Everyday Use by Alice Walker
This poem completely juxtaposes the separate lifestyles of glamour, beauty, and pop culture with simplicity, sturdiness, and honest living. Dee is a character who represents the superficial side of our culture. She is the wild child, who always has felt disconnected from her traditional family and strives to be dressed nice and to keep up her appearances, both physically and culturally. Her mom, the narrator, is the one who represents the simpler side of life and, although is not as intelligent or in touch with current world affairs or fashions, she is much wiser and virtuous than Dee. Dee has the aura that she is above her family and the dirty, window-less shack that she comes from; Walker writes, "Press us to her with the serious way she read, to shove us away at just the moment, like dimwits, we seemed about to understand. Drawing from the fact that this short story is taking place during the 60's, it appears that Dee represents the common rebellious youth from that age, hungry to experience freedom in her lifestyle and escape her maker's old-fashioned ways. I like to think that a part of Dee's character is supposed to symbolize the up and coming young ladies of this time period. There were dramatic, radical changes through this decade and one was more political and cultural freedom for blacks, women, and other classifications that had been previously oppressed. Dee has grown up and been let out into the world during the forefront of this age and now is becoming defined by it. She looks down upon her simple mom and sister, whom she believes lack the intelligence and ambition that women of the changing era should adopt. Although Dee is right in this subject, her treatment of her mother and sister is still unacceptable, and his reminded of that when her mother refuses to give to her the quilts that her grandmother sewed.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Mr. Z by M. Carl Holman
Mr. Z by M. Carl Holman
The poem titles Mr. Z by M. Carl Holman, tells the burdened story of a ethnic looking man, possibly black, and his struggle to rise above racial profiling and prejudice. I find it peculiar that the poem is entitled Mr. Z and does not offer real insights to his name or race. Although it does hint at the fact that he has, "exotic skin". I believe this strategy in keeping Mr. Z unmasked, is done with the reason that all minority people who deal with this struggle can relate, not just pertaining to blacks. The poem talks about how Mr. Z tried to avoid involving race in his life and tried to act as if it was not an issue. However, throughout the entire poem, which documents his life, Holman is constantly mentioning words are phrases having to do with race. He writes words such as, "Anglo-Saxonized", "Jewishness", "Episcopalian", "kosher accent". This poem has the purpose of displaying a man's very sad and ironic life in which he is constantly hammered by that which he tries to ignore. He tries to live his life as much as possible without the issue of race even being of subject. However, he is put to shame at the end of his life when it reads this in the paper, "One of the most distinguished members of his race" (Holman). I believe that this poem tries to attack the issues of racial profiling and how it can make humans feels less as individuals and more as another stereotype. This poem seems to fall in the same line as the previous poems and stories of this unit. I believe I am on the right track, when I state that this unit is based on the subject of race.
The poem titles Mr. Z by M. Carl Holman, tells the burdened story of a ethnic looking man, possibly black, and his struggle to rise above racial profiling and prejudice. I find it peculiar that the poem is entitled Mr. Z and does not offer real insights to his name or race. Although it does hint at the fact that he has, "exotic skin". I believe this strategy in keeping Mr. Z unmasked, is done with the reason that all minority people who deal with this struggle can relate, not just pertaining to blacks. The poem talks about how Mr. Z tried to avoid involving race in his life and tried to act as if it was not an issue. However, throughout the entire poem, which documents his life, Holman is constantly mentioning words are phrases having to do with race. He writes words such as, "Anglo-Saxonized", "Jewishness", "Episcopalian", "kosher accent". This poem has the purpose of displaying a man's very sad and ironic life in which he is constantly hammered by that which he tries to ignore. He tries to live his life as much as possible without the issue of race even being of subject. However, he is put to shame at the end of his life when it reads this in the paper, "One of the most distinguished members of his race" (Holman). I believe that this poem tries to attack the issues of racial profiling and how it can make humans feels less as individuals and more as another stereotype. This poem seems to fall in the same line as the previous poems and stories of this unit. I believe I am on the right track, when I state that this unit is based on the subject of race.
Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
The entirety of this poem consists of many hypothetical questions that are offered to imagine what is the end result of a lost dream. To describe these, Hughes utilizes many words with a very negative connotation. He uses words such as, "fester", "sore", "stink", "rotten meat". With descriptions accompanied by these words, Hughes seems to be describing the feeling of a dream that was denied from you as something that sticks with you and brings much anxiety and consternation to the psyche. The very last line is very peculiar, as Hughes writes, "or does it explode?". With this line of the poem the very last line, italicized, and completely irregular with the previous questions, it seems as though there must be a large meaning behind it. It is very certain that since this poem was written by Langston Hughes, a poet who placed racism and his black culture as the main subject of most his poems, it has a theme that relates to the oppressed blacks of the early 1900's. When he writes about the deferred dream exploding, its as if he is proclaiming that the end result of his people's dreams being torn to shreds is their eminent reaction of anger and call for a change. That is what Hughe's means by the explosion.
The entirety of this poem consists of many hypothetical questions that are offered to imagine what is the end result of a lost dream. To describe these, Hughes utilizes many words with a very negative connotation. He uses words such as, "fester", "sore", "stink", "rotten meat". With descriptions accompanied by these words, Hughes seems to be describing the feeling of a dream that was denied from you as something that sticks with you and brings much anxiety and consternation to the psyche. The very last line is very peculiar, as Hughes writes, "or does it explode?". With this line of the poem the very last line, italicized, and completely irregular with the previous questions, it seems as though there must be a large meaning behind it. It is very certain that since this poem was written by Langston Hughes, a poet who placed racism and his black culture as the main subject of most his poems, it has a theme that relates to the oppressed blacks of the early 1900's. When he writes about the deferred dream exploding, its as if he is proclaiming that the end result of his people's dreams being torn to shreds is their eminent reaction of anger and call for a change. That is what Hughe's means by the explosion.
Interpereter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
This short story offers a picture perfect insight as to two opposing cultures: America and India. The events of the story take place as a native man, Mr. Kapasi, is giving a tour ride to an American family, the Das's. This family who come from Indian origin as well, perfectly portray a lose, disconnected American family. There's the half conscious dad who is more interested in taking pictures and studying tour guide notes then in his family, there is the wild undisciplined kids who perform whatever reckless thought that pops into their head, and there is the numb, but pretty and young mother who is more interested in their tour guide than anything else around her. The way the story is narrated with Kapsi's thoughts offered gives him an air of intelligence that the reader can find as he analyzes what happens before him, "Mr. Kapasi found it strange that Mr. Das should refer to his wife by her first name when speaking to the little girl" (149 Lahiri). This gateway into Mr. Kapasi's mind helps the reader identify with this man much more than the American family. Through all of this, the subject of Kapasi's gift of languages is continuously alluded to. I feel that his role as a translator symbolizes his whole life. Kapsi in almost all aspects of life, is treated just like a means to an end. In his job he does not produce his own thoughts or ideas, but rather is used as a bridge between a language barrier at a hospital. At home his wife, who was matched to him by his parents, neglects Kapasi and shows no interest in the man she was forced to marry.
This short story offers a picture perfect insight as to two opposing cultures: America and India. The events of the story take place as a native man, Mr. Kapasi, is giving a tour ride to an American family, the Das's. This family who come from Indian origin as well, perfectly portray a lose, disconnected American family. There's the half conscious dad who is more interested in taking pictures and studying tour guide notes then in his family, there is the wild undisciplined kids who perform whatever reckless thought that pops into their head, and there is the numb, but pretty and young mother who is more interested in their tour guide than anything else around her. The way the story is narrated with Kapsi's thoughts offered gives him an air of intelligence that the reader can find as he analyzes what happens before him, "Mr. Kapasi found it strange that Mr. Das should refer to his wife by her first name when speaking to the little girl" (149 Lahiri). This gateway into Mr. Kapasi's mind helps the reader identify with this man much more than the American family. Through all of this, the subject of Kapasi's gift of languages is continuously alluded to. I feel that his role as a translator symbolizes his whole life. Kapsi in almost all aspects of life, is treated just like a means to an end. In his job he does not produce his own thoughts or ideas, but rather is used as a bridge between a language barrier at a hospital. At home his wife, who was matched to him by his parents, neglects Kapasi and shows no interest in the man she was forced to marry.
Hazel Tells Laverne by Katharyn Howd Machan
Hazel Tells Laverne by Katharyn Howd Machan
The first thing that can be picked up while reading this poem is how Machan tries to accent the dialect of her people through her mis-spellings. When writing a sentence that means, "and I hit him with my mop," she writes it as, "an i hitsm with my mop" (Machan). This is one of the tools she uses to help give an idea of where the narrator comes from. Also, we learn from the description of her work that she cleans the bathrooms of a whole-in-the-wall motel called Howard Johnson. It is this background on our narrator that ties into why she reacts the way she does upon seeing the talking frog. Her flushing of the frog gives an idea of most poor middle-colored workers psyches. For them, their lives are mostly simple and lack wistful thinking. Every day they work a hards day work and are crass to those ridiculous hopeful wishes that most privileged people dream. Its as if her life has been through so many hardships and she has been beaten down so much, that she has grown cynical to life. She is completely shocked by the talking frog, but what sticks out to her more is his inclination that she would become a princess. She says, "me, a princess". This last part of the poem has an air of cynical skepticism that she realizes that never through the course of time could she become a princess.
The first thing that can be picked up while reading this poem is how Machan tries to accent the dialect of her people through her mis-spellings. When writing a sentence that means, "and I hit him with my mop," she writes it as, "an i hitsm with my mop" (Machan). This is one of the tools she uses to help give an idea of where the narrator comes from. Also, we learn from the description of her work that she cleans the bathrooms of a whole-in-the-wall motel called Howard Johnson. It is this background on our narrator that ties into why she reacts the way she does upon seeing the talking frog. Her flushing of the frog gives an idea of most poor middle-colored workers psyches. For them, their lives are mostly simple and lack wistful thinking. Every day they work a hards day work and are crass to those ridiculous hopeful wishes that most privileged people dream. Its as if her life has been through so many hardships and she has been beaten down so much, that she has grown cynical to life. She is completely shocked by the talking frog, but what sticks out to her more is his inclination that she would become a princess. She says, "me, a princess". This last part of the poem has an air of cynical skepticism that she realizes that never through the course of time could she become a princess.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Perrine Poetry Blog Entry
Perrine Poetry Blog Entry
What I found most interesting about Perrine's approach to interpreting poems is how he relates it just the same to the development of scientific hypothesis. He treats the different details of the poem like facts in science and he logically analyzes the details and makes sure that none counter each other for a specific interpretation. From those two points that Perrine makes on the first page, that is as specific as his instructions appear. After that, as he delves into the poems he has offered as examples, you see that interpreting poems is much more complicated and obscene than he makes it seem. For each poem there are a plethora of intelligible interpretations and sometimes the difference between one or the other is a single word. Or in the case of The Sick Rose, you must realize that trying to discern that one, fleeting analysis is in folly because according to Perrine, they are all credible. In a way it frustrates me, because now I have found that trying to analyze these poems is not as basic as I previously thought, and I will need much practice. Although the man does give descent advice that could possibly elicit some clever insight on my part later on, I now see that as hard as I try, if I am able to accurately propose the interpretation of a poem, it will be tangential at best and it will be the result of my own luck.
I do not understand why he suddenly references the philosophical quality of a poem near the end of his example of the Melville poem. His sudden revelation that ,"Melville ends his poem with a question of a doubt" has no grounding. He merely just announces this hefty assumption and expects that the momentum of his previous logic and ethos legitimize his thoughts. I will admit I can clearly see where God can be a subject of this poem, mostly when he references a chief, but I do not gain the sense of any doubt from Melville's writing and Perrines non-explanation does not make me feel otherwise. In fact I believe the poem is more of a testament to God. It feels like an ode to a such a being powerful enough to create these formations of stars, that routinely "stream" across the sky in perfect order. It maddens me that a man who so harshly rectify's interpretations that lack reasoning would so quickly go back on his word and declare a very prominent statement and then just leave it there, ringing without an answer. I am not dismissing though his idea that the poem questions the existence of God. Although I believe the opposite I am open to any other interpretation, be that it has substantial reasoning, just as Perrines preaches. Well in this case, the man has none, and in this case, I feel that he is the misguided one.
What I found most interesting about Perrine's approach to interpreting poems is how he relates it just the same to the development of scientific hypothesis. He treats the different details of the poem like facts in science and he logically analyzes the details and makes sure that none counter each other for a specific interpretation. From those two points that Perrine makes on the first page, that is as specific as his instructions appear. After that, as he delves into the poems he has offered as examples, you see that interpreting poems is much more complicated and obscene than he makes it seem. For each poem there are a plethora of intelligible interpretations and sometimes the difference between one or the other is a single word. Or in the case of The Sick Rose, you must realize that trying to discern that one, fleeting analysis is in folly because according to Perrine, they are all credible. In a way it frustrates me, because now I have found that trying to analyze these poems is not as basic as I previously thought, and I will need much practice. Although the man does give descent advice that could possibly elicit some clever insight on my part later on, I now see that as hard as I try, if I am able to accurately propose the interpretation of a poem, it will be tangential at best and it will be the result of my own luck.
I do not understand why he suddenly references the philosophical quality of a poem near the end of his example of the Melville poem. His sudden revelation that ,"Melville ends his poem with a question of a doubt" has no grounding. He merely just announces this hefty assumption and expects that the momentum of his previous logic and ethos legitimize his thoughts. I will admit I can clearly see where God can be a subject of this poem, mostly when he references a chief, but I do not gain the sense of any doubt from Melville's writing and Perrines non-explanation does not make me feel otherwise. In fact I believe the poem is more of a testament to God. It feels like an ode to a such a being powerful enough to create these formations of stars, that routinely "stream" across the sky in perfect order. It maddens me that a man who so harshly rectify's interpretations that lack reasoning would so quickly go back on his word and declare a very prominent statement and then just leave it there, ringing without an answer. I am not dismissing though his idea that the poem questions the existence of God. Although I believe the opposite I am open to any other interpretation, be that it has substantial reasoning, just as Perrines preaches. Well in this case, the man has none, and in this case, I feel that he is the misguided one.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 9, Pages 174-180
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The last blog of the 2012 summer...yay! I would first like to start this blog evaluating Tom and Nick's brief meeting that concludes Nick's involvement with that couple and all of the drama that is inherited through them. Through all of their interactions, I can distinctly pick out differences from when he met with Tom at the beginning of the book. It appears that Nick has become much more brass and intolerable of people he does not enjoy. You can clearly tell from this interaction, in which I commend Nick for greatly,
"What's the matter, Nick? Do you object to shaking hands with me?"
"Yes. You know what I think of you." (Fitzgerald 178)
I find this interaction quite awesome and totally different from Nick's submission to Tom early in the book. Throughout the entire conversation, Nick is leading the charge and asking the questions that Tom wishes to cowardly avoid. My favorite part is when Nick finally comes to terms with who Tom truly is. He realizes when listening to Tom's reasoning for telling Mr. Wilson the truth. Nick originally thought it was because of Tom's own deceitful subterfuge for the indirect killing of Gatsby but then learns that it was merely his lame fear of not being killed by Wilson himself. Nick no longer feels that Tom is some menacing, plotting brute but feels as though, "[He] were talking to a child." (Fitzgerald 179).
What I am most proud about is the subtle pick up I had on the Middle West theme in one of my earlier blogs. It appears from one of Nick's long monologues at the end of this chapter. Nick talks about his fondest memories of "my Middle West" (Fitzgerald 176). When hearing him talk about his happy memories of his old MidWest Wisconsin, he conveys this positive and loving attitude towards life that is distinctly absent throughout his tale of life on the East coast. Being from the MidWest myself, I feel that the way he describes it is spot on; the old traditional values, loving and comforting families, christmas time and snow and a real reason to live. That is what was missing from his East Coast home. Just as Gatsby was detached from it all so was Nick, detached from the East itself. There was always something about this book that gave me a peculiar depressed outlook on life. It appeared that none of the characters were heading anywhere through their lives. Nick, the entire time, was sitting at some low wage job, in a large unfeeling city where he scarcely knew anyone and was fairly lonely and pessimistic about the future. A part of Nick's detachment from the East is obviously due to his love and attachment to the MidWest but I feel the biggest reason is that this book conveys that the MidWest is just simply better than the East. Looking back, it is so simply spread throughout all of the pages. The constant allusions to the joyous and nostalgic times back in the Midwest are juxtaposed over and over with the current problems and misery's that all these characters endured in such a place. Its overall a comparison between two very opposite lifestyles, the traditional and honest image of the Midwest compared to the fast living and lonely lives of the East. I guess that the one greatest outcome of reading this depressing book during my summer is that it has greatly reminded me how blessed I am to be from the great MidWest. That is all.
The last blog of the 2012 summer...yay! I would first like to start this blog evaluating Tom and Nick's brief meeting that concludes Nick's involvement with that couple and all of the drama that is inherited through them. Through all of their interactions, I can distinctly pick out differences from when he met with Tom at the beginning of the book. It appears that Nick has become much more brass and intolerable of people he does not enjoy. You can clearly tell from this interaction, in which I commend Nick for greatly,
"What's the matter, Nick? Do you object to shaking hands with me?"
"Yes. You know what I think of you." (Fitzgerald 178)
I find this interaction quite awesome and totally different from Nick's submission to Tom early in the book. Throughout the entire conversation, Nick is leading the charge and asking the questions that Tom wishes to cowardly avoid. My favorite part is when Nick finally comes to terms with who Tom truly is. He realizes when listening to Tom's reasoning for telling Mr. Wilson the truth. Nick originally thought it was because of Tom's own deceitful subterfuge for the indirect killing of Gatsby but then learns that it was merely his lame fear of not being killed by Wilson himself. Nick no longer feels that Tom is some menacing, plotting brute but feels as though, "[He] were talking to a child." (Fitzgerald 179).
What I am most proud about is the subtle pick up I had on the Middle West theme in one of my earlier blogs. It appears from one of Nick's long monologues at the end of this chapter. Nick talks about his fondest memories of "my Middle West" (Fitzgerald 176). When hearing him talk about his happy memories of his old MidWest Wisconsin, he conveys this positive and loving attitude towards life that is distinctly absent throughout his tale of life on the East coast. Being from the MidWest myself, I feel that the way he describes it is spot on; the old traditional values, loving and comforting families, christmas time and snow and a real reason to live. That is what was missing from his East Coast home. Just as Gatsby was detached from it all so was Nick, detached from the East itself. There was always something about this book that gave me a peculiar depressed outlook on life. It appeared that none of the characters were heading anywhere through their lives. Nick, the entire time, was sitting at some low wage job, in a large unfeeling city where he scarcely knew anyone and was fairly lonely and pessimistic about the future. A part of Nick's detachment from the East is obviously due to his love and attachment to the MidWest but I feel the biggest reason is that this book conveys that the MidWest is just simply better than the East. Looking back, it is so simply spread throughout all of the pages. The constant allusions to the joyous and nostalgic times back in the Midwest are juxtaposed over and over with the current problems and misery's that all these characters endured in such a place. Its overall a comparison between two very opposite lifestyles, the traditional and honest image of the Midwest compared to the fast living and lonely lives of the East. I guess that the one greatest outcome of reading this depressing book during my summer is that it has greatly reminded me how blessed I am to be from the great MidWest. That is all.
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 9, Pages 163-175
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"'Hello!' I interrupted breathlessly. 'Look here- this isn't Mr.s Gatsby. Mr. Gatsby's dead.'" (Fitzgerald 166). So it is as I suspected, the great Mr. Gatsby has been murdered, and Nick, who now feels he was the only real friend Gatsby ever had, finds himself trying to settle Jay's old affairs. Although Nick and Jay had a solid relationship, he wants to believe that there are others who once held a part in Gatsby's life who would now feel compelled to honor him at his funeral. He explains how he almost hears Gatsby's voice telling him, "Look here, old spot, you've got to get somebody for me. You've got to try hard. I can't go through this alone." (Fitzgerald 165). However, it now appears that most of the major characters of Nick's little group, Nick, Jordan, Daisy, were the closest thing he ever had as friends. I find this quite saddening because Gatsby always seemed like the kind of man who always had something going on and when not with Nick, was probably out having a grand time with other friends from some other distinct network. I mean for God's sake, I once compared him to the Most Interesting Man in the World and now this man is dead and hardly anyone gives it a thought.
To some extent, the lonely passing of Gatsby is somewhat lessened with the arrival of his father. For some reason or other, I found the line where Mr. Gatz asks Nick, "Where have they got Jimmy?", the most miserable and humbling quote so far (Fitzgerald 167). Its in this way that he addresses his son that hints to the foreign idea that, yes, Gatsby was once a wide-eyed innocent child, who was loved by his mother and father. The presence of Jay's father in some sense, makes Gatsby come across more tangible than before. Instead of being portrayed as a symbol or some mysterious apparition, he now feels more human than ever. While this does make Gatsby's death seem a little less peculiar, it still feels as depressing as before.
The funeral could not be anymore of a solemn occasion not due to the simple fact that it is a funeral, but because the fact that hardly anyone out of the hundreds who had once took advantage of his hospitality had shown up. In order to escape the problem and move on with their own lives as usual, Daisy and Tom undoubtedly do not show. Either because he does not want to be seen involved with a dead man with a criminal past or because of his warped principles of life and death, Mr. Wolfsheim also does not
show. And for the general reason that they liked the parties more than the man, most of the usual parasites who used Gatsby's hospitality, do not care and therefor do not show. Except for one man. As Nick likes to call him, "the man with owl-eyed glasses", for some reason probably involving the fact that he is not a shallow Easterner who find meaning in their life through aesthetic value, decides to come to Gatsby's funeral. The man is truly shocked upon seeing the paucity of attendants and rightfully says, "Why, my God! they used to go there by the hundreds... The poor son-of-a-bitch," (Fitzgerald 175). I believe that the biggest reason for this untimely and lonely end to Gatsby's life was that although he became a rich man with a gargantuan mansion filled with an abundance of guests, he never was truly attached to any of it, because the parties and the house were not part of his vision, they were only mere utilities to facilitate his quest of gaining back that one person, Daisy. He had assumed this position and lifestyle to impress that one person who gave him meaning; he had put out all his cards on the table for his one shot at a happy life and lost. I believe this man could have heard some wise words from the country singer great, Kenny Rogers...
"'Hello!' I interrupted breathlessly. 'Look here- this isn't Mr.s Gatsby. Mr. Gatsby's dead.'" (Fitzgerald 166). So it is as I suspected, the great Mr. Gatsby has been murdered, and Nick, who now feels he was the only real friend Gatsby ever had, finds himself trying to settle Jay's old affairs. Although Nick and Jay had a solid relationship, he wants to believe that there are others who once held a part in Gatsby's life who would now feel compelled to honor him at his funeral. He explains how he almost hears Gatsby's voice telling him, "Look here, old spot, you've got to get somebody for me. You've got to try hard. I can't go through this alone." (Fitzgerald 165). However, it now appears that most of the major characters of Nick's little group, Nick, Jordan, Daisy, were the closest thing he ever had as friends. I find this quite saddening because Gatsby always seemed like the kind of man who always had something going on and when not with Nick, was probably out having a grand time with other friends from some other distinct network. I mean for God's sake, I once compared him to the Most Interesting Man in the World and now this man is dead and hardly anyone gives it a thought.
To some extent, the lonely passing of Gatsby is somewhat lessened with the arrival of his father. For some reason or other, I found the line where Mr. Gatz asks Nick, "Where have they got Jimmy?", the most miserable and humbling quote so far (Fitzgerald 167). Its in this way that he addresses his son that hints to the foreign idea that, yes, Gatsby was once a wide-eyed innocent child, who was loved by his mother and father. The presence of Jay's father in some sense, makes Gatsby come across more tangible than before. Instead of being portrayed as a symbol or some mysterious apparition, he now feels more human than ever. While this does make Gatsby's death seem a little less peculiar, it still feels as depressing as before.
The funeral could not be anymore of a solemn occasion not due to the simple fact that it is a funeral, but because the fact that hardly anyone out of the hundreds who had once took advantage of his hospitality had shown up. In order to escape the problem and move on with their own lives as usual, Daisy and Tom undoubtedly do not show. Either because he does not want to be seen involved with a dead man with a criminal past or because of his warped principles of life and death, Mr. Wolfsheim also does not
show. And for the general reason that they liked the parties more than the man, most of the usual parasites who used Gatsby's hospitality, do not care and therefor do not show. Except for one man. As Nick likes to call him, "the man with owl-eyed glasses", for some reason probably involving the fact that he is not a shallow Easterner who find meaning in their life through aesthetic value, decides to come to Gatsby's funeral. The man is truly shocked upon seeing the paucity of attendants and rightfully says, "Why, my God! they used to go there by the hundreds... The poor son-of-a-bitch," (Fitzgerald 175). I believe that the biggest reason for this untimely and lonely end to Gatsby's life was that although he became a rich man with a gargantuan mansion filled with an abundance of guests, he never was truly attached to any of it, because the parties and the house were not part of his vision, they were only mere utilities to facilitate his quest of gaining back that one person, Daisy. He had assumed this position and lifestyle to impress that one person who gave him meaning; he had put out all his cards on the table for his one shot at a happy life and lost. I believe this man could have heard some wise words from the country singer great, Kenny Rogers...
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 8
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I had a slight foreboding of this chapter from the second I read this line, "I felt that I had something to tell him, something to warm him about, and morning would be too late" (Fitzgerald 147). When Nick and Gatsby settle down to spend their time together, the mood is one of great hopelessness, or at least Nick sees it. Gatsby, on the other-hand, most likely based on instinct or at least an attempt to hold on to what he has been seeking to rekindle for years still refuses to let go, "He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bear to shake him free" (Fitzgerald 148). I am finally starting to see a theme involving these main characters and their bitter-sweet nostalgic outlook of the past. It seems as though, for most of them, their times back home out west was filled with much more happiness, good memories, and love. Over and over throughout this book, Gatsby's made reference's to marrying Daisy back in Louisville, so it must hold some great sentimental value to him. In his recount of the past to Nick he mentions how that town, the one where he and Daisy shared their memories, "was pervaded with a melancholy beauty" (Fitzgerald 152). Its a common feeling when one feels a depressed nostalgia about cheerful times now reduced to memories. Yes, it is beautiful because these memories hold with them a certain great happiness that you so wish to revisit, but at the same time, it is surrounded by much melancholy due to the fact that the past is past. So during this entire visit between Nick and Gatsby, the whole situation practically screams impeding tragedy. The entire time, Nick is thinking about how he doesn't want to leave Gatsby and when he finally does, he gives him a finalizing, concluding compliment which he remarks he had never done before, "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together" (Fitzgerald 154). Do not forget to mention the final line before the space where Fitzgerald clearly adds in the "goodbye" from Nick. Realizing that simple exchanges such as this are not just added for no reason in these types of novels, I find that those words do carry a great weight. It appears to be Nick finally saying good-bye to the man and the lifestyle that has been the subject of his life for the past couple months.
I do not know that Nick is just overwhelmed by the past events and for the time being wants nothing to do with Jordan, but I do find it very sad when he very distastefully avoids meeting with her over the phone. When at first she calls, it is quite evident that she is still bitter about his attitude towards her the night before, however she still cares and gives him a another chance when she says, "However- I want to see you" (Fitzgerald 155). I firmly believe that Nick still does love Jordan and, if not for the current circumstances, would reconcile with her, but he is still shaken by the past events and tells her, "It's impossible this afternoon. Various-" (Fitzgerald 155). After reading about Nick's realization in the earlier chapters that he is thirty and has entered the downward spiral of his life, I was really hoping that this relationship between him and Jordan would last, for his sake of ever having a wife and children. I cannot say what the future holds for Nick now, but I do believe his words on the phone permanently sealed off the relationship he once had with Jordan.
I suppose my ramblings about the foreshadowing of an impeding doom do account for something because Mr. Wilson does find out that it was Gatsby's car who killed his wife and he does seek out and murder Gatsby. If it means anything, I might add that Wilson is found dead on the scene as well. I suspect suicide was what did him in.
I had a slight foreboding of this chapter from the second I read this line, "I felt that I had something to tell him, something to warm him about, and morning would be too late" (Fitzgerald 147). When Nick and Gatsby settle down to spend their time together, the mood is one of great hopelessness, or at least Nick sees it. Gatsby, on the other-hand, most likely based on instinct or at least an attempt to hold on to what he has been seeking to rekindle for years still refuses to let go, "He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bear to shake him free" (Fitzgerald 148). I am finally starting to see a theme involving these main characters and their bitter-sweet nostalgic outlook of the past. It seems as though, for most of them, their times back home out west was filled with much more happiness, good memories, and love. Over and over throughout this book, Gatsby's made reference's to marrying Daisy back in Louisville, so it must hold some great sentimental value to him. In his recount of the past to Nick he mentions how that town, the one where he and Daisy shared their memories, "was pervaded with a melancholy beauty" (Fitzgerald 152). Its a common feeling when one feels a depressed nostalgia about cheerful times now reduced to memories. Yes, it is beautiful because these memories hold with them a certain great happiness that you so wish to revisit, but at the same time, it is surrounded by much melancholy due to the fact that the past is past. So during this entire visit between Nick and Gatsby, the whole situation practically screams impeding tragedy. The entire time, Nick is thinking about how he doesn't want to leave Gatsby and when he finally does, he gives him a finalizing, concluding compliment which he remarks he had never done before, "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together" (Fitzgerald 154). Do not forget to mention the final line before the space where Fitzgerald clearly adds in the "goodbye" from Nick. Realizing that simple exchanges such as this are not just added for no reason in these types of novels, I find that those words do carry a great weight. It appears to be Nick finally saying good-bye to the man and the lifestyle that has been the subject of his life for the past couple months.
I do not know that Nick is just overwhelmed by the past events and for the time being wants nothing to do with Jordan, but I do find it very sad when he very distastefully avoids meeting with her over the phone. When at first she calls, it is quite evident that she is still bitter about his attitude towards her the night before, however she still cares and gives him a another chance when she says, "However- I want to see you" (Fitzgerald 155). I firmly believe that Nick still does love Jordan and, if not for the current circumstances, would reconcile with her, but he is still shaken by the past events and tells her, "It's impossible this afternoon. Various-" (Fitzgerald 155). After reading about Nick's realization in the earlier chapters that he is thirty and has entered the downward spiral of his life, I was really hoping that this relationship between him and Jordan would last, for his sake of ever having a wife and children. I cannot say what the future holds for Nick now, but I do believe his words on the phone permanently sealed off the relationship he once had with Jordan.
I suppose my ramblings about the foreshadowing of an impeding doom do account for something because Mr. Wilson does find out that it was Gatsby's car who killed his wife and he does seek out and murder Gatsby. If it means anything, I might add that Wilson is found dead on the scene as well. I suspect suicide was what did him in.
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 7, Pages 136-145
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
So chapter 7 ends with a huge twist and odd coincidence when Daisy, driving back in Gatsby's car whom the Wilsons thought was Tom's car, hits and kills Myrtle Wilson, Tom's mistress, and then continues to drive before Tom, Jordan, and Nick arrive in Tom's actual car. Yes, it is a crazy and complex situation of Soap opera proportions. However, what I found most interesting throughout this turn of events, was the sympathy that I began to feel towards Tom. We actually gain a glimpse of this once aloof and dispassionate man feel sympathy towards someone else. Even as he drives back towards west egg tears begin to flow down his face as he whimpers, "The God damned coward... He didn't even stop his car" (Fitzgerald 141). Originally when Tom had seen what was left of Myrtle, it was suspected that Gatsby had been driving.
I keep taking notice that every time Nick begins to view Gatsby in a negative light, the man finds some way to re-establish his rapport with Nick and divert the attention away from the doubt. This time, I felt as though Nick was at the edge where even conversing with Gatsby was too much. However, this time he relinquishes his doubt of the man upon learning that it was actually Daisy who had been driving and who was too terrified to stop. It appears that the resolution of Gatsby's most recent vice seems to wash away the presence of any other transgressions that Nick still held in his mind. For the time being, Tom's earlier foreboding of Gatsby's shady business is swept aside, but I do believe the subject of Gatsby's unexplained amassed wealth will soon take center stage.
So chapter 7 ends with a huge twist and odd coincidence when Daisy, driving back in Gatsby's car whom the Wilsons thought was Tom's car, hits and kills Myrtle Wilson, Tom's mistress, and then continues to drive before Tom, Jordan, and Nick arrive in Tom's actual car. Yes, it is a crazy and complex situation of Soap opera proportions. However, what I found most interesting throughout this turn of events, was the sympathy that I began to feel towards Tom. We actually gain a glimpse of this once aloof and dispassionate man feel sympathy towards someone else. Even as he drives back towards west egg tears begin to flow down his face as he whimpers, "The God damned coward... He didn't even stop his car" (Fitzgerald 141). Originally when Tom had seen what was left of Myrtle, it was suspected that Gatsby had been driving.
I keep taking notice that every time Nick begins to view Gatsby in a negative light, the man finds some way to re-establish his rapport with Nick and divert the attention away from the doubt. This time, I felt as though Nick was at the edge where even conversing with Gatsby was too much. However, this time he relinquishes his doubt of the man upon learning that it was actually Daisy who had been driving and who was too terrified to stop. It appears that the resolution of Gatsby's most recent vice seems to wash away the presence of any other transgressions that Nick still held in his mind. For the time being, Tom's earlier foreboding of Gatsby's shady business is swept aside, but I do believe the subject of Gatsby's unexplained amassed wealth will soon take center stage.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 7, Pages 113-136
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
So Nick is invited to the Buchanan's for a nice afternoon and it just so perfectly is a very hot and uncomfortable day, very suiting for the uncomfortable confrontation that will soon reside. So as if Tom had had his suspicions before, they are now completely confirmed when Daisy's careless lips say passionately and suddenly to Gatsby, "you look so cool" (Fitzgerald 119). Tom, who is not exactly the dumb brute that Gatsby take him as, very easily notices the subtext in this remark. Now everyone is quite aware that everyone is quite aware, and now the tention and awkwardness in the room is rising, and Tom's quick temper is as well. However, in the mist of this delicate situation, I find it fascinating that Fitzgerald gives time for an aside between Gatsby and Nick about this; "'[Daisy's] voice is full of money', he said suddenly" (Fitzgerald 120). After first reading this, I automatically thought that it may have something to do with a particular theme or maybe the symbolism that Gatsby, a man who has been chasing wealth for some time, is attracted to Daisy as he is attracted to money. However, when Nick examines this idea, he does not account it to anything symbolic or abstract, rather, he simply acknowledges what he had never understood before, that her voice literally mimicked the sound of money. I feel as though this fleeting moment, that is so suddenly forced into a environment it has no connection to, must suggest that their is some great importance behind the statement, and Fitzgerald obviously is trying to convey some insight towards the reader. However, at the moment, what it is is over my head!
So to avoid the confrontation becoming out of hand, Daisy suggests that the group traverse to the city. The whole situation is even more muddled when Tom, scornfully just wanting to cause problems, suggests that he and Gatsby switch cars for the ride and then shortly after Daisy requests that Tom drive Nick and Jordan while she and Gatsby drive in the coupe. At this point I figure that either Gatsby and Daisy are so in love that they ignore any simple discreetness or maybe the whole purpose of this meeting was to absolutely let Tom's ignorance dissolve because, this small gesture of riding in the coupe alone practically spells out affair. So the party, rents a suit and settle on some small talk to diffuse the situation when Tom finally decides to skip the charade and, after mocking Gatsby's questionable past says, "What kind of a row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow?" (Fitzgerald 129). At this point, now that Tom has openly acknowledged the underlying conflict, all bets are off for the separate baths they had been planning minutes before. Daisy, this entire time has been trying to nullify Tom's accusing remarks by trying to make humor from them and calling Tom an idiot, which I do not believe is really working anyhow. Although daisy is so obviously trying to smooth this conflict over, Gatsby sees the opportunity as a chance to say what he has for so long felt, "Your wife doesn't love you...She's never loved you. She loves me" (Fitzgerald 130).
From that statement on, I found that the whole situation backfires towards Gatsby and slowly, he presumes the role of the "bad guy". First of all, Jay is made to look quite stupid when he forces Daisy to inform Tom that she did in fact never love him, only to be denied by Daisy who truthfully explains that she did once love Tom. Now Tom, who finally realizes to what extent he has absentmindedly let his wife slip away from him and into the arms of this "swindler", finds a better strategy in exposing what he had found about Gatsby instead of pointlessly arguing about how he loves Daisy more. Tom explains to the crowd that in his investigation he became aware of many "drug stores" that Gatsby had staged to make a business out of the selling of alcohol. This does not truly come as a shock but the real kicker comes when Tom says, "That drug-store business was just small change... but you've got something on now that Walter's afraid to tell me about" (Fitzgerald 134). It is not exactly the statement that sets us on edge, but however, it is the sudden reaction that it withdrawals from Gatsby, when he begins to excitedly deny the accusation that Tom had never truly laid on him. The fact that this small statement brought Gatsby to a nervous wreck completely illustrates its significance and I am afraid for the worst from Jay. Through the whole first section of this chapter, I find this role reversal between Gatsby and Tom quite interesting as we begin to shift the sympathy and support from Gatsby towards Tom and all of the anger and adversity vice versa. I very much commend Fitzgerald on the subject of how dynamic his characters are. For what I have come to realize is that in this book there is no clear antagonist or protagonist or black and white. His use of this very much reminds me of the HBO series Game of Thrones. Now if you have never seen this, I implore that you stop reading my long, drawn-out post and go watch it now. It would do you great good. With that being said, one of the best features of the show is its ability to slow your decisions on taking sides throughout the plot. Just as Fitzgerald does in Gatsby, in GOT, there is no perfect, pure protagonist. All the characters throughout the show certain downfalls that are unsavory and just as Fitzgerald slowly evolves his character's throughout the story, so does Game of Thrones.
So Nick is invited to the Buchanan's for a nice afternoon and it just so perfectly is a very hot and uncomfortable day, very suiting for the uncomfortable confrontation that will soon reside. So as if Tom had had his suspicions before, they are now completely confirmed when Daisy's careless lips say passionately and suddenly to Gatsby, "you look so cool" (Fitzgerald 119). Tom, who is not exactly the dumb brute that Gatsby take him as, very easily notices the subtext in this remark. Now everyone is quite aware that everyone is quite aware, and now the tention and awkwardness in the room is rising, and Tom's quick temper is as well. However, in the mist of this delicate situation, I find it fascinating that Fitzgerald gives time for an aside between Gatsby and Nick about this; "'[Daisy's] voice is full of money', he said suddenly" (Fitzgerald 120). After first reading this, I automatically thought that it may have something to do with a particular theme or maybe the symbolism that Gatsby, a man who has been chasing wealth for some time, is attracted to Daisy as he is attracted to money. However, when Nick examines this idea, he does not account it to anything symbolic or abstract, rather, he simply acknowledges what he had never understood before, that her voice literally mimicked the sound of money. I feel as though this fleeting moment, that is so suddenly forced into a environment it has no connection to, must suggest that their is some great importance behind the statement, and Fitzgerald obviously is trying to convey some insight towards the reader. However, at the moment, what it is is over my head!
So to avoid the confrontation becoming out of hand, Daisy suggests that the group traverse to the city. The whole situation is even more muddled when Tom, scornfully just wanting to cause problems, suggests that he and Gatsby switch cars for the ride and then shortly after Daisy requests that Tom drive Nick and Jordan while she and Gatsby drive in the coupe. At this point I figure that either Gatsby and Daisy are so in love that they ignore any simple discreetness or maybe the whole purpose of this meeting was to absolutely let Tom's ignorance dissolve because, this small gesture of riding in the coupe alone practically spells out affair. So the party, rents a suit and settle on some small talk to diffuse the situation when Tom finally decides to skip the charade and, after mocking Gatsby's questionable past says, "What kind of a row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow?" (Fitzgerald 129). At this point, now that Tom has openly acknowledged the underlying conflict, all bets are off for the separate baths they had been planning minutes before. Daisy, this entire time has been trying to nullify Tom's accusing remarks by trying to make humor from them and calling Tom an idiot, which I do not believe is really working anyhow. Although daisy is so obviously trying to smooth this conflict over, Gatsby sees the opportunity as a chance to say what he has for so long felt, "Your wife doesn't love you...She's never loved you. She loves me" (Fitzgerald 130).
From that statement on, I found that the whole situation backfires towards Gatsby and slowly, he presumes the role of the "bad guy". First of all, Jay is made to look quite stupid when he forces Daisy to inform Tom that she did in fact never love him, only to be denied by Daisy who truthfully explains that she did once love Tom. Now Tom, who finally realizes to what extent he has absentmindedly let his wife slip away from him and into the arms of this "swindler", finds a better strategy in exposing what he had found about Gatsby instead of pointlessly arguing about how he loves Daisy more. Tom explains to the crowd that in his investigation he became aware of many "drug stores" that Gatsby had staged to make a business out of the selling of alcohol. This does not truly come as a shock but the real kicker comes when Tom says, "That drug-store business was just small change... but you've got something on now that Walter's afraid to tell me about" (Fitzgerald 134). It is not exactly the statement that sets us on edge, but however, it is the sudden reaction that it withdrawals from Gatsby, when he begins to excitedly deny the accusation that Tom had never truly laid on him. The fact that this small statement brought Gatsby to a nervous wreck completely illustrates its significance and I am afraid for the worst from Jay. Through the whole first section of this chapter, I find this role reversal between Gatsby and Tom quite interesting as we begin to shift the sympathy and support from Gatsby towards Tom and all of the anger and adversity vice versa. I very much commend Fitzgerald on the subject of how dynamic his characters are. For what I have come to realize is that in this book there is no clear antagonist or protagonist or black and white. His use of this very much reminds me of the HBO series Game of Thrones. Now if you have never seen this, I implore that you stop reading my long, drawn-out post and go watch it now. It would do you great good. With that being said, one of the best features of the show is its ability to slow your decisions on taking sides throughout the plot. Just as Fitzgerald does in Gatsby, in GOT, there is no perfect, pure protagonist. All the characters throughout the show certain downfalls that are unsavory and just as Fitzgerald slowly evolves his character's throughout the story, so does Game of Thrones.
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| In all honestly, I've been trying to plug this for a while now... |
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 6, Pages 104-111
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
So just as Tom had declared earlier, he showed up to Gatsby's latest wild party with Daisy, mainly with the intent to cure his suspicion of Gatsby. Nick describes that of all the party's he had attended during the summer, this one stands out in his mind the most for having a peculiar feeling to it. I believe this feeling he had was of nervous anticipation towards Daisy's opinion and of the "peculiar quality of oppressiveness", contributed by Tom's presence (Fitzgerald 104). Its understandable for Nick to have felt such a pressure in hoping that Daisy would enjoy the party. As Fitzgerald says, "It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment" (Fitzgerald 104). What Fitzgerald means is that Nick, now in the presence of someone else's judgmental eyes, is starting to realize the flaws in his once accepted social event. What Nick is going through reminds me of the feeling when you first watch a new, unknown movie by yourself and enjoy it so much that you publicize it to all your friends. However, when watching it again in their presence, you nervously anticipate how they will react while at the same time, cringe at many of the corny or "not so funny" parts that seem some how amplified to a much greater extent than before. Sadly to Nick and Gatsby's dismay, "[Daisy] wasn't having a good time" (Fitzgerald 106).
After the party, Gatsby is greatly distressed at how badly Daisy received the whole event. I believe that Jay Gatsby is starting to find that his envisioned renewed life with Daisy may not be as simple as he previously perceived. Fitzgerald ironically writes, "He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: 'I never loved you'. After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to be taken" (Fitzgerald 109). I like the way Fitzgerald writes this so sardonically, making fun of Gatsby's wishful thinking. Just like Gatsby, this statement completely ignores all the other major implications that make his goal a quest for folly. Nick sees this in Gatsby and upon telling him that it is impossible to repeat the past, Gatsby incredulously cries, "Can't repeat the past... Why of course you can!" (Fitzgerald 110). I believe Gatsby's emotions are blinding his practicality and I foresee that this is going to bring him to an untimely end.
So just as Tom had declared earlier, he showed up to Gatsby's latest wild party with Daisy, mainly with the intent to cure his suspicion of Gatsby. Nick describes that of all the party's he had attended during the summer, this one stands out in his mind the most for having a peculiar feeling to it. I believe this feeling he had was of nervous anticipation towards Daisy's opinion and of the "peculiar quality of oppressiveness", contributed by Tom's presence (Fitzgerald 104). Its understandable for Nick to have felt such a pressure in hoping that Daisy would enjoy the party. As Fitzgerald says, "It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment" (Fitzgerald 104). What Fitzgerald means is that Nick, now in the presence of someone else's judgmental eyes, is starting to realize the flaws in his once accepted social event. What Nick is going through reminds me of the feeling when you first watch a new, unknown movie by yourself and enjoy it so much that you publicize it to all your friends. However, when watching it again in their presence, you nervously anticipate how they will react while at the same time, cringe at many of the corny or "not so funny" parts that seem some how amplified to a much greater extent than before. Sadly to Nick and Gatsby's dismay, "[Daisy] wasn't having a good time" (Fitzgerald 106).
After the party, Gatsby is greatly distressed at how badly Daisy received the whole event. I believe that Jay Gatsby is starting to find that his envisioned renewed life with Daisy may not be as simple as he previously perceived. Fitzgerald ironically writes, "He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: 'I never loved you'. After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to be taken" (Fitzgerald 109). I like the way Fitzgerald writes this so sardonically, making fun of Gatsby's wishful thinking. Just like Gatsby, this statement completely ignores all the other major implications that make his goal a quest for folly. Nick sees this in Gatsby and upon telling him that it is impossible to repeat the past, Gatsby incredulously cries, "Can't repeat the past... Why of course you can!" (Fitzgerald 110). I believe Gatsby's emotions are blinding his practicality and I foresee that this is going to bring him to an untimely end.
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| Can't repeat the past? Doc would prove otherwise... |
Sunday, August 5, 2012
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 6, Pages 97-103
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
In chapter 6, we finally start to gain a real glimpse of Jay Gatsby's past, or should I say James Gatz's past. Not only do we learn his real name but we learn that he used to be a young imaginatively ambitious boy of a poor, failed farm-family. When describing the young Gatsby, I like how Fitzgerald uses the phrase "He was a son of God", describing that he thought of himself as being part of a higher calling than just a farm-boy (Fitzgerald 98). With all his ambition, young James Gatz was soon taken under the wing of the millionaire Dan Cody. It was he who Gatz aspired to be like.
So back at Gatsby's mansion, one of Jay's many usual house guests decided to bring Tom Buchanan over for a drink. By some curious impulse, Jay very brazenly starts directing his conversation towards Tom. In mid-conversation, Jay suddenly says, " 'I know your wife,' continued Gatsby almost aggressively" (Fitzgerald 102). I am not sure the exact reason for Gatsby's eagerness to get that across to Tom, whether it be out of nervousness or a negative disposition towards Tom and his rude "hosts", but I am sure that after hearing this, Tom is greatly off put at the thought of Daisy "running around alone" (Fitzgerald 103). Tom, who already seems like the jealous type, is soon to find out about Daisy and Gatsby's newly found love, and once Tom decides to take action against Gatsby, I believe this story will not end well for either Tom or Jay.
In chapter 6, we finally start to gain a real glimpse of Jay Gatsby's past, or should I say James Gatz's past. Not only do we learn his real name but we learn that he used to be a young imaginatively ambitious boy of a poor, failed farm-family. When describing the young Gatsby, I like how Fitzgerald uses the phrase "He was a son of God", describing that he thought of himself as being part of a higher calling than just a farm-boy (Fitzgerald 98). With all his ambition, young James Gatz was soon taken under the wing of the millionaire Dan Cody. It was he who Gatz aspired to be like.
So back at Gatsby's mansion, one of Jay's many usual house guests decided to bring Tom Buchanan over for a drink. By some curious impulse, Jay very brazenly starts directing his conversation towards Tom. In mid-conversation, Jay suddenly says, " 'I know your wife,' continued Gatsby almost aggressively" (Fitzgerald 102). I am not sure the exact reason for Gatsby's eagerness to get that across to Tom, whether it be out of nervousness or a negative disposition towards Tom and his rude "hosts", but I am sure that after hearing this, Tom is greatly off put at the thought of Daisy "running around alone" (Fitzgerald 103). Tom, who already seems like the jealous type, is soon to find out about Daisy and Gatsby's newly found love, and once Tom decides to take action against Gatsby, I believe this story will not end well for either Tom or Jay.
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 5
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
So in chapter 5, Nick answers Gatsby's request by asking Daisy to come over for tea alone without Tom. For this chapter for the first time, we get to see Jay Gatsby nervously frantic. The reason for his nervous demeanor probably spawns from the fact that this meeting he is to have between Daisy is his best attempt at reconciling their past love. After Daisy arrives, Gatsby soon knocks on the front door and Nick answers it only to find, "Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets" (Fitzgerald 86). For the first half hour, the whole experience is a very awkward and embarrassing ordeal for all of them, until Nick leaves the room for a short while only to return and find Gatsby back to his usual confident expression and Daisy in tears of longing. It seems that Nick and Jay's relationship is starting to really strengthen because Nick now talks to Gatsby with a certain impolite criticism that can be found between two friends who have known each other for a long time. Nick says to Gatsby, "You're acting like a little boy... Not only that, but you're being rude. Daisy's sitting in there all alone" (Fitzgerald 88).
Although the awkwardness has settled, Gatsby, excited by the whole event, accidentally lets his act slip in front of Nick on the topic of his affairs. He mentions to Carraway that it took him three years to raise the money for the house. Nick quickly remembers that Jay had once told him he inherited the money and asks him about this. Nick realizing his mistake fabricates a lie that he had lost his money during the war and now was in business. Upon Nick's question of what business he was in, Gatsby quickly says, "That's my affair" (Fitzgerald 90). It appears to me that the smooth, clever Jay Gatsby is starting to lose his grip, and I predict that this dirty business he is involved in, most likely bootlegging, will soon crash down upon him.
So Jay Gatsby invites Nick and Daisy over to his house to show them, but mainly her, his house. Daisy is in wonderment of the house and also in a depressed state realizing what she has been missing, while Gatsby is, at the same time, enchanted by everything about Daisy. I find it funny because the more the moment becomes more perfect between Daisy and Gatsby, the more Nick gets uncomfortable and attempts to leave. After a while, the couple becomes so infatuated with each other that their remarks borderline stupidity, " 'I'd like to just get one of those pink clouds and put you in it and push you around.' I tried to go then..." (Fitzgerald 94). When Nick finally leaves, Daisy and Jay are left on the couch "remotely, possessed by intense life" (Gatsby 96).
So in chapter 5, Nick answers Gatsby's request by asking Daisy to come over for tea alone without Tom. For this chapter for the first time, we get to see Jay Gatsby nervously frantic. The reason for his nervous demeanor probably spawns from the fact that this meeting he is to have between Daisy is his best attempt at reconciling their past love. After Daisy arrives, Gatsby soon knocks on the front door and Nick answers it only to find, "Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets" (Fitzgerald 86). For the first half hour, the whole experience is a very awkward and embarrassing ordeal for all of them, until Nick leaves the room for a short while only to return and find Gatsby back to his usual confident expression and Daisy in tears of longing. It seems that Nick and Jay's relationship is starting to really strengthen because Nick now talks to Gatsby with a certain impolite criticism that can be found between two friends who have known each other for a long time. Nick says to Gatsby, "You're acting like a little boy... Not only that, but you're being rude. Daisy's sitting in there all alone" (Fitzgerald 88).
Although the awkwardness has settled, Gatsby, excited by the whole event, accidentally lets his act slip in front of Nick on the topic of his affairs. He mentions to Carraway that it took him three years to raise the money for the house. Nick quickly remembers that Jay had once told him he inherited the money and asks him about this. Nick realizing his mistake fabricates a lie that he had lost his money during the war and now was in business. Upon Nick's question of what business he was in, Gatsby quickly says, "That's my affair" (Fitzgerald 90). It appears to me that the smooth, clever Jay Gatsby is starting to lose his grip, and I predict that this dirty business he is involved in, most likely bootlegging, will soon crash down upon him.
So Jay Gatsby invites Nick and Daisy over to his house to show them, but mainly her, his house. Daisy is in wonderment of the house and also in a depressed state realizing what she has been missing, while Gatsby is, at the same time, enchanted by everything about Daisy. I find it funny because the more the moment becomes more perfect between Daisy and Gatsby, the more Nick gets uncomfortable and attempts to leave. After a while, the couple becomes so infatuated with each other that their remarks borderline stupidity, " 'I'd like to just get one of those pink clouds and put you in it and push you around.' I tried to go then..." (Fitzgerald 94). When Nick finally leaves, Daisy and Jay are left on the couch "remotely, possessed by intense life" (Gatsby 96).
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 4, Pages 74-80
The second half of chapter 4, we finally get to here what Gatsby had told Jordan at that first party. Coincidentally, the whole story ties into Daisy Buchanan and her and Gatsby's past relationship. "But it wasn't a coincidence at all" (Fitzgerald 78). As Jordan tells Nick, Gatsby's real intent for moving into the West egg was to be in close proximity to Daisy and his sudden interest in Nick was in hoping that he would have her over for tea. So now the life and motives of the mysterious great Mr. Gatsby are starting to come into focus and oddly enough it is not that fascinating. It's like that moment in The Wizard of Oz when they realize that the wizard is not the all powerful being he claims to be but rather just a man behind a curtain; or it is like what the masking of Master chief would be like when you lift his hallowed helmet to find just a man staring back at you. When we learn more about this character, he soon starts to become more human, thus making him much less grand and amazing.
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One big development before the end of chapter 4 is Nick and Jordan's kiss where Nick finally abandons his self-control and gives into the moment by kissing Jordan. I believe that in discussing the plights of men such as Tom Buchanan and Gatsby involving their women problems, Nick gains a kind of confidence that assures him that he, in some aspects, has it better than these rich powerful men; in his case it is his steady relationship with the beautiful women whom his arm is around. "Unlike Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, I had no girl whose disembodied face floated along the dark cornices and blinding signs , and so I drew up the girl beside me, tightening my arms" (Fitzgerald 80).
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 4, Pages 61-74
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The beginning of chapter 4 offers a very long and poignant list of the many characters who have visited Gatsby's house parties. I found it interesting that at several occasions, Fitzgerald will mention some kind of dramatic event that happened to the person later on. Phrases such as: "before he went to the penitentiary", "who afterward strangled his wife", "divorced now", or "who killed himself by jumping in front of a subway train in Times Square" (Fitzgerald 62) (Fitzgerald 63). I believe Fitzgerald does this to show the real mortality that these rich socialites hide behind the facade of glamour and material happiness. This may turn out to be a heavy theme throughout the book.
On another one of Nick's outings with Gatsby, he is offered some irrefutable evidence from pictures of Gatsby's past that confirm that he did attend to Oxford and he really is a war hero. Although the chances of him being a bootlegger or being involved in any other vices now seem much slimmer, I will not complete reject the idea. Following their car-ride to the city, Carraway and Gatsby sit down for lunch with a new character named Mr. Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim proves to be a very sketchy character with a questionable background. He talks about the night when one of his old associates was killed, "I can't forget so long as I live the night they shot Rosy Rosenthal", giving the impression that Wolfsheim is involved in shady business (Fitzgerald 70). The most shocking news comes from Gatsby when he explains to Nick after Wolfshein's departure that he was the man who had fixed the 1919 World's Series. Of course, in lines with his mysterious aurora, Gatsby does not go as far to explain how Wolfshein executed such a feet but this statement does suggest two things: that he is beginning to trust Nick, and that he is involved with some not so honest people.
The beginning of chapter 4 offers a very long and poignant list of the many characters who have visited Gatsby's house parties. I found it interesting that at several occasions, Fitzgerald will mention some kind of dramatic event that happened to the person later on. Phrases such as: "before he went to the penitentiary", "who afterward strangled his wife", "divorced now", or "who killed himself by jumping in front of a subway train in Times Square" (Fitzgerald 62) (Fitzgerald 63). I believe Fitzgerald does this to show the real mortality that these rich socialites hide behind the facade of glamour and material happiness. This may turn out to be a heavy theme throughout the book.
On another one of Nick's outings with Gatsby, he is offered some irrefutable evidence from pictures of Gatsby's past that confirm that he did attend to Oxford and he really is a war hero. Although the chances of him being a bootlegger or being involved in any other vices now seem much slimmer, I will not complete reject the idea. Following their car-ride to the city, Carraway and Gatsby sit down for lunch with a new character named Mr. Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim proves to be a very sketchy character with a questionable background. He talks about the night when one of his old associates was killed, "I can't forget so long as I live the night they shot Rosy Rosenthal", giving the impression that Wolfsheim is involved in shady business (Fitzgerald 70). The most shocking news comes from Gatsby when he explains to Nick after Wolfshein's departure that he was the man who had fixed the 1919 World's Series. Of course, in lines with his mysterious aurora, Gatsby does not go as far to explain how Wolfshein executed such a feet but this statement does suggest two things: that he is beginning to trust Nick, and that he is involved with some not so honest people.
Friday, August 3, 2012
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 3, Pages 50 - 59
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
So now I am starting to get the picture that Nick is not as much the cool, content bachelor that I once saw. Well before from some of his actions at other social events I thought him maybe not the must outgoing but now I see that he is a shy introvert who lives his best moments through his head. Nick talks about how he enjoys the bustling walk through downtown manhattan and how he romanticizes different scenarios involving himself and other lovely women who cross his path. Then it does make sense when right after he states, "At the enchanted metropolitan twilight I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others" (Fitzgerald 56). Still I may be jumping to conclusions because the relationship between Nick and Miss Jordan Baker appears to be steadily becoming more intimate. One thing peculiar about Nick's infatuation of Jordan is that it sprouts from a great curiosity of her true personality. As Carraway soon realizes, "She was incurably dishonest" (Fitzgerald 58). It makes some sense why Nick, a self-proclaimed honest man, would become so infatuated with a girl who is quite the opposite. Its as if such a difference is in a way exciting to Nick and this excitement would go along the lines as to fuel his hot obsession of her. However, when the fun and excitement has died down, I would suspect that these little traits of Jordan will not exude Nick to love her in a serious relationship. In fact I think this difference would easily destroy their courtship. So like all hot and exciting love affairs, I predict that this one will just as well burnout quickly.
So now I am starting to get the picture that Nick is not as much the cool, content bachelor that I once saw. Well before from some of his actions at other social events I thought him maybe not the must outgoing but now I see that he is a shy introvert who lives his best moments through his head. Nick talks about how he enjoys the bustling walk through downtown manhattan and how he romanticizes different scenarios involving himself and other lovely women who cross his path. Then it does make sense when right after he states, "At the enchanted metropolitan twilight I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others" (Fitzgerald 56). Still I may be jumping to conclusions because the relationship between Nick and Miss Jordan Baker appears to be steadily becoming more intimate. One thing peculiar about Nick's infatuation of Jordan is that it sprouts from a great curiosity of her true personality. As Carraway soon realizes, "She was incurably dishonest" (Fitzgerald 58). It makes some sense why Nick, a self-proclaimed honest man, would become so infatuated with a girl who is quite the opposite. Its as if such a difference is in a way exciting to Nick and this excitement would go along the lines as to fuel his hot obsession of her. However, when the fun and excitement has died down, I would suspect that these little traits of Jordan will not exude Nick to love her in a serious relationship. In fact I think this difference would easily destroy their courtship. So like all hot and exciting love affairs, I predict that this one will just as well burnout quickly.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 3, Pages 39-49
The setting for most of the third chapter is at one of Gatsby's many extravagant house parties. Nick points out that among the many guests who had traveled to enjoy the party and all of its accolades, " I was one of the few guest who had actually been invited" (Fitzgerald 41). One constant theme of the party is the overall mystery surrounding Gatsby. Although most of the apathetic guests do not give much mind, Nick does notice that the host of this grand party is in fact no where to be found. This and the talks and murmurs Nick exchanges with some of the other attendants even more convolutes the image of this enigmatic man. Nick is quite taking back when one girl in a hushed voice tells him, "Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once", and then later, Jordan Baker informs Nick she had heart he was an Oxford man before quickly rejecting the statement (Fitzgerald 44). While contemplating the ambiguities of Gatsby's pass, Nick said something that caught my attention, "But young men didn't- at least in my provincial inexperience I believed they didn't- drift coolly out of nowhere and buy a palace on Long Island Sound" (Fitzgerald 49). Extracting from the countless droves of organized crime movies I have witnessed, I would have to assume that Gatsby is a regular Tony Montana... well maybe without the violent lust for killing and the Cuban accent. In all seriousness, however, I do have a firm belief that this wealth that Gatsby has so mysteriously accrued can be ascribed to some kind of illegal organized business.
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| "Say 'Hello' to my little friend!" |
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The Great Gatsby, Chapter 2
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chapter two begins with Nick and Tom's journey to Doctor T.J. Eckleburg's district or in other words, the valley of ashes, "...a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens..."(Fitzgerald 23). I believe Fitzgerald adds bypass of the ash yard as a way to juxtapose the two kinds of living in early 1900's New York. Just as the maid in The House of Mirth displayed to Lily the true problems of the world, the ash-yard does the same for Nick. However, the main reason for Tom and Nick's visit is to meet with Tom's mistress, Mrs. Myrtle Wilson. One aspect of the book that keeps me puzzled is what is the true nature of Tom's propensity towards Nick. Just as its said earlier in the book, for some reason or other, Tom has this desire to earn approval from Nick. You would think, realizing that Tom has accomplished so much more so far in his life, that it would be Nick who searches for camaraderie with Tom, however that is not the case. I think we will find out why in fact Tom takes such a liking to our protagonist.
So Tom and Nick travel to Mrs. Wilson's apartment and commence to have one wild rumpus with Myrtle's sister and the McKee couple. From the narrator's descriptions, a clear painting is portrayed of these people: odd, revolting, arrogant, and very fickle. The ring leader of the motley crew would be Tom's freshly intoxicated mistress, who prances around the tiny apartment gearing all attention towards herself. "The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur" (Fitzgerald 30). At one point, when she discovers that a hard-working bellhop has failed to retrieve the ice she had requested, she responds by shrilly hollering, "These people: You have to to keep after them all the time" (Fitzgerald 32). This remark shows Nick Myrtle's true colors and has to at least make him reflect upon how Tom could betray the courtship of his lovely wife for such a ignorant, obnoxious woman.
I find the end of this chapter pretty amusing, at least if I am right to infer that the sudden obscurity and quick unexplained events are Fitzgerald's attempts to put on the page, Nick's drunken memories. If so, I have to give kudos to this man, because I have never read a book that attempted something such as this. I would like to remark, however, that I am very worried about what happened during the hours when Nick's drunken stupor rejected the last of his memories. All I know is that the chapter ended with, "I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands" (Fitzgerald 38). What Nick is doing with an undressed Mr. McKee, who is originally described as a feminine man, is a question I can not quite answer. I guess I will have to read on to find out.
Chapter two begins with Nick and Tom's journey to Doctor T.J. Eckleburg's district or in other words, the valley of ashes, "...a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens..."(Fitzgerald 23). I believe Fitzgerald adds bypass of the ash yard as a way to juxtapose the two kinds of living in early 1900's New York. Just as the maid in The House of Mirth displayed to Lily the true problems of the world, the ash-yard does the same for Nick. However, the main reason for Tom and Nick's visit is to meet with Tom's mistress, Mrs. Myrtle Wilson. One aspect of the book that keeps me puzzled is what is the true nature of Tom's propensity towards Nick. Just as its said earlier in the book, for some reason or other, Tom has this desire to earn approval from Nick. You would think, realizing that Tom has accomplished so much more so far in his life, that it would be Nick who searches for camaraderie with Tom, however that is not the case. I think we will find out why in fact Tom takes such a liking to our protagonist.
So Tom and Nick travel to Mrs. Wilson's apartment and commence to have one wild rumpus with Myrtle's sister and the McKee couple. From the narrator's descriptions, a clear painting is portrayed of these people: odd, revolting, arrogant, and very fickle. The ring leader of the motley crew would be Tom's freshly intoxicated mistress, who prances around the tiny apartment gearing all attention towards herself. "The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur" (Fitzgerald 30). At one point, when she discovers that a hard-working bellhop has failed to retrieve the ice she had requested, she responds by shrilly hollering, "These people: You have to to keep after them all the time" (Fitzgerald 32). This remark shows Nick Myrtle's true colors and has to at least make him reflect upon how Tom could betray the courtship of his lovely wife for such a ignorant, obnoxious woman.
I find the end of this chapter pretty amusing, at least if I am right to infer that the sudden obscurity and quick unexplained events are Fitzgerald's attempts to put on the page, Nick's drunken memories. If so, I have to give kudos to this man, because I have never read a book that attempted something such as this. I would like to remark, however, that I am very worried about what happened during the hours when Nick's drunken stupor rejected the last of his memories. All I know is that the chapter ended with, "I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands" (Fitzgerald 38). What Nick is doing with an undressed Mr. McKee, who is originally described as a feminine man, is a question I can not quite answer. I guess I will have to read on to find out.
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| I find this kind of fitting... |
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