Time remains a universal continuation of the past into the present and has a strong hold on the future. The destruction of satisfaction in history holds back fulfillment in the future with an unalterable sense of guilt that prevents. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates that "the past is forever in the present" through numerous literary and narrative techniques, suggesting that memories serve as crucial components in the development of individuals. Fitzgerald implements a first-party narrative through Nick Caraway's recollection of the events of the plot in order to effectively demonstrate the healing, yet beneficial, effects of memories on individuals' current mindset. The story concerns Nick's past, whose memories will be affected forever. The first sentence of the novel refers to Nick's psychological description as: "...since then I have been brooding in my mind" (1), revealing the impact of knowledge ascertained from the past and the permanence of said knowledge in shaping the present. First-person reporting provides information about the mental effects of personal experiences on a person's current psychology. At the end of the novel, this theme of the past having a stronghold in the present becomes evident through Nick's epiphany that "the future always recedes before us...we are always pushed back into the past" (180). This revelation reveals the permanence and strength of the past, preventing individuals from fully leaving the past behind and pursuing a realistic future. Fitzgerald provides this insight through first-person narration, in order to demonstrate the effect the story has on the current character, which is effectively presented through Nick's memory of each...half of the paper...the reader to take the easy route by following the “current” instead of changing tides. As human beings, everyone is subject to memories, but the various perspectives of the potential in these memories determine the likelihood of encountering maximum satisfaction in life. Fitzgerald uses numerous literary intentions to illustrate “the past is forever in the present.” For centuries, humans have studied the causes and effects of past civilizations, tragedies, and wars in order to prevent horrific outcomes in the present, which further reiterates the suggestion that memories of the past provide beneficial lessons. The past offers the opportunity to build on oneself, as shown through Nick, as well as the opportunity to lose oneself, as shown through Gatsby. The past remains the past, but the effects of the past reveal its realistic potential in the present and future.