In the novel, the green light represented that innocent Gatsby looked forward to the future, and at the same time longed for the history, namely, the green light represents his dream.

“Gatsby believed the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther….And one fine morning. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (Fitzgerald, 2002: 188)

American Dream actually originated from the past, and made him sincerely persist in the traditional ideal foundation; however, when he was borne back ceaselessly into the past, he made efforts for exploring various possibility in the future. To some extent, Gatsby’s love to Daisy reflected his wonderful memory of the past. Four years before, he realized her and then loved her. It was deeply engraved on his mind of original love. In the long time, to the love of missing Daisy, Gatsby memorized that Daisy fantastically became a beautiful miracle story in his mind, a historical event with wonderful experiences and a fairy maiden in a mysterious Vail. He desired to make the historical past transform to the future with same historical meaning through his own persistent efforts. And this green light representing his good ideal echoed with a fresh green breast of the world mutually at the end of this novel, which made Gatsby’s experiences indicate the whole America’s ones; nevertheless, after five years when Gatsby met Daisy again, the miracle Daisy had lost her original glory. The distinction between ideal and reality was huge.

““And she doesn’t understand,” he said: “she used to be able to understand. We’d sit for hours—”He broke off and began to walk up and down a desolate path of fruit rinds and discarded favors and crushed flowers.

“I wouldn’t ask too much for her,” I ventured, “you can’t repeat the past.”