Post your journals for Ch.1-3, 4-6, & 7-9 here using the following guidelines:
1. Title entries with the chapter numbers. (ex: Chapter 1-3 Journal)
2. Write a five sentence summary of main events from the chapters.
3. For each journal, choose a different character to focus on.
a. Name the character.
b. Choose a quote that you think best represents the character.
c. Describe his/her best and worst qualities.
d. In a paragraph describe the character's role in the novel.
4. For each journal, choose one meaningful quote, and then describe its significance in the novel.
5. For each journal, note at least two sightings of one or more of the following symbols: the color green, the color white, silver and gold, the ash heap, the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg, Gatsby's career/Nick's career, Gatsby's library of uncut books/Nick's unread books, Dan Cody, East Vs. West Egg, rain in chapter five, heat in chapter seven, Wolfsheim's cufflinks, faded timetable (showing names of Gatsby's guests), Gatsby's cars/clothes.
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(Chapter 1-3 Journal)
Nick moves to New York and lives on West Egg. He goes over to Tom and Daisy's house and finds out that Tom is cheating on Daisy. Nick goes to a party with Tom and Myrtle and gets drunk for the second time in his life, and he doesn't like it since he wants to leave. Nick gets invited to a party at Gatsby's mansion. He meets Gatsby and finds out that they were in the war together. This quote describes Nick: "Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope. I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth" (pg. 2). Nick's good qualities are that he is honest, he tries to be good, etc. His bad quality is that he is a follower. He goes along with what others do and tell him to do. Tom "made" him get off of the train, go to Myrtle's, and go to a party. Nick's role in the novel is the narrator/"author". He gives his thoughts and opinions on things. "'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had'" (pg. 1). The significance of this quote is that this is what Nick's father told him. He has remembered this all his life. It meant that Nick shouldn't criticize people because not all people are born with the same circumstances and advantages as him. The ash heap is mentioned in chapter 2 when the Valley of Ashes is being described. In chapter 1, there are many comparisons made between the West Egg and East Egg (the new money vs. the old money).
Chapters 1-3
Summary- Nick moves to the West Egg, next door to Gatsby's mansion. Nick has dinner with his cousin Daisy, her husband Tom, and Jordan Baker. Tom is cheating on Daisy with Myrtle. Nick goes to a party at Myrtle's sister Catherine's house. Nick goes to Gatsby's mansion for a party, and he and Jordan meet Gatsby.
This quote describes Nick,"I'm inclined to reserve all judgements...I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men."(page 1) Nick remembers a saying that his father told him, that people have not had the same advantages as him, and that he shouldn't judge or criticize people. Nick is honest and a good listener, and people tend to trust him easily. Nick likes the fast paced New York lifestyle, and tends to go along with everyone else. Nick is the narrator of the novel. "He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it...concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor."(52) This is a significant quote in the novel because it is when Nick first meets Gatsby. Gatsby is looking in on the party. Nick describes gatsby's smile and personality as focusing in on one thing. Whoever Gatsby is talking to is all that is important at the time.
The valley of ashes is between the West egg and New York City. I think the ashes symbolize the poor, and how ungrateful the wealthy are in the novel.
Chapters 1-3
Five main events from chapters one-three are Nick goes to see his cousin Daisy and his friend Tom.He meets Jordan Baker. He finds out Tom has another woman. He meets Tom's woman Mrs.Wilson and realizes she is married also. He is invited to Gatsby's party and meets him. A quote that describes Nick is "You can't stop going with an old friend on account of rumors, and on the other hand I had no intention of being rumored into marriage."(19)Nick's good quality is that he is careful and not reckless like his friends.The bad part about that is he isn't confident in himself.Nick's role is to bring responsibilty to the East Egg and sit between the two eggs."The eyes of Doctor T.J. Ecklesburg are blue and gigantic"(23). "I lived at the West Egg, the-well, the less fashionable of the two..."(5)
*Chapters 1-3*
The story starts out with a young man, Nick, who travels from the midwest to an affluent suburb of New York called West Egg. He lives next to a Mr. Gatsby who has an enormous house. Nick then visits his distant relatives Tom and Daisy who introduce him to Miss Baker. Nick observes that Tom is unfaithful to Daisy. Nick, Tom's mistress(Myrtle), Tom, and the Mckee's then throw a party at which Nick is disgusted yet intrigued. Nick then attends a party at Mr. Gatsby's mansion and afterward begins dating Jordan Baker.
--Nick-- "In consequence I'm inclined to reserve all judgements, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me..."(5).
His best qualities are his work drive, kindness, education, and social status. He is however quite secretive, judgmental, and somewhat of a liar.
Nick is the protagonist of the novel. He is the one that I believe we will all end up connecting most with because of his close access to delicate matters. I also believe that his ability to acquire information with his trusting eyes may come back to haunt him when people find out what he knows.
"...he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...I glanced seaward--and distingushed nothing except a single green light, minute and far away."(26) This shows of the struggle for Gatsby, and even all of the characters, to find or posess something they have to "reach out" for or cannot obtain.
The color green is mentioned on pg.26 and represents a struggle to improve. On pg.13 the girl's dresses are white, possibly symbolizing happiness or maybe blissful ignorance toward the affair with Tom.
Chapters 4-6
Summary- Gatsby and Nick go out to lunch and Gatsby tells Nick his life story, but Nick thinks Gatsby is lying. Jordan tells Nick that Gatsby is in love with Daisy. Nick arranges a reunion for Gatsby and Daisy over tea. Tom and Gatsby awkwardly meet at Gatsby's party. Nick tells Gatsby's real story, the story of Jay Gatz.
This quote describes Gatsby: "He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford'...And with this doubt his whole statement fell to pieces and I wondered if there wasn't something a little sinister about him after all."(69) gatsby is still a mystery and Nick suspects that he is completly lying about his past. Gatsby's best qualities are that he is kind and successful, but his worst qualities are that he is dishonest and he thinks he can recreate his past with Daisy through being wealthy. Gatsby is a mystery in the novel, there are many rumors about him.
A significant quote in the novel is "I wouldn't ask too much of her, You can't repeat the past."(116) It is important because Nick thinks Gatsby's idea of being with Daisy is unreasonable, and that if Gatsby does get to be with Daisy, he will be disappointed because he has built up the idea so much in his dreams.
The green light is the light at Daisy's dock that Gatsby watches. It symbolizes Gatsby's hopes of his future with Daisy, and the light fades and is barely visible.
(Chapter 4-6 Journal)
Nick finds out that Gatsby is involved with Wolfshiem, the man who fixed the World Series in 1919. He finds out that Gatsby and Daisy used to know each other, and were in love. Nick sets up a way for Gatsby and Daisy to reunite, and they seem happy together. Tom is suspicious of Daisy and Gatsby being alone together. Gatsby is upset when Daisy doesn't have a good time at one of his parties, and he thinks that his money can accomplish anything, so he thinks he can re-create the way their love was in the past. This quote describes Gatsby: "The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end" (pg. 98). Gatsby's good qualities are that he likes to make people happy. Also, he is a hard-worker, since he worked hard to gain his wealth. He seems like a passionate, determined person. Some of his bad qualities are that he is obsessive, like he is with Daisy. He has spent so much time thinking about her, and what was, and what could be, that he's overly-obsessed with the idea of them being in love again and together. He seems to have a desperate side to him. Also, he is selfish. Yes, it's understandable that he wants to be with Daisy, but he's selfish in wanting to split up her marriage, even though her husband is a violent jerk. Another one of Gatsby's qualities is that he seems shady. He seems like he may be involved in something illegal by his relation with Wolfshiem. He also seems like he has a controlling personality because he thinks his money can do anything, and make anything happen, even control someone. Gatsby plays a huge role in the novel. He is the character who seems like something tragic is going to happen. It seems like his obsessive love for Daisy may cause a problem. He is one of the main characters. Also, Nick must've learned something from, because that would be the only reason he would write a whole story about him. The same quote that I used to describe Gatsby (see above) is my significant quote. This quote shows Gatsby's creation of his own identity. He has created who he wants to be, and he stays very attached to that creation, and does not like to think about the actual truth of his life. He wants to be who he has created. Dan Cody is mentioned in chapter 6. Also, in chapter 4, the valley of ashes is mentioned.
*Chapter 4-6 Journal*
In these chapters, Gatsby tells Nick his life story, although Nick is suspicious of it. Jordan and Nick go out for tea and she tells him how Daisy and Gatsby were in love before he left for the war. Gatsby asks Nick to invite Daisy over, but not to tell her that he will be there, because he wants to rekindle their relationship. Daisy and Tom attend one of Gatsby's parties, and Tom becomes jealous that his wife knows Gatsby. Nick also finds out the real story of Gatsby's life, and it is not so much like the story he was first told.
An important quote from these chapters is, "So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end" (98). This quote shows that because Gatsby's real name is James Gatz, he made a choice long ago to recreate himself into the ideal person that he wanted to be. To this day, Gatsby still stands by his new self, as it is evident in the made up stories that he told Nick earlier in these chapters.
In chapter five, rain occurs as a symbol during the get together with Daisy and Gatsby. In the beginning of the night it is raining and Gatsby is very nervous about being around Daisy. Towards the early morning, once Daisy and Gatsby's feelings for one another begin to spark again, the rain stops and the sun comes up. The green light on Daisy's deck is also a symbol in these chapters. Gatsby tells Daisy that on most nights you can see her light from his yard. This light sybolizes Gatsby's hope to reunite with Daisy and his plans and goals for the future.
*Chapters 4-6*
Gatsby takes Nick out on the town and introduces him to Mr. Wolfshiem who was the man to fix the 1919 World series. This is after Nick goes to mention the people who attend Gatsby's great parties. Nick is then told some of Gatsby's secrets by Jordan who he finally makes a move toward. Mr. Gatsby then makes a big deal about having Daisy over to see him because of a past romance Mr. Gatsby had toward her. Daisy comes over and Mr. Gatsby begins to make a fool of himself, but it ends up turning out fine. Nick reveals the not so wonderful but true story of Mr. Gatsby's past. Tom then visits Gatsby and it ends up turning into an invitation for Tom and Daisy to Mr. Gatsby's party. Tom hasn't completely figured out the relationship between Daisy and Mr. Gatsby yet, but seems suspicious. When Daisy leaves in anger, Gatsby thinks he can buy her back, but Nick thinks otherwise
Mr. Gatsby
"Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can."(116)This reveals how childish Gatsby has become toward the prospect of reliving the past with Daisy. One of Mr. Gatsby's greatest attributes is his kindness and openess when sharing his wealth and how he is so inviting to everyone. Mr. Gatsby's belief that money will buy anything is a very bad belief to live by, though. Mr. Gatsby is the character that ties all of the other characters together and adds a sense of class and also adventure when there is innuendo pointing to his shady dealings or troubled past.
"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired"(85) This quote will probably come up later in the novel as a theme representing Mr. Gatsby's desire and actions toward Daisy.
The symbols of: the white car, the silver car, Gatsby's career, Gatsby's library, Dan Cody, rain, the tooth cufflinks, the timetable of guests, and a description of Gatsby's cars and clothes all appear as symbols in chapters four through six.
(Chapters 1-3)
Nick introduces himself by saying what great advice he picked up from his father and that he just moved to New York City from Minnesota. Nick then goes over for diner at Tom and Daisy's house where he finds out about Tom's affair. Nick comes home from he Buchanan's and sees his neighbor Gatsby reaching off his dock for a green light. While riding the train, Tom forces Nick to get off and go to George Wilson's garage with him where they meet Tom's lover/George's wife whom they take with them to a party. Nick gets drunk for only the second time. Nick gets invited to Gatsby's luxurious party.
---Nick "Reserving Judgements is a matter of indefinite hope. I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that..." Nick is truthful, educated, and willing to do the right thing. Nick's weakness is his lust for Jordan Baker who is a liar and untruthful. Nick is the narrator and the story is casted by his emotions. Nick brings and open-minded view to the novel and gets rid of the conventional rule of which egg a person should live on.
---"Whenever you feel like criticizng any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had"(pg.1). This statement by Nick's father sets Nick's moral standards and allows him to be the truthful person he is.
---The color green (page.26) is supposed to symbolize hope, but I interpret it as a sign for Gatsby to GO and get Daisy. The East and the West Egg are also compared many times throughout these first three chapters, specifically page. 9.
(Chapters 4-6)
Gatsby speaks of his past with Nick while driving to lunch. Gatsby tells nick that he was born in the mid-western city of San Francisco and that he was awarded medals in WWI. Nick and Gatsby then arrange a reunion over tea between Daisy and Gatsby. Tom stops over at Gatsby's home while riding and has drinks suspiciously with him. Tom and Daisy come to Gatsby's next party but it is awkward and diappointing because Daisy didn't have fun.
---"He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford,' or swallowed on it or choked on it as though it had bothered him before" (page.69).This quote shows that Gatsby is a liar and an untruthful man who will do or say anything to gain his wealth and love. Gatsby's good qualities are he is always optimistic and has a positive outlook on life and his dreams. Gatsby's party's bring a great connection to the novel and generate many conflicts.
---"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired"(page.85). This quote represents the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy, and also represents the three areas of living in the novel. The West egg are the pursuing, the East egg are the pursued, and the Valley of Ashes for the most part are tired and giving up. Gatsby has spent his whole life pusuing Daisy and once he has pusued, will he become tired? The ash heap is mentioned in chapter 4 on page 81. The rain in chapter 5 represents a sad setting and how Gatsby is nervous for Daisy to come over for tea.
Chapter 4-6 Journal
Nick attends another one of Gatsby's parties and recounts the time when Gatsby tells him about his past. Gatsby's life seems too good to be true to Nick, and he presumes that Gatsby is lying. During lunch, Nick is introduced to Meyer Wolfsheim, who is supposedly responsible for fixing the World Series and represents organized crime. Later on, Jordan tells Nick about Gatsby's past relationship with Daisy, and how uncertain Daisy was about marrying Tom intially. Gatsby asks Nick to invite Daisy over so that he may drop by in hopes of making her fall in love with him again. Nick recounts Gatsby's real past, and it is very different from Gatsby's original story. Gatsby did not come from a wealthy family or attend a prestige college. Later, Gatsby and Tom have tea together, and they akwardly talk about Daisy. When Tom and Daisy attend one of Gatsby's parties and they have a terrible time. Gatsby reveals to Nick that he is hoping Daisy will leave Nick to be with him.
This quote describes Daisy: " Daisy admired this aspect or that of the feudal silhouette against the sky, admired the gardens, the sparkling odor of jonquils and the frothy odor of kiss-me-at-the-gate." (pg. 90). When Daisy arrives at Gatsby's house for the first time, she seems overwhelmed by the luxuries and Gatsby can see the joy in her eyes as she examines his fine possessions. This shows Daisy's materialistic side and how Gatsby thinks that just because he is rich now Daisy will leabe Tom for him. Her vanity is one of her worst qualities, but yet she seems sincere about her hidden love towards Gatsby.
A significant quote in the chapters is: "Compared to the great distance that had separeated him from Daisy it had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one." This quote is symbolic of Gatsby and Daisy's relationship and how no matter how close Gatsby gets to her he still has not won her back.
Symbols: the green light represents Gatsby's unattainable love for Daisy
When Gatsby and Nick were driving to lunch, Gatsby sped quickly by the Valley of Ashes. This could be symbolic of Gatsby's fear of ending up poor again.
*Chapter 7-9 Journal*
In these chapters, Nick, Jordan, Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom all go to the city together. Tom finds out about Gatsby and Daisy's feelings for each other. George Wilson finds out that Myrtle is in love with another man, but he does not know who. Gatsby and Tom fight over Daisy. Wilson kills Gatsby and then shoots himself.
A symbol in these chapters is the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Wilson sees these eyes the day after Myrtle dies and he believes that they are God's eyes telling him to seek revenge on the person who ran his wife over. Another symbol or motif is that the author uses the weather to develop the plot. For example, Tom and Gatsby fight over Daisy on the hottest day of the year. This is significant because heat symbolizes anger and frustration. Also, Wilson kills Gatsby on the first day of autumn. This is significant because the weather is starting to get colder and Gatsby's life is stopped at once, which symbolizes that his dream has ended.
An important quote in these chapters is, "I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life" (176). This is significant because it shows that all of the problems in the novel were ultimately caused by each character's desire to live up to the wealthy, fast-paced lifestyle of the East coast, rather than the traditional, laid back lifestyle of the West, where they are all from.
Chapters 7-9
Summary: Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, and Nick have lunch together and then go to the city. Tom and Gatsby fight over Daisy. Myrtle is killed by a car, and Daisy was driving. Wilson shoots Gatsby, then shoots himself. Nick tries to plan a nice funeral for Gatsby, but hardly anyone shows.
This quote describes Tom, "I couldn't forgive him or like him but I saw that what he had done was, to him, completely justified."(187) Tom's qualities included being hypocritical, racist, and rude. Tom demanded everyone around him to be moral, but he wasn't moral himself.
One meaningful quote is "He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seem so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him."(189) This is significant because Nick is talking about the green light that he saw on Daisy's dock, that represented his dream. Gatsby was so focused on his dream that he couldn't see that it was over.
George Wilson sees T.J.Eckleberg's eyes as the eyes of God, and he believes that God wants him to get revenge on whoever killed Daisy. T.J.Eckleberg's eyes could symbolize God's eyes watching over America's moral decay. Also, heat symbolizes anger and confronatation in chapter 7 because Tom and Gatsby fight for Daisy on the hottest day of the year.
(Chapter 7-9 Journal)
Gatsby stopped all of his parties, fired all of his workers, and hired new ones, to prevent gossip. George Wilson found out that Myrtle was having an affair, but he didn't know with whom. Daisy and Gatsby were driving back to Long Island and hit and killed Myrtle. George Wilson asked Tom who owned the car that killed Myrtle, and Tom told him Gatsby, so Wilson shot and killed Gatsby, and then shot himself. Many reporters and gossipers came to Gatsby's funeral, but out of all of Gatsby's "friends", only Nick and Gatsby's father came. This quote describes Daisy: "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..." (pg.179). Daisy has some good qualities, but mainly bad ones. Daisy seems like she has a certain passion for things in life, which is a good quality. Her bad qualities include making a bad marriage choice (Tom), leading Gatsby on, only wanting someone who had money and extravagance, not caring who she hurts, etc. Daisy's role in the novel is Gatsby's love. He has longed for her ever since their romance before he went into the war. She plays with his emotions, and is only impressed by him when she finds out he has a wealthy, extravagant life now. Daisy is not a very good person. "I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all-Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life" (pg. 176). The significance of this quote is that all of them were from the west, but spent a lot of time in the east, which maybe made them have some deficiency in common where they were unable to adapt to Eastern life because Eastern and Western lives are very different, and caused changes/differences in them from natural Easterners. The color green is mentioned in the last chapter, relating the hope that Gatsby saw in the green light of Daisy's dock to the hope that the green land of America gave the discoverers of the New World. Heat is mentioned in chapter 7 as the hottest day yet, which showed the mood of the story at that point, and foreshadowed events to come.
*Chapters 7-9*
Gatsby has discontinued his extravagant parties and has become more interested in Daisy. He invites Daisy to go to New York when Tom invites himself and everyone's secrets begin to unravel. First, the group meets Mr. wilson who has told Myrtle to leave, and then Tom is assured of Gatsby's affection toward Daisy. Someone in the car with Gatsby and Daisy then hits Myrtle with the car and Gatsby and Tom get into a fight where Gatsby runs of and hides in Tom's bushes. Gatsby does this to be sure Daisy is not hurt. Tom and Daisy seemed to have resolved their issues and are eating cold chicken together. The next morning Nick cannot relax and goes to talk to Gatsby. Gatsby tells him of the time Daisy and he had together. Michaelis then tells Mr. Wilson what kind of car hit his wife, and Mr. wilson is overwhelmed by the eyes of Dr. Eckelberg. Mr. Wilson tracks down the car that hit Myrtle to have been Gatsby's and goes to his house. While Gatsby is in the pool for the first time all year, Mr. Wilson shoots and kills both gatsby and later himself. Nick then recalls Gatsby's funeral of only Owl Eyes, servants, himself, and Henry Gatz(Gatsby's father). Tom and Daisy move west and Nick plans to move back to the midwest. Nick then visits Gatsby's mansion one more time and envisions a more pure time befor the dream of wealth.
Tom
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or thier vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..."(188) This quote describes two of Tom's worst attributes: his passion for money and his carelessness because he feels that money will solve all. I cannot think of any positive contributions that Tom had made anywhere in the novel. Tom's main role was as an antagonist. He was the one who was having an affair and lying to everyone. He also was the one to lie to Nick at the very end about how Gatsby was found. All of the controversy seemed to be centered around Tom's actions.
"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch ou out arms farther...And one fine morning---" (189) This quote sums up the theme of the book in that we are always reaching toward the future and it is always getting nearer. One day we may get there, but we cannot look back on the troubled past. The green light is mentioned as a symbol of the future, along with T.J.Eckelberg's eyes representing the eyes of God on this whole mess.
chapter 7-9 journal
daisy and gatsby have certainly devolped an intersting relationshiop at this point where they take their intimacy more
casually and present it even in front of tom. gatsby and tom even confront each other about both their relationships with daisy.
this ended with gatsby leaving with daisy in tom's car and tom driving home jordan and nick.
blahblahblah apprently daisy killed myrtyle but we can never really know whose story was true; gatsby's or daisy's. wilson shoots gatsby in retaliaion. nick then plans gatsbys funeral but it was a dissapointment.
gatsby quote:
p.183 " The poor son-of-a-bitch,"
owl eyes
this was said once owl eyes found out that noone showed up to gatsby's funeral. this is especailly ironic because people would flock to his parties by the hundreds. so they basically just used him for his parties and didnt really care about the man hosting them.
quote:
p.186
"I'm thirty. I'm five years too old to lie to myslef and call it honor." Nick
this is significant becuase it shows that nick is a truthful person and would not as in modern terms, "fake it". he knows he can be true to his own self without having to succumb to lying to himself.
symbols:
the heat plays a major part in chapter 7. it brings up the conflict of the "the love square"
haha...... it's really late sorry.... between
daisy
tom
gatsby
myrtyle.
as time goes on and the conflict turns into the resolution with the deaths, the weather cools down and reflecting the calm that is occuring with the characters.
kayyy i'm done.finally.
-cynthiaaaaa
Chapters 7-9 Journal
In the final chapters Tom finally learns that Gatsby is in love with Daisy and wants to make Daisy fall in love with him again. On the way to lunch together, Tom stops by Wilson's garage, who has just learned that his wife is in love with another man but he does not know who. Tom and Gatsby get into an argument over Daisy and Daisy reveals that she has loved both men. On their way back to Long Island, Daisy and Gatsby hit and kill Myrtle. Gatsby plans on taking the blame for Myrtle's death and he ends up getting shot by Wilson. Wilson then turns the gun on himself. Nick plans a nice funeral for Gatsby but only a few people show up. Nick decides to return to Minnesota.
This quote describes Nick, "I was thirty. Before me stetched the portentous, menacing road of a new decade." (pg. 135). This quote is significant because it shows that even when Nick is with his "friends" no one really cares about him. He is so taken up with everyone else's drama that he forgets about his own birthday along with everyone else. He also feels even more lonel, realizing that he hasn't accomplished much in his life.
A significant quote in the novel is, "So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight-watching over nothing." (pg. 145). This quote describes Gatsby and how he finally realizes that his dream of making Daisy fall in love with him is over.
Symbols:
The change of season in the novel from summer to autumn is significant because it reflects Daisy and Gatsby's end to their relationship. When Gatsby's servant tries to close the swimming pool Gatsby asks him to leave it open since he has not yet enjoyed it. This shows that Gatsby has been so consumed with winning over Daisy that he never took time to enjoy life.
The color white is also a symbol because Daisy and Jordan are always weraring white, which usually portrays a sense of innocence and purity. In contrast, Daisy and Jordan are anything but innocent and they lack morals and values, just as white is the absence of color.
Chapter 1-3
In the first 3 chapters we are introduced to most of the characters. It starts with some wise words from the main characters father and looking back at the story about to unfold. Then Nick,the main character drives out to the East Egg to meet Daisy, his cousin, Tom,her wife, and Jordan, their friend, for dinner. While riding the train nick is taken by Tom to meet his lover at a little get together where Tom ends up breaking her nose. Nick goes to one of Gatsby's luxurious parties and meets Gatsby for the first time
oops, forgot to add the other stuff
Nick
"I am one of the few honest people I have ever known."
His best quality is that he doesnt tell people how to live their lives.
His worst quality is that he doesnt tell people how to live their lives.
Nick is the main character. The story is narrated by him and in some parts exists entirely in his head. He sits back from most of the action and observes. As readers the majority of our observations are made through him. and because of his "reserved" judgment most people feel comfortable around him and reveal very dangerous secrets.
"just remember that all people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
Its important to keep this in mind when watching all the characters interact. They all have different backgrounds which cause them to act in different ways.
Dr. T.J. Eckleberg watches over the Valley of Ashes but does not act(mostly because he is only a sign) much the same as Nick(who is not a sign). Nick watches all the events of the books and does nothing to try and change them or those involved for the better.
4-6
Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfshiem, and associate of his.
Nick finds out that Daisy did not want to marry Tom but Gatsby instead. Gatsby arranges a meeting with Daisy through Nick. Gatsby and Daisy have a "meeting", followed by many more of these "meetings". Future Nick reveals Gatsby's true past and Tom and Daisy go to one of Gatsby's parties.
Gatsby
"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be right across the bay"
Gatsby's best characteristic is his undying motivation. His whole life seems to be this push to be something great.
His worst quality is the way he goes about getting what he wants. He has intricate plans using other people like pawns to reach his goal(girl).
Gatsby is the center of the action in the novel. Like a chess master he moves his pieces to combat fate. He provides a foil for the snooty aristocrats who consider themselves terribly well mannered.
"'I adore it!' exclaimed Daisy. 'The pompadour! You never told me you had a pompadour- or a yacht.'
'look at this' said Gatsby quickly. 'Here's a lot of clippings- about you'"
This shows how Gatsby quickly and very extemporaneously controls conversations and people throughout the novel.
The green light sits across the bay as a symbol of hope and he American dream. It reminds Gatsby of what else lies across the bay, his dream of being part of the East Egg and having Daisy for his own.
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