Nick's description above is not of Gatsby (though as I write this, knowing the rest of the book, themes like deception, faith, and money will come to bear concerning our titular hero). It's Meyer Wolfshiem, he of the human molar cufflinks and ferociously delicate eating habits, and his mind-blowing claim to fame is fixing the 1919 World Series. Fitzgerald based him on a notorious New York gambler and gangster, Arnold Rothstein. Fitzgerald's use of real events and thinly-veiled real figures speaks, I'd argue, to his desire for the reader to see the currency and timeliness of his story, and particularly the currency of Gatsby's story. Like a mystery writer, Fitzgerald is parsing out the details of his "hero" carefully and selectively. And while Nick may be taken by Gatsby, we must be more discriminating and careful.
1. So speaking of discrimination and skepticism, go back and take a look at the life story Gatsby gives Nick on 65-67(69-71 in my edition). Do you buy this story—do you believe it? Why or why not? Quote a couple times in your response.
2. Nick ultimately does buy it. What's does that say about him to you?
3. "'It's pretty, isn't it, old sport?'" Gatsby says proudly of his car on 64 (68 in my book). Nick does admit that everyone has seen the car, but he neither agrees nor disagrees with Gatsby's assessment of it. Look at the description, another great one by Fitzgerald. So is it a "pretty car"? And what might be the significance of the car if it is pretty—or if it isn't? Quote a couple times in your response.
4. Finally: we now know that Gatsby and Daisy had a relationship once. And we get Daisy's back story for the past five years (she met Gatsby when she was 18, which makes her in the present of the story 23—much younger than I expect every time I read the novel). How do you see Daisy now, now that you know something of her past? Do you find her sympathetic? Not? Does she seem worth buying a mansion to be near you? Look at 74-77 or 69-83.
This is due by 8AM on Tuesday morning. No more make-ups anymore. See you then!
1. I don’t completely buy Gatsby’s story. The way Gatsby tells the story to Nick is a little suspect. From the sideways glances to the way he “hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford,’ or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before.” With this, “his whole statement [falls] to pieces.” I think Gatsby is definitely lying in regards to his education and his background, and I think the fact that he’s “trying to forget something very sad that happened” is what is causing him to lie about his past so he doesn’t have to confront whatever the upsetting thing is.
ReplyDelete2. I think it shows that despite Nick’s instinct that Gatsby’s is lying, Nick wants to believe that Gatsby is as good as he fantasized him to be. Nick has been watching Gatsby and has been imagining who Gatsby is and where he comes from and what his character is like. I think Nick, in a way, looks up to Gatsby and sees him as the ideal man. And I think this is why Nick ends up buying Gatsby’s somewhat flawed story.
3. I think the car is very flashy with its “monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes” and its “labyrinth of wind-shields”. The car is very extravagant, like Gatsby’s house and his parties. Everything about Gatsby is lavish and grand, but also showy and excessive. It’s all dripping with wealth. I think with anybody else this would be very off-putting, but there’s something about Gatsby that doesn’t make me see him as a repelling character.
4. I see Daisy as more of a sad, sympathetic person now because this eighteen-year-old Daisy seems very admirable but after Gatsby disappeared from her life, it seems she changed into the empty character we see now. It was particularly depressing to hear the story she didn’t want to marry Tom before the wedding because it showed me that their relationship was full of unhappiness from the start. Also, the fact that only three months after the wedding Tom was already messing around with other people, like the chambermaid at the Santa Barbra Hotel, makes Tom seem like a even more unsympathetic character.
1. Like Jenny, I doubt Gatsby's story. Despite his two pieces of evidence, the medal and the photograph, I find it hard to believe. Nick makes a clear point in saying, "Hurried the phrase, 'Educated at Oxford.'" everything about the story just falls apart. After this Nick seems to completely forget Gatsby's earlier hesitation and believes the story wholeheartedly. I, on the other hand, feel like Gatsby is hiding something.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Nick begins to believe Gatsby's story because he wants to. He doesn't want to believe that Gatsby would lie to him, and so he simply doesn't. Nick has such a curiosity and interest in Gatsby that he decides to buy into Gatsby's story despite what his basic instincts tell him.
3. It's over the top. Not only, as Jenny said, is it "dripping with wealth" it is also showy and may even be in compensation for something that Gatsby feels he lacks. The mere existence of a, "supper-box" made me cringe. That being said, the car is beautiful and I can't blame Gatsby for driving it.
4. Jordan's story about Daisy's past really did nothing for me in terms of understanding or sympathizing with her character. While I appreciated it in that it satisfied my curiosity regarding her past, I still feel as though she is as much a mystery to me as she was when we first met her. While I do feel for her in her situation with Tom, her character is still mysterious.
1. I believe that some parts of Gatsby's story are true such as his family being "all dead now" and that he was in the war, but it is suspicious that he carries only the medal from "little Montenegro" with him rather than any other "Allied government that gave me a decoration". It is also strange that his family lives in the Mid-West but have a "family tradition" of going to Oxford. A good lie has pieces of truth in it, and Gatsby has done just that.
ReplyDelete2. Nick buys it because he is still innocent, and readily believes a statement even if it seems off, as long as it has some sort of evidence and truth to it. Gatsby's story is also very exciting, "collecting jewels, chiefly rubies, hunting big game, painting a little, things for myself only, and trying to forget something very sad that had happened to me long ago". Nick yearns for this thrill and he pictures it in his head, wanting to believe this is in store for himself and so he does.
3. It is either my lack of knowledge about cars or the profusion of unnecessary knick-knacks such as "hat-boxes and supper boxes and tool boxes" that prevents my from picturing this car in my head. I can only imagine these sticking out obtusely from the image of a otherwise nice car, "rich cream color, bright with nickel", alongside the "labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns", which is obviously over the top.
4. The story's description of old Daisy was so foreign to me that I didn't realize it was Daisy Buchanan until the mention of Tom Buchanan. However much I enjoyed the look into somebodies true past, the transition from old Daisy to new Daisy seems very sudden like a forced movement due to marriage and new responsibilities. The past doesn't change my view of her because it doesn't matter who she was in the past but who she is now, as long as she has changed, and the past only provides insight into former relationships, such as with Gatsby. Tom, on the other hand, has obviously not matured, still carrying on with mistresses like his old days. I wouldn't buy a mansion near Daisy, but perhaps that's because we still know very little about her despite the new facts about her past.
I most definitely do not believe Mr. Gatsby's story. Or, I should say, I do not believe most of it. For a man of such mystery and confidence up until the point in the story where he shares his past, one would expect assertiveness in his story, conviction. He shows none of this, and even gives off an aura of zero self confidence. "He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford,' or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before." It is out of character for Mr. Gatsby to behave this way, and it leads me to believe that he is not telling the truth. Besides the way that Gatsby presents his story, it is the story itself that leads me to believe that it's not true. It has flaws from the very beginning. "'What part of Middle West?' I inquired casually. 'San Francisco.'" Besides all of this, there is the fact that I simply do not buy into this exciting tale, as it all seems a little too far fetched to be true, even for a man like Mr. Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that Nick buys into this story says that he really admires Mr. Gatsby. He finds him to be mysterious and exciting, and he wants that to be the truth about Gatsby. He wants to believe his life story, even if it is far fetched and plain wrong at some points. It also says, and bear with me on this one, that Nick is just a gullible character. He comes from The Mid West, where there is not as much excitement, and he may just not know any better than to believe Gatsby's story.
Mr. Gatsby’s car is more flashy than pretty. “Bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length.” “Terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shield that mirrored a dozen suns.” Gatsby makes a point in the story to make sure Nick notices his car, and Nick says as the narrator that everyone notices Gatsby’s car. It’s clear that the car is flashy because Gatsby wants people to notice it. Or, more specifically and also I think the significance of the flashy car, he wants Daisy to notice it. He has a flashy car with the hopes that while driving around, Daisy might notice the car and it will bring her back to him. He has hopes that the car will act as a beacon or a way to draw attention to himself with the hopes that he will find one specific person in a city of millions.
Now that I know of Daisy’s past, I see her relationship with Tom much differently. At first I thought that she was always happy with the relationship until he started to cheat on her with Myrtle. But now I see that Daisy was not as keen to marry Tom as I thought. The night before her wedding she gets drunk and says that she does not want to get married to Tom. And yet, after that she puts a smile on her face and goes on with the marriage. She’s had this fake smile on her face from the moment the got married up until the time when the story takes place. I do feel bad for Daisy in her situation, but I also realize that she had many, many options before Tom. She could have chosen not to get married, or even to stay with Gatsby and she would have been just fine. Before hearing her story it seemed that she made a mistake in marrying Tom without knowing it, and after hearing her story it seems that she made a mistake in marrying Tom knowing very well it would be a mistake.
1. I don't believe Gatsby's story at all. I agree with Jenny in that the way Gatsby tells his story is quite suspicious, like when he talks about going to Oxford and "hurried the phrase." Also, it is a bit odd that Gatsby just randomly blurted out his life story without Nick even asking. I also doubt that Gatsby just walks around with a picture of himself at Oxford and a medal of valor from Montenegro all the time. He was obviously planning this, which makes it seem like he is really trying to convince Nick about his life. The whole situation just seems very mysterious, but then again, that is why Gatsby is so interesting.
ReplyDelete2. I think Nick likes to see the best in people. He seems to enjoy having no drama and trusting everyone. It isn't that he is gullible, but rather that he chooses to assume the best rather than the worst. I agree with the posts before me in that Nick also believes this story because he admires Gatsby so much. He enjoys the mystery and elusiveness that Gatsby holds and wants to keep that.
3. When Nick describes Gatsby's car, not one word can be used to describe beautiful or pretty. He uses words like "swollen", "monstrous", and "rich" to describe the car. It seems more like a flashy, showy car, which one could expect from Gatsby. I agree with Sam in that Gatsby always wants to be noticed, whether by Daisy or by everyone in the Eggs.
4. I feel bad for Daisy just like I feel bad for Tom. They both had high points in their life when they were young but now they are empty. From the way Jordan admirably described Daisy, she seemed so happy and full of life when she was 18 but then everything went downhill when she married Tom. I can't imagine having to spend time with a husband who obviously has affairs with many women. I really don't understand why Daisy did end up marrying Tom. She obviously didn't want to marry him if she needed to get drunk the night before in order to get through it. I am dying to know exactly why she married Tom, because she was very wealthy and popular before Tom so there has to be some hidden reason. I find it very romantic how Gatsby bought a house across the lake from Daisy. When reading that section, it brought me back to the first chapter where Nick saw Gatsby stretching out his arms and looking across the lake.
1. I also don't believe Gatsby's story, or at least that he is telling the whole story. He seems far to uncomfortable and nervous for it to be true: "He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford,' or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before". I agree with Sam that his story lacks the confidence that Gatsby usually has, so it is hard to believe. I think that Gatsby did have something very sad happen in his past, even if it wasn't the death of his family: "For a moment I suspected that he was pulling my leg, but a glance at him convinced me otherwise". He clearly has something that upsets him still from his past.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Nick believes Gatsby because he wants to. He doesn't want to think that Gatsby would lie to him like that. I also think that Nick is still to naive to see think that someone, even Gatsby, would make up such an elaborate lie.
3. Like Alex I also have a hard time really picturing this car, but maybe that's the point? It is so over the top that it doesn't even sound like a car: "monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and tool-boxes" Fitzgerald uses words like "terraced" and "conservatory", which make it sound more like Gatsby's gardens than a car.
4. I have a lot more sympathy for Daisy after this story. It becomes clear that her marriage to Tom has been a sad mistake since the very beginning, and neither of them has ever actually been happy with it. It also makes me wonder about Tom, because we had questioned whether he hit Myrtle because he actually loves Daisy, but it seems that he has always just seen her as a trophy wife. And as for Daisy, she clearly still had feelings for Gatsby when she married Tom. I think it makes sense that Gatsby bought the house, because it is a possibility for him to go back to before the war when things were simpler.
1. As many people have already said, it seems obvious that Gatsby is hiding something when he recites his story to Nick. Nick seems to catch onto it as well, when he says, "I wondered if there wasn't something a little sinister about him after all." I was also puzzled by the way Gatsby told the tale of his army history. "Little Montenegro! He lifted up the words and nodded at them-with his smile." I picture this pleased look on his face as he talks of his achievements in the war and the people he killed. He seems to move closer to Nick in this regard; they both loved the war, and thrived on the chaos created by it. I have a hard time believing the College education part of Gatsby's background, but I do believe he thoroughly enjoyed the war.
ReplyDelete2. Nick knows better than not to believe Gatsby, but he is so infatuated with him he chooses to. He trusts Gatsby completely and we begin to realize that there is something special about Gatsby that Nick admires, even though Gatsby is becoming more and more like the people Nick have come to despise. Im interested to see how it will progress later on in the book, and whether or not Nick will be disillusioned even from Gatsby.
3. I love the first image we have of the car, with Gatsby leaning on the side of it idly, tapping his foot as if he had something better to do. "He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand." It exudes American Dream to me, the way the car is over the top, long, sluggish, and shining. words like "rich" and "swollen" add to the image in my mind like its almost stuffed, like a thanksgiving turkey, with money.
4.Now that we have background on who Daisy was before she was the angel sitting on the couch in her Mansion, It really reinforces her transformation for me. We see who she is in the book, trying to be shallow and "sophisticated", to the girl who really fought to marry someone better. I theorize that the letter she had in her hand that night she got drunk was from Gatsby, but its only a theory. There may be something that springs from the invitation from nick, and the extreme fascination Gatsby continues to show in Daisy.
1. Like most people have already said I do not believe Gatsby's story. There are some things that seem a bit more honest than others but he seemed too eager to tell Nick his story. To me it seems that he wants Nick to think highly of him because he seems a little narcissistic and always wants people to have good ideas of him: " I don't want you to get the wrong idea of me from all of the stories you hear". I do think that some parts are true like his family dying and how when he shares that information, "his voice was solemn, as if the memory of that sudden extinction of a clan still haunted him". But the tone and sincerity of it all changes again when he calls himself "a young rajah" living in "all the capitals of Europe". The story as a whole just doesn't seem very honest or logical and I think it is emphasizing just how twisted Gatsby really is.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Nick is viewing Gatsby through a very narrow lens and isn't looking at all of the components that make up Gatsby. Nick even notices that it all sounds a little too dramatic and ridiculous when he says, "the very phrases were so worn and threadbare that they evoked no image except that of a turbaned "character" leaking sawdust at every pore as he pursued a tiger through the Bois de Boulogne". It surprises me that Nick can see right through Gatsby's bullshit and yet he still believe him because he has a convincing smile. To me it shows that Nick is weak and gullible and he refuses to face the facts about who Gatsby really is.
3. Like Alex and Zoe I can't really picture this car very well but from the descriptions it seems like its supposed to be a very luxurious and flashy car. With the adjectives of rich, bright, monstrous, and triumphant I think that the first thing thats supposed to come to mind is luxury and expensive and timeless. It almost sounds like their sitting in a palace, not a car when it says they were, "terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns." and they sat in "a sort of green leather conservatory". It all just seems like Gatsby is trying to show off his wealth with such an over the top car.
4. I think we are able to see more of a real Daisy, someone who has suffered a little and has been on an emotional roller coaster. I also think we are able to see why she is so unhappy with Tom. I thought the description of her before her wedding was very raw and you could really see a young girl falling apart at the beginning of her life. I think she was a fool for thinking that Tom could take the place of Gatsby, however we don't really know if Gatsby would have acted the same way Tom does had he married Daisy instead. I think she's not as perfect as she seemed in the first chapter, she seems like a girl who peaked at 18 and now has to live her life knowing that she's already reached her high point.
1. The whole description seems very artificial and fake. It seems like Gatsby is trying really hard to impress Nick and everyone else. "He swallowed it (the phrase), or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces." Gatsby seems very anxious like he's lying. Especially when Gatsby is describing his time at war, Gatsby seems superficial. He said, "I tried very hard to die, but I seemed to bear an enchanted life." His whole war description seems very dramatic.
ReplyDelete2. Nick definitely questioned Gatsby's story at times, but he still definitely believed it. Nick believing Gatsby makes Nick seem very artificial and fake. Nick said, For a moment I suspected that he was pulling my leg, but a glance at him convinced me otherwise." Maybe Nick believes Gatsby, because Nick admires and idolizes Gatsby so much. But Nick just seems kind of stupid and gullible.
3. I don't really understand the car description, and I can't really picture it. But it seems like it's just that classic 1920s car with no roof. It also seems very flashy and showy. "It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there." Gatsby's mansion is huge and luxurious just like Gatsby's car.
4. Knowing this relationship between Gatsby and Daisy, definitely makes me feel sympathy for Daisy, because the 18 year old Daisy is actually happy and cheerful unlike now where she seems happy but is actually emotionally unstable. It also saddens me that Tom and Daisy's relationship was rough from the beginning. I think Daisy just married Tom, because maybe in a way Tom reminded of her of Gatsby and could take care of her. I wonder what Daisy's life would be like if Gatsby and her did get married.
1. I believe Gatsby somewhat. I feel like not everything he said was true, but even if it wasn’t true, I don’t think he lied with any malevolent intent. It seems like some things happened in his past that really upset him. His whole life, including his big house and his big lies, revolves around this one event. Either way, we are slowly learning more about Gatsby, and it seems like he is a lot more human than we thought he was. We are learning that he is not as impermeable and strong as he might seem.
ReplyDelete2. I think Nick wants to trust Gatsby, although it took a little convincing. I think the fact that Nick was skeptical of him in the first place though shows that he’s learned a little bit about trusting people. He had some weird inner sense to be skeptical of Gatsby, which was myabe instilled by his interactions with Tom.
3. He describes it as if it weren’t a car, but a glass enclosed leather conservatory, which I really liked. As far as being pretty, I cannot say. It is safe to say, however, that it is the car of a rich person, which in some ways makes it pretty. It adds allure, which I think is a quality that Gatsby holds in high esteem. Allure is a characteristic that Gatsby goes to great lengths to possess.
4. I don’t think Daisy is worth buying a mansion for. Then again, she had an endless supply of suitors, so she must have been something special. I do have more sympathy for her now, especially now that I know the background of her marriage. I feel like it wasn’t her fault that she got married to Tom. Other people seemed to have forced her into the relationship, or at least into getting married, which is very pitiable indeed. It would have been another story if she had been daft enough to enter that marriage willfully with the expectation of being happy.
1. I don't believe Gatsby's story. The way he acts and tells the story makes me believe that he knows that he is lying but is not very good at it. "He looked at me sideways.", This makes me believe that he is trying to see if Nick is buying his story. However, I think that maybe parts of his tale are real. Mainly the part about his family dying is truth since Nick notice his expression, "For a moment I suspected that he was pulling my leg but a glance at him convince me otherwise". I think he is trying to hide what happen to his family but not the fact of how he became rich. I think he wants Nick to feel sorry for him.
ReplyDelete2. I think Nick wants to believe. At first he is skeptical, but he later buys the story. He admires Gatsby and what he has. Apparently Nick does not judge Gatsby even though he is obviously lying about his past. It is also possible that Nick wants to please Gatsby. The fact that both of them were in the army contributes to Nick's admiration. He may also feel sympathy for what Gatsby has gone through.
3. I am not very good at picturing cars, but this description did it. I can see a very beautiful car that simply glows with beauty. I can tell it is a flashy car "having many layers of glass" and very
complex "monstrous length with triumphant hatboxes and super-boxes and tool-boxes". This car is perfect for Gatsby since is shows his taste and wealth.
4. Now that I see that Daisy could have ended up with a guy like Gatsby, I kind of felt bad for her. When she was drunk before her wedding, I really felt bad but I was confuse when she returned and was very happy with Tom. However, she never trusted and with reason. That part about Tom and the chambermaid made me dislike him even more. Maybe Gatsby did love Daisy, but it didn't seem like they knew each other for that long and it does seem long enough to buy a house to simply be close (not really) to her. But with love, You never know.
1. It definitely sounds as if Gatsby is hiding something. After Gatsby tells Nick about going to Oxford, “He looked at [Nick] sideways,” and “He hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford,’ or swallowed it, or choked on it.” Gatsby does produce the picture of himself playing cricket at Oxford, but the way he says it suggests some untruth. He was definitely at Oxford, but maybe there were more complex circumstances. Maybe he was kicked out so he rushes over that part of the story. Also, when asked part of the Midwest he grew up in, Gatsby says, “San Francisco.” San Francisco is definitely not part of the Midwest. Wouldn’t someone as educated as Gatsby know that? He then goes on to claim that he travelled Europe “collecting jewels…, hunting big game, painting a little,…, and trying to forget something that had happened to me long ago.” That sounds like the premise of a crappy movie. Searching for rubies? Maybe that really is what rich people do with their time, but I don’t completely believe him. Bits and pieces of Gatsby’s story may be true, but he’s definitely leaving something out.
ReplyDelete2. I can understand believing parts of it because of the medal and the pictures, but believing in all of it makes Nick seem a little gullible. Especially since he basically sees a picture of the life Gatsby described in his head and then buys it all.
3. I think the car sounds awesome. His description, “…a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length…” makes it sound like the classic, cool, old sport car. It may be flashy, or over the top, but what else would you expect? The man hosts parties every weekend for tons of people he doesn’t know in his gigantic mansion. He gets hundreds of fruits shipped to him every week and he has his butlers juice every one of them. Why would he not have this cool, really expensive car? Maybe it’s a symbol of the things Gatsby uses to fill the gaps in his lonely life, but I seriously doubt Gatsby would have gone for the plain looking sedan if he’d gotten Daisy all those years ago.
4. I suppose that I sympathize with her a little more now that I have some context. She was never truly happy in her marriage, even before Tom was cheating on her. On the other hand, I don’t really understand why she married Tom. She’s rich on her own. She could’ve held out for Gatsby if she’d wanted. The fact that she married him is her own fault. It doesn’t really matter though. She’s still only 23, and now Gatsby’s back. Everything can still go perfectly for the rich little girl. Maybe I don’t really sympathize with her.
I think that parts of Gatsby’s story are false while some are real. He gives us two pieces of evidence that should prove that he received a medal from Montenegro and attended Oxford. Personally I believe Gatsby may have paid and bought these things with his money. He may have lost his parents and maybe it was a tragic event for him, but he decided to create this war hero image for some reason. Half of me believes the idea of him attending Oxford, even though he “hurried the phrase.” But the part about it being “a family tradition” and him looking “sideways” makes me a skeptic to this mysterious character.
ReplyDeleteI think Nick buys it because Gatsby reaches into “his pocket, and a piece of metal, slung on a ribbon”and gives it to Nick. Also the photograph would have convinced me. All this tells me that Nick might be a gullible person who trusts easily and maybe too much, and that he keeps on falling for that smile and the “old sport phrase.” He wants to believe and understand Gatsby and possibly help him heal the “gnawings of his broken heart.”
The car is classy and shows how wealthy and exaggerating Gatsby is. I think Gatsby is a bit cocky when he asks “Haven’t you ever seen it before” Nicks response is sort of like a “of course I’ve seen who hasn’t!!!?” The fact that the car has a “monstrous length” stood out the most. I feel he exaggerates the sizes of all his belongings. After reading the chapter I understand why Gatsby has such a splendid and grand house (along with all his other assets). All along Gatsby’s purpose has been all for show, but to get Daisy’s attention.
I agree with Jenny when she says the relationship has been unhappiness from the start. I understand why she seemed a bit too happy and “pa-paralyzed with” it when she met Nick. I feel she covers up her sadness with Tom by appearing too cheerful and energetic. Like someone else mentioned in their post, I also see Tom as a more unpleasant character. Gatsby’s absence made Daisy what she is now. He was important to her so she married Tom thinking she could possibly forget him and once again be happy, but we see she isn’t. I think Gatsby still has feelings for her so I understand why he bought the house across the bay.
1. I'm not sure what to believe in Gatsby's story. It is definitely not all true. When he tells Nick of Oxford, "He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford,' or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bother him before." The repetition of the fact that he went to oxford is definitely fishy. It seems to be the only fact that everyone can agree on, and the only fact that most people know of Gatsby. Also, when he refers to his family's death as "something very sad that happened to [him] long ago," I was suspicious. Although everyone grieves in their own way, this is not a typical manner in which one refers to their family's "extinction."
ReplyDelete2.Nick is perhaps more gullible than we originally thought. He's so taken by Gatsby that he barely thinks to questions Gatsby's story or his intentions. Gatsby is obviously a charismatic man but he's also known to be one of the most mysterious. For Nick to believe him so easily makes me think that Nick's view isn't the most reliable.
3.I think the car is just another symbol of the lavishness of Gatsby's life. Obviously he's a very extravagant man, and the car is just another expression of that. Nick says, "I'd seen it. Everybody had seen it." It's a cool car that everybody notices. Gatsby's life is very flashy even though he himself is not so forth coming.
4. This description makes me both more and less sympathetic towards Daisy. On the one hand, she seems superficial from the beginning, always running around with different men and never making a true connection with anybody. She was also clearly not ready for marriage with Tom, or perhaps marriage at all, and yet she did it anyways. She put herself in a position of unhappiness without truly fighting for what she wanted. On the other hand, she was so unhappy that she didn't know what she wanted. Maybe she didn't know she could have a happy life if she didn't marry Tom. Maybe she wasn't taught to find a true connection with someone.
Update for those of you still to write. Sohail asks the $100 question (that is, $100 in 2012 money): Why did Daisy marry Tom? One place to look or detail to consider. Tom gave her a $350,000 string of pearls the day before their wedding.
ReplyDeleteIn 2012 currency, that's $5.3 million.
Just saying...
1. Gatsby gives off a mysterious aura. Even when he tries to describe his past parts don't seem totally truthful. The tales of his past seem so exotic and wild,"After that I lived like a young rajah in all the capitals of Europe-Paris, Venice, Rome-collecting jewels, chiefly rubies...", that Nick questions if any of it was true,"With an effort I managed to restrain my incredulous laughter. The very phrases were worn so threadbare that they evoked no image except that of a turbaned 'character'." Even though Gatsby is shrouded in mystery I believe his story.
ReplyDelete2. I think Nick realizes that Gatsby is not telling the full truth but buys it anyways. Nick isn't the kind of person to force the truth out of Gatsby. Nick respects Gatsby and is kind enough to let Gatsby reveal his past when he feels like it.
3. I do think the car would be very pretty with its "rich cream color, bright with nickel." Gatsby would turn heads all throughout town driving in it. It would be quite large having twelve windows,"a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns." and a unique build. Gatsby is very proud of his car and I would be too if I had one like it.
4. I dislike Daisy even more. I feel sorry for Gatsby. After he left, Daisy moved on and got married when Gatsby was away at war. She clearly had feelings for Gatsby even during her marriage but didn't do or say a thing. She would not be worth buying a mansion to be near her because she is so unreliable. If she forgot and moved past Gatsby once I wouldn't put it past her again.
1. I'm not sure if I buy his story or not. Gatsby says that he was educated at Oxford with signs that he could be lying: "He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford,' or swallowed it or choked on it." He also claims that it is a "family tradition" to go to Oxford. We really don't know much at all about Gatsby or if he is trustworthy. His parents might have died and left him with a lot of money. He might have gone to war, and I'm pretty sure he did in the army because of his uniform in Jordan's story, but I still don't think everything adds up perfectly.
ReplyDelete2. I think that NIck believes him because it is easier. He likes Gatsby and with Gatsby's encouragement it is hard to think otherwise. Nick is somewhat gullible and as the observer tries not to judge. He is also given evidence, on paper, of Gatsby's life. He is shown a picture of himself at Oxford and documentation of his award in the military. Nick really wants to believe that this is all true, so he does.
3.The car is definitely a pretty car. Its a statement of Gatsby's immense wealth. It has a "labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns." It is shining with its "rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length." It is a car that Nick has to stop and admire. This doesn't even faze Gatsby. He just says, "Haven't you ever seen it before?" As if you could miss a car like it. Everyone knows this car. Everyone knows who Gatsby is. But all most people will do is stare.
4.I do feel a little bit different about Daisy after knowing more about her. After her episode before she and Tom got married Daisy tried to make her marriage work. She acted as the perfect wife, but she gave up. She would have rather been with Gatsby. They had a young love that she disregarded after he left. If Gatsby had not left her she would be in a completely different situation. She is obviously not happy with Tom. Gatsby misses Daisy and I understand why he would move to be with her. He has not forgotten her and it does not look like Daisy has forgotten him after all this time.
1. I really don’t believe Gatsby’s story. There are parts that you can tell are completely fabricated as shown by “’What part of the Middle West?’ I inquired casually. ‘San Francisco’” For someone that was supposedly educated at Oxford, one should know that a large city in the biggest state on the West Coast is not in the Middle West of the United States. Also as Gatsby tells his story, his body language, as described by Nick/Fitzgerald, is the same as someone who is lying: “He hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford,’ or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces, and I wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him, after all.” Since our narrator doesn’t even believe him at first, that obviously can skew our view of Gatsby’s story as well.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Cam about Nick. At first Nick doesn’t really believe Gatsby, or at least he tries not to. And then as Gatsby pulls out artifacts from real situations to show them off to Nick, Nick is reeled in by all of these exotic tales and the photograph is what makes him believe all of Gatsby’s tales. I don’t know what it is about this photograph, but seeing Gatsby surrounded by all these other Oxford boys makes Nick think that all of this is true. I don’t know if he’s gullible or just wants to believe everything Gatsby says.
3. My favorite line describing Gatsby’s relationship to the car is this: “He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American — that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work or rigid sitting in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games.” I feel like Gatsby is sort of just saying ever so jauntily, ‘oh don’t mind me I’m just lounging around on my monstrous hulk of a car. Isn’t it just lovely?’ I mean, to me, this car sounds like a 1920’s Hummer. Huge and flashy and big enough to throw a party inside. It does not sound pretty at all! Fitzgerald uses words like “swollen”, “monstrous”, “triumphant”, and it just paints a picture of an obnoxiously large and gleaming car that is way too over the top to be pretty.
4. At this point after this story, I still have no clue how I feel about Daisy. Part of me feels bad for her because she seems to have been forced to do many things that she didn’t want to do and she seems like she didn’t really want to marry Tom at first, but then I’m utterly confused because she’s then suddenly madly in love with Tom after they’re married. To me, she seems like a person who is solely dependent on other people for her mental and emotional well-being, which to me is pitiful and kind of disgusting but at the same time, I feel absolutely horrible that this is how she’s lived her life and how it looks like this is how she’s going to live the rest of her life.
1920s Hummer? Molly, I think you nailed it!
Delete1. The main thing that troubled me about Gatsby's story is his lack of sincerity. He may have gone to Oxford (although unlikely), and his whole family is probably gone. It's the way Gatsby tells Nick, like their facts out of a textbook that he's rehearsed way too many times. After Gatsby described his life in Europe, Nick "...managed to restrain [his] incredulous laughter. The phrases were worn so threadbare that they evoked no image except that of a turbaned 'character' leaking sawdust at every pore as he pursued a tiger through the Bois du Boulogne." So overall, I don't believe his story because he's obviously hiding something.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Alex Lin. Nick wants to believe Gatsby. He wants for that excitement, riches, and adventure are possible to obtain. Not only that, I feel like Nick is skeptical, but he cannot get himself to dig any deeper than necessary. Yes, Gatsby may be lying, but Nick decides not to try to get the truth.
3. This car is extragvegant to say the least. To some, this is very desirable because it displays one's wealth. I think this is true with cars today as well. I personally like this type of old-fashioned (well now it's old-fashioned) boxy car, so yes, I think it's beautiful. I definitely see why Gatsby would drive it.
4. Daisy frustrates me. She doesn't know how to take control of her own life. 1920's high society is to blame for this, but I do not want to spend time reading about how unhappy she is to be married to a man she didn't love in the first place. She missed her opportunity to get out of the engagement (the scene where she was crying and drunk). John, my answer to your $100 question is that Daisy is weak. She cannot stand on her own. She is too unsure of herself and of her future to act differently than the way she has for her whole life. Right now, I have no true sympathy for her.
1. I’m not sure why everyone who’s posted been so skeptical of Gatsby’s story. We all agree on how Tom Buchanan was born filthy rich and since the beginning has had everything and traveled everywhere. I understand why people would have doubts and trouble taking it all in, but Gatsby is merely telling Nick a general idea about his life story. Obviously there are parts missing. It would take a lifetime to describe and retell Gatsby’s life. I’m not completely sure what Gatsby has or hasn’t done but I can say I think the order is off. I mean Nick did see the evidence of, “the skins of tigers flaming in his palace,” and as well as the, “chest of rubies...”. Gatsby also says something very earnest that I loved, “I didn’t want you to think I was just some nobody.” This line tells me Gatsby has both reason to lie, and reason for truth because a person with everything isn’t exactly a nobody to begin with. [I don’t know if that made sense.]
ReplyDelete2. I think Nick believed him because of the evidence he saw. I think it shows Nick is pretty normal. He’s not completely cynical and although he has doubts he leaves room for improvement and truth.
3. I agree with Christine about the car not being exactly pretty or beautiful. Personally, I don’t want a car with “green leather” interior. I don’t necessarily see this as snobbish, if it were Ferris Bueler, I’d think it kind of funny and charming if he “jumps off to give a better view.” Yes, he is showing off his “monstrous” car and it may not be pretty he’s just flaunting a little. He seems to have a carefree vibe about it, like a young man who isn’t married yet but courting someone. I think he’s searching for a special approval from Nick, who doesn’t really show any approval, or emotion for that matter.
4. I like to think many people get married because they are insanely in love so maybe Tom did as well. But I can’t be sure every time knowing the world and the Buchanan’s relationship right now. I feel like Daisy had an insane amount of pressure. It could be really, really hard to say no to that amount of wealth. This is just an idea but I think she was content with her life with Tom up until she realized [through the letter] there was a chance of something else. She probably felt too far in to call it quits. I mean she actually did but unfortunately Fitzgerald fails to gives us the hope that someone supported her on that. She’s probably just depressed that she gave in to something she thought would be wonderful and months later she realizes Tom didn’t spend $350,000 because he loved her. Daisy probably wasn’t strong enough to say what she truly wanted. Maybe Daisy has always been superficial. I mean she was “very popular” before...
1. I think that there are some elements of Gatsby's story that seem contrived, or a bit too cut-and dry. He was educated at Oxford, fought in and enjoyed (enjoyed?) WWI, came into a great deal of money after his parents died, and bought a mansion for himself to spy on his ex-girlfriend. Okay, maybe the last part is a little harsh of me, but it does show some devotion, even romanticism. One can imagine Daisy wilting into Gatsby's arms. The connection with the dubious bookie/gangster Wolfsheim begs explanation, but I don't see any reason why Gatsby would lie about his past to Nick, and his love for Daisy seems legitimate.
ReplyDelete2. One can sense Nick's skepticism as he hears Gatsby describe his upbringing, remembering Jordan Baker's opinion of the Oxford part of Gatsby's story. Also, Nick's feelings can be hard to judge sometimes, as he tends to favor describing his surroundings, and on occasion a few sentences about his feelings concerning them. On the other hand, Nick expressed his admiration for Gatsby at the beginning of the novel, and is certainly trying to get on well with him at this point.
3. I think that Gatsby perhaps may still not have a clear idea about how to manage his sprawling wealth, and that shows a little bit here. I can see Gatsby getting scheisted into buying the biggest, most obnoxious, most expensive vehicle by the conniving salesman at the local garage. I think he makes a very good attempt at trying to appear casual about the fact that he owns such a car in front of Nick, leaning jauntily on the windshield. The modern-day equivalent might be pulling up in a Gulfstream IV and, leaning in a similar manner on the airstairs, saying "Oh, I bought it used, it doesn't even have weather radar."
4. I wouldn't venture to say that Daisy is a drastically different character after she marries Tom Buchanan, but she does change in a couple of significant ways. Before, she is more resolute, more independent, a little more of her own woman, obviously very popular with the gentleman callers. It would certainly be degrading to have a pearl necklace worth millions of dollars given to you as the only token of somebody's love. Her marriage to Tom has been difficult for her, and I think that she keeps trying to delude herself that she is making everyone happy, and that everything will turn out fine at the end.
1. It is very hard, hearing this story to determine authenticity. Going into it Gatsby's tale we are predisposed to believing him because Nick is so forthcoming with the compliments. Then Nick tells us his doubts over whether Gatsby is lying or not, "And with this doubt, his whole statement fell into pieces,". Nick is so easily swayed that I cannot honestly say whether or not I can believe it. Almost immediately after he casts aside the entire story he pulls another 180, "Then it was all true. I saw the skins of tigers flaming in his palace on the Grand Canal;" If our only source of information's storytelling is dripping in opinion, how can we make any objective assessments?
ReplyDelete2. I think Nick is too easily swayed by others. He spends a large amount of time surrounded by self-proclaimed liars, cheaters and scoundrels. He claims to be honest, a separated third party yet his opinions can change at the drop of a hat. As each chapter unfolds he becomes less reliable to me.
3. I think whether the reader finds the car pretty or not is inconsequential. The way in which Gatsby says "It's pretty, isn't it" reminds me of how Tom refers to his house, with no meaning behind the words. The car, the un-read books, the over the top parties, these are all Gatsby's way of trying to fit into the culture of the Eggs. He yearns for notoriety and fame. Simply the fact that he carries the medal and the Oxford picture with him all the time shows this. He name drops too, to add to this air of aristocracy, "-the man on my left is now the Earl of Doncaster."
4. I actually do find Daisy more sympathetic. Instead of the 2 dimensional bored, doting housewife, we see that Tom was not her first choice. She used to be surrounded by suitors, Gatsby included. I think she fell too hard for Gatsby and when he was out of the picture, because of the importance of wealth and image, she was pushed into the tough arms of Tom Buchanan. I think there is more to her than meets the eye,more than we know at this point. I will wait to pass judgement on her because I understand now that at some point, she did think for herself, she was a strong woman, but Tom took that away from her.
1. For some reason, I am a little bit distrustful of Gatsby's story. But in the end or believing it or not, I do believe it. Now of course, as Karen said, his family dying, inheriting money and then living in Europe isn’t his whole life story. There will obviously be holes in his story. But he has evidence to back up his claims. Also, I feel like he has no real reason to lie. Even though “He hurried the phrase “educated at Oxford,”” that’s not evidence of lying. I did find it funny though when Gatsby said “I didn’t want you to think I was just some nobody,” when just 2 pages earlier Nick had said that his impression of him as “a person of some undefined consequence” had “gradually faded.”
ReplyDelete2. Nick, Nick, Nick. I feel like Nick buying it doesn’t really say anything in particular. Everyone has doubts about stories, especially one’s where people inherit money and then go to Europe to collect rubies and hunt tigers. And Nick did too, but he eventually bought the story because there was evidence, photographic evidence which back then was probably a lot more reliable then it is now.
3. I feel like the car is pretty in the way that it is lavish, and shows off Gatsby’s wealth, as many other people have said. But I agree with Molly. To me, it seems like a hulking monstrosity. It was “swollen here and there in its monstrous length…” And the way Fitzgerald makes use of the world “triumphant” makes it seem like it’s a contest. I’m looking at a picture of a 1920 Rolls Royce, and I’m trying to picture a cream colored one with green leather, and I do not like it.
4. Daisy is frustrating to say the least. In the beginning, we see her stay with a man who blatantly has a mistress. But as Anna said, “1920's high society is to blame for this…” I’m not exactly sure if I can find her sympathetic. I almost feel…. angry at her. She had her chance to get out marriage. I almost feel like that letter was from Gatsby, but we do not know at this point. I feel like Daisy married Tom partly for the money, but partly because she is weak and dependent on other people. I feel like she is not worth buying a mansion for.
1) Gatsby’s story seems believable enough, but because of the way Fitzgerald describes his tone and demeanor, I’m hesitant to completely buy it. “He hurried the phrase “educated at Oxford,” or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before.” If Gatsby is lying he isn’t very good at it, showing that he is a good man at heart. “I wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him, after all.” Gatsby has attempted to clear up Nick’s image of Gatsby, but all that he’s done is spark up new curiosities and doubts.
ReplyDelete2) Nick has fantasized and marveled over the mysterious Gatsby for three chapters and genuinely wants to build a relationship with this man. Nick holds willing suspension of disbelief in order to preserve his friendship with Gatsby. The mysteriousness of Gatsby’s story intrigues Nick, and does nothing but spur his hopes at connecting with him.
3) It isn’t a pretty car. Gatsby’s car seems to be unnecessarily luxurious and lacking in style or fashion. “….with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns.” The car has many contraptions that aren’t essential or stylish, but they are there for the simple image of luxury. This car seems like something that Tom would own, with it’s strange and expensive accessories. “Sitting down behind many layers of glass in a sort of green leather conservatory, we started to town.” The car seems bulky and almost awkward as Nick and Gatsby go to lunch.
4) There is clearly more than what meets the eye when talking about Daisy. She seems immature and childish when we meet her in Chapter 1. I am not exactly sure how I feel about her now, but it is clear that she has some appeal to Gatsby that we have not yet seen.
I am very hesitant to believe all of Gatsby's story, only because of his reputation. Since the book started the characters have been making guesses about who Gatsby really is, and if he truly is the magical and wonderful man everyone thinks. So yes even though we are hearing the story first person, due to the amount of rumore circulating it is hard to really believe. However I agree with many of the people above, that the part of him going to Oxford is believable, however still suspect, "He hurried the phrase 'educated at Oxford,' or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bother him before." because he said it so many times, and the tone in which he said it, I am still having trouble fully believing his story. I think what helped this part of the story was the picture, a picture is worth 1000 words. "And with this doubt, his whole statement fell into pieces," I also do not think it helped that Nick was having a hard time believing him, even though Nick idolized this man. The fact that he was hesitant to believe all of Gatsby's stories made me think if I could believe them as well.
ReplyDelete2.I think Nick wants, desperately, to believe Gatsby. This is a man who he looks up to and wants to become one day, if he is built on lies and bull shit then what does Nick have left. If Gatsby isn't Gatsby, and there was no other man that could stand even close to him, how could Nick. If Nick did not believe Gatsby's stories that meant that nick gave up hope for him self. The only way this story would continue was if Nick believed what Gatsby said and believed ful heartdely none-the-less. nick needed to believe him so that he could have a chance at such a fabulous life in the future like Gasby's.
3.The car is Gatsby. it is extravagant, over embellished tacky, but extremely expensive and people envy it. “monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes” People want this car and I think it says a lot about Gatsby, he wants things that no one else can have and that people will covet and be jealous of, just like he is of Tom and Daisy. He wants people to want to be him and want to have what he has, just like Nick does, and just like Gatsby wants Daisy. I think the way he nonchalantly pushes it aside saying, "It's pretty, isn't it" represents how Tom feels about Daisy. yeah she is there, great, nothing special. I think that this car represents Daisy in a way, in that he cannot have daisy, and many people cannot have this car, and he pretends not to care just like Tom does with daisy. I think this does a very good job of representing Tom's relationship with Daisy, and Gatsby's need for a relationship with Daisy.
4. I mena yes I feel bad for her, I think she was too young and that she was taken aback by tom's wealth and what she could possible have. At the same time she did make a choice. She made the choice between money and love, and now she is suffering the consequences. I still again, feel bad for her and believe that at eh age she was very gullible and that it is never a good idea to make such life changing decision when one is so young, but she did and now she has to make do. i truly think she married Tom because fo the money, and because he is manipulative he knows hot to make people fall for him, that is what he has done his whole life. I am sorry she got into this situation, but I think she could have done a better job at helping herself. She got swept off her feet, and did not return to ground till it was too late.
My first tendency, like Nick, is to believe Gatsby, because I want to. However, thinking about it makes me doubt Gatsby. The fact that he tells Nick, “I don’t want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear” and, “I’ll tell you God’s truth” make me suspicious of Gatsby’s honesty because he has not started explaining to Nick about his life yet and is already assuring him that if he has heard anything it’s wrong and he should trust him because he’ll tell him God’s truth. I also find it peculiar that Gatsby’s family is all dead, so there is no way to trace his roots.
ReplyDeleteI think Nick is very persuadable. He tells us he has set morals and standards, but then contradicts his ideals and starts dating Jordan, who is dishonest. He is also completely infatuated with Gatsby, who he tells us is everything he scorns. So I think that Nick simply decides to believe Gatsby, because Gatsby is such a mysterious character that Nick has no other evidence or facts to believe instead, and enjoys “knowing who Gatsby actually is”.
From Nick’s description of the car I get the impression that it’s too extravagant. Sure it has, “hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes,” but at that point it becomes a mobile home rather than a transportation vehicle. Nick seems annoyed by Gatsby’s question, “haven’t you ever seen it before? I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it.” It’s almost as if Nick is wondering what Gatsby is trying to prove or show and to whom, but Nick does not say it, because he lets his curiosities lead him in to be engulfed by Gatsby’s stories.
I feel for Daisy, because she has not been able to let go of her love for Gatsby and has married someone who shortly after their marriage was running around with other women. I think she has lost all hope and of being truly happy and therefore is resorting to her “fool façade.” However, I still find her weak and shallow for surrendering at such a young age and accepting the fact that she is completely dependable on Tom. I do not think it’s worth buying a mansion to be near Daisy, because she has not run away from Tom yet even though she is a sought after pretty girl, and I do not think (with the baby) a mansion will do it. We have to realize that Daisy had lost all faith in Gatsby coming back; she did not look for him, and decided to move on with her life and have a baby. She has a family now.
1. Fitzgerald includes certain details from Nick's perspective so that Gatsby's story doesn't seem totally believable. First, Nick addresses the fact that Gatsby's story sounds like a book of cliches. The most striking line to me was after Gatsby rushes the fact that he went to Oxford. Nick doubts that this is the truth, and says "with this doubt, [Gatsby's] whole statement fell to pieces, and [he] wondered if there wasn't something a little sinister about him, after all." This is the first time we see Nick wondering about what secrets Gatsby could have.
ReplyDelete2. I think this shows Nick's innocence. He can still be won over by Gatsby's smile and reassurance. Nick is happier just believing Gatsby's story than trying to poke holes in it. He wants to continue to be amazed by Gatsby's legend.
3. Nick's description of the car makes it sounds less "pretty" and more bloated with extravagance. He uses phrases like "swollen hear and there in its monstrous length." The car is just as over-the-top as the rest of Gatsby's possessions. During this chapter I started to get the sense that Gatsby consciously wants everyone to notice his possessions, especially Daisy.
4. I also found it surprising that Daisy is only 23. She seems like she has already been through quite a lot with Tom. I feel somewhat sympathetic for Daisy because she has clearly been unhappy for quite a while, but I don't understand why she went through with the marriage in the first place. It sounded like she dated a different man every day and married someone she care for at all when she was younger, so she does not seem deserving of a mansion to me.
1. I believe Gatsby's story. While he might have "hurried the phrase" about going to Oxford, this doesn't mean that he's lying about going there. He later goes on to say that something "very sad" had happened so maybe he didn't enjoy his time at Oxford. Maybe he was bullied, or he got in on a scholarship or something.
ReplyDelete2. Nick believes Gatsby because he wants to believe in Gatsby. He has been fantasizing for so long about him, that now that he knows him, he wants to believe that Gatsby is this amazing person who never lies and actually wants to be Nick's friend. Nick wants to be Gatsby's friend so badly, that he's willing to sacrifice other things to achieve it.
3. I think that Gatsby's car must be very cool, what with its "triumphant hat-boxes" and its "supper boxes" and it's "windshield that mirrors a dozen suns." The way that Nick describes it makes it seem like this rare car, that is unique and cool but also super expensive. Sort of like Gatsby. The car may hugs and "monstrous" but I don't think that's a bad thing.
4. I think that to Gatsby, Daisy IS worth buying a house. Obviously Daisy was the love of Gatsby's life and he still loves her. It seems like Gatsby's never forgotten about her either because a ton of the stuff he does is based upon hoping that Daisy will show up randomly. He even goes so far as to be-friend Nick in order to use him to get to Daisy. Maybe that's not the case, and he actually likes Nick and it was just a coincidence that he knows Daisy, but obviously it seems his ultimate goal is Daisy. Daisy has been through a lot with Tom, and I feel like she deserves better but she may deserve better than Gatsby too.
I don’t buy Gatsby’s life story. He fumbles with his words, trying to make them sound nonchalant but he shows a lot of hesitation while talking to Nick. His “whole statement fell to pieces” when he could not convincingly tell of his education at Oxford and with this one mistake brought Nick’s scrutiny. The fact that he carries around the token from Montenegro and the picture makes it seem as if he is clinging a little bit too hard to something. Though his past may have followed, very loosely, the story that he is telling Nick, I think that most of his story is comprised of elaborations and well thought out lies to make him feel as if he were a part of something important and that he may actually deserve to be where he is now.
ReplyDeleteI think that it tells us that Nick wants Gatsby to be great. He has made him out to be this amazing person and accepting that he isn’t would bring an unwanted sense of disillusionment.
I don’t think that the car is actually pretty. It seems very hulking and I find his description of its “monstrous length” fairly unattractive and I don’t think that the feeling of a “green conservatory” is altogether comfortable. I feel that the significance of this is that everyone has seen it and everyone appreciates it in a sense, but no one really likes it.
I, too, can not entirely grasp that Daisy is only 23. I think that she is childish and she approaches relationships in a very childish and frivolous way. I feel like I don’t hate her although I don’t really know why I feel this way. I think I’m growing to like her more than I had originally but I’m not sure if that’s because I actually like her more of I’m just getting tired of hating her so much. As for buying her a mansion, I think that Gatsby has enough to waste that it isn't particularly hard for him to put himself so close to Daisy. I feel like he still cares about her and in this book where people seem to care so very little for others I think that its really sweet that he does this although it was not particularly a hard task given Gatsby's extreme wealth.
gatsby rocks my socks
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