Fitzgerald’s use of the clock as a symbolic motif during Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy—“He turned, caught it with trembling fingers, and set it back in place”—reflects the novel’s broader preoccupation with time, memory, and the illusion of emotional permanence. In this moment, Gatsby’s physical interaction with the clock operates as a subtle but powerful metaphor for his psychological struggle to reclaim a lost past. Through the use of symbolism and narrative detail (AO2), Fitzgerald captures Gatsby’s intense anxiety and his desire to ‘fix’ time, as though setting the clock back in place might restore his former relationship with Daisy. The verb “trembling” conveys his emotional fragility and the almost absurd delicacy of his fantasy. From an AO1 perspective, this moment articulates a key aspect of Gatsby’s tragic characterisation: his refusal to accept the irreversible nature of time and change. Viewed through an AO3 lens, the clock can be seen as emblematic of 1920s America's obsession with reinvention and the illusion of progress. Just as Gatsby believes he can reconstruct an idealised version of the past, so too did post-war America often chase an imagined future built on unstable foundations. Ultimately, this small moment encapsulates the central irony of The Great Gatsby: that no matter how carefully one tries to preserve or restore the past, time will inevitably move forward—and with it, truth, love, and dreams dissolve.