What does the quote "besides the good things that he possesses, he every instant fancies a thousand others that death will prevent him from trying if he does not try them soon" (de Tocqueville) in the great gatsby mean

Explanation:

We can infer the meaning of this quote by considering the context of the statement. For example, a few lines before this quote, we are told by Alexis de Tocqueville,

"He who has set his heart exclusively on the pursuit of worldly welfare is always in a hurry, for he has but a limited time at his disposal to reach, to grasp, and to enjoy it."

Hence, what the quote means is that man (i.e Gatsby), has an insatiable desire to enjoy what life can offer with the fear of dying in mind; despite the good things he already has.

as for symbolic actions, the narrator's tearing down the wallpaper in an attempt to find the "woman" in the wallpaper represents her struggle to retain or regain her sanity.   the wallpaper has been part of her confinement and by her tearing it down, she is freeing herself from that confinement.

fire

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