Page 51-59

Synopsis: Nick closes down Gatsby's party, spending the night marvelling at the various antics of the opportunistic sharks who swirl around the cocktail table. Men slowly sink into arguments with their wives and the drunken man from the library is involved in a careless car wreck. Gatsby watches the entire scene, strangely detached and in "complete isolation" (56) from a window.





Later, Nick describes another eye-opening interaction with Daisy, during which she reveals a shocking and hypocritical carelessness and an "incurable" dishonesty (58). Finally, Nick states that in this world of swirling deceit and self-serving excapades, he is "one of the few honest people" (59)he had ever known.


Tasks for You...
1. Based on the book thus far, compose a paragraph that explains how one of the images on this blog relates to the novel. Be sure to make specific reference to the image, and to the novel. Completed paragraphs must include SEE format, and should pay close attention to syntax and diction.








... look carefully... she's wearing a party dress and her face is obscured by a mask....

page 41-51

Synopsis

This section of the novel gives us the first true glimpse into Gatsby's character. More importantly, it demonstrates to us the distance between Gatsby and the individuals who swarm around him like so many flies. Nick attends an evening soiree at Jay Gatsby's estate, and, aside from his feelings of discomfort and awkwardness, he notes that the guests surrounded him in "swirls and eddies" looking "hungry". He seems certain that they all were "selling something", and had their eyes on "easy money"(43). In a sense, Gatsby has surrounded himself with a sea of opportunistic sharks.

The only individual Nick seems familiar with is Jordan Baker, who seems aloof at best. The only highlights of Nick's interactions with Jordan revolve around a dress Gatsby purchased for one of Jordan's friends, and further suspicions regarding Gatsby's function as a "German spy"(45) and whether or not he killed a man. Finally, Jordan questions Gatsby's claim at being an "Oxford man" (50), a strange statement when one considers the unlikely rumours regarding Gatsby she seems willing to support.

Jordan reveals her vapid mindset when she states that she feels most comfortable during large "intimate" (50) parties, and that ironically, smaller get togethers lack "privacy". This helps us understand the nature of Gatsby's bashes. They seem to be less of a puddle of friends gathering in companionship, than a sea of strangers seeking to lose themselves in anonymity.

Finally, Nick comes face to face with his host. Shockingly, Nick discovers that Gatsby is not the "florid and corpulent"(50) individual he had expected. Much to his dismay there is nothing "sinister" about Gatsby at all. Thus begins a strange relationship between Nick and Jay. Jay seems eager to establish a true friendship, while Nick, fresh from his eye-opening experiences with the Buchannans, steps carefully into Gatsby's world in an effort to understand why such a "rare" (49) individual would step into the secret world of men and women like Tom and Daisy.

Tasks for You..

1. Examine the following quotations, explain the circumstances surrounding the quote, and describe how this line could be significant to the novel thus far.

• "There's something funny about a fellow that'll do a thing like that" (45)


• "It's a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me... What realism... They're real. They're..." (47)


• "It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced-or seemed to face- the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with irresistable prejudice in your favour" (49)

2. Thematic Evaluation

• Jordan claims that large parties are more "intimate". What does she mean by this claim? In your experience are large parties more intimate than small gatherings? Explain your response.


• Florid and corpulent... what do these words imply, and how does this help us understand what Nick expected to discover in Gatsby's character? What previous characters might accurately be described by these terms?

Post your responses to the City of Yes poem in this section.

page 33-41

Synopsis...

Nick takes in all the sights and sounds of Tom and Myrtle's party. Here he sees first hand the depth of the rumours and innuendo that swirl around the members of this so-called "secret society". Catherine notes that Gatsby is "a nephew or cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm" (35), going on to claim that much of Gatsby's wealth found its origin in Germany. This claim would hardly seem a compliment in the 1920s, shortly after the end of the Great War.



Later, Catherine reveals that neither Tom nor Daisy can "stand the person they're married to" (35), stating later that it is Daisy who is stalling the inevitable divorce due to her "Catholicism" (36). Nick is struck by the brash inaccuracy of this reasoning.


However, it is the words of Myrtle Wilson that seem most powerful in this section. On pages 36-37, Myrtle discusses her marriage. Shockingly, Myrtle is not at all regretful, and seems to blame her husband for his cuckoldry.


The party comes to an inglorious end after Tom physically abuses his girlfriend, breaking her "nose with his open hand" (39), an act that is only exacerbated by the uninterested, hapless reaction of his guests.






Themes...



The first sections of the novel introduce some of the central themes in the novel. These motifs include the significance of rumours and gossip; vanity and conceit; deceit; and the social hierarchy.





Tasks...

1. Describe the circumstances surrounding the end of Tom and Myrtle's party.
   
2. Explain Myrtle's justification (sorry Sam)for cheating on her husband.
   
3. Choose one of the themes indicated in this section. Describe how this theme is presented in the novel thus far. What ideas does the novel develop regarding your chosen theme.
4. Examine the poem below, what is the theme of the poem?
5. Individually, compose a paragraph that details how the poem can be related to the novel thus far. Be sure to utilize specific reference to both sources.

The City of Yes and the City of No
Y. Yevtushenko


I am like a train
rushing for many years now
between the city of Yes
and the city of No.
My nerves are strained
like wires
between the city of No
and the city of Yes
Everything is deadly.
everyone frightened.
In the city of No
It’s like a study furnished with dejections.
Every morning its parquet floors are polished with bile.
It’s sofas are made of falsehood, it’s walls of misfortune.
Every portrait looks out suspiciously.
Every portrait looks out suspiciously.
Every object is frowning, withholding something
You’ll get lots of good advice in it- like hell you will!-
Neither a bunch of flowers nor even a greeting.
Typewriters chatter a carbon-copy answer.
“No-no-no…
No-no-no…
No-no-no”
And when the lights go out altogether
the ghosts in it begin their gloomy ballet
You’ll get a ticket to leave-
Like hell you will!-
to leave
the black town of No
But in the town of Yes-life’s like the song of a thrush.
This town’s without walls- just like a nest.
The sky is asking you to take any star you like in your hand.
Lips ask for yours, without any shame,
softly murmuring. “Ah- all that nonsense…”-
and daisies, teasing, are asking to be picked,
and lowing herds are offering their milk,
and in no one is there even a trace of suspicious,
and wherever you want to be, you are instantly there,
taking any train, or plane, or ship that you like.
And water, faintly murmuring, whispers through the years.
“Yes-yes-yes…
Yes-yes-yes…
Yes-yes-yes…”
Only to tell the truth, it’s a bit boring, at times,
to be given so much, almost without any effort,
In that shining multicoloured city of Yes…

- - -

Better let me be tossed around
To the end of my days.
between the city of Yes
And the city of No!
Let my nerves be strained
like wires
between the city of No
and the city of Yes!

page 22-32

During this section, Nick sees his infamous neighbour, Jay Gatsby for the first time. Although he is intrigued by the majestic figure cut by Gatsby, Nick does not approach him personally. At this time, Nick notices a single green light burning across the water, and is strangely drawn to it.

Next, Nick spends some quality time with Tom Buchannan. The two men spend an afternoon with Tom's mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Once again, Nick finds himself immersed in the disingenuous world of Tom Buchannan.

On Tom and Myrtle...

• Tom is once again described as a pompous, self-important man who drags Nick with him in to a "supercilious" (27) interlude with his mistress. Tom treats Mr. Wilson, a small town mechanic, with contempt, ignoring the man's entreaties, and threatening to take his business elsewhere. Later, Tom states that Wilson is "so dumb he doesn't know he is alive" (29). Ironically, Mrs. Wilson is described as "haughty" (31) and pompous in her treatment of her husband, whom she walks through "as if he were a ghost"(28). She is not your typical eye-candy, rather a "smouldering", (29) and vital individual who is not described in flattering physical terms, but seems to be a powerful and charismatic individual.


• The two lovers spend the afternoon in an apartment, drinking and carousing before inviting a group of acquaintances to smooze with. The party itself seems to consist of a collection of self-congratulatory and desperate people who run around dishing out shallow compliments to each other in vain efforts to gain favour with their host.

Tasks

1. Juxtapose the relationships of Tom and Daisy with Wilson and Myrtle. Why would Tom find Mrs Wilson so appealing?


2. On page 32, we meet Mrs. Wilson's sister Catherine. Fitzgerald goes to great length in describing her character. What impressions do you have of this character? What lines in this description are the most effective in conveying this impression to you?


3. Find two quotations from this section that you feel are significant and intriguing. Explain why these lines are interesting and important.


4. The green light will be significant to the text. What might the colour green symbolize, and how could it be useful at this point in the novel?(http://goinside.com/98/4/colors.html)


5. Identify two potential vocabulary terms and define each.

Introduction Page 7-22

F.Scott Fitzgerald published what would be his most famous novel in 1925. The book "The Great Gatsby" attempts to capture the perils of the pursuit of the american dream, detailing the lives of young men and women as they search for happiness and contentedness in the post War era of the roaring 20s.
Themes found within the novel range from love and relationships, illusion and aspiration, deceit and greed to integrity and hope. The story is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a young banker attempting to make his mark in the leafy suburbs of New York.

The first ten pages of the novel reveal Nick's social context. Here, we are introduced to Tom Buchannan and his wife Daisy, as well as their acquaintance, Miss Baker. Nick also provides us with his impressions of the novel's namesake, Jay Gatsby.

On Gatsby...

• Nick states that Gatsby... "represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn" (8), later going on to explain that Gatsby was destroyed by the "foul dust [that] floated in the wake of his dreams" (8). Nick reveals that Gatsby's sorry tale soured his relationship with his fellow man, causing him to see the world in a cynical, more pessimistic way... at least temporarily.

On Tom...

• Tom seems to be in constant competition with those he interacts with. Nick implies this when he states "I felt Tom would drift on forever seeking, a little wistfully, for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game" (12). Later, Nick describes Tom as a "supercilious" bully who had a tendency towards cruelty.

On Daisy

• Daisy is constantly projecting the appearance of happiness in the shadow of her overpowering husband. Her feelings of inadequacy are demonstrated when Nick comments on Daisy's tendency to murmur and whisper when speaking as a means to "make people lean toward her" (14)

On Miss Baker

• Baker seems to be a social climber, someone who keeps up the appearance of success, wealth and class without necessarily possessing any of these qualities. This is supported by her refusal to accept a cocktail from her host, claiming that she's "absolutetly in training" (16). A statement which leaves Tom in an "incredulous" state. One only wonders whether this is an effort on Miss Baker's behalf to appear important and significant in front of Nick.

On Relationships

• Tom and Daisy seem to have a marriage of convenience. She adheres to Tom's expectations due to his apparent wealth and prestige, while he seems to gain social status through his marriage and to his attractive and intelligent wife. However, Tom seems to be in a contest with his wife to keep the upper hand. This contest is apparent when Daisy expresses a desire to return to their previous home in Chicago. Moments later, Tom states that he'd "be a damned fool to live anywhere else" (15). A statement such as this could only be intended to put his wife back in her place, and to establish a social hierarchy in their marriage in front of the guests. Daisy later expresses discontent with her status within this "secret society" (22) in which she and her husband exist in feigned happiness.

Your Tasks:

1. Nick notes that the party was interrupted by a "fifth guest"(21). Who is this figurative person who disrupts the festivities? What does this reveal to us about the marriage of Tom and Daisy?
2. Daisy states that she is pretty "cynical" about the world around her (21). How has this pessimism been reflected in her efforts as a parent to her child? How would her marriage to Tom affect this paradigm?