsby struggled so much to reach his American dream of winning Daisy’s love and being satisfied with himself (and in the end failed and met his death), George Gray must also “lift the sail/ And catch the winds of destiny/ Wherever they drive the boat.” Daisy gave meaning to Gatsby’s life. After his dream had been broken with Myrtle’s death and the subsequent events that took place, Gatsby’s life was “a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid”, not knowing anymore what to do or where to go.

Reading this poem, it seems like George Gray truly understands what one must do to truly live his/her life to its fullest. It’s too bad that he came to this realization only after his death.