Basic Setting
- lSet in a 3 month period
- lMain location is Long island, New York State but does occasionally move to Manhattan
- lSet during the Jazz Age in the 1920’s
Chapter 1
Summary
- lNick establishes his reason for recording events.
- lHe establishes setting – East Coast/Summer/1922.
- lHe asserts the qualities he has for recording the story yet contradicts himself.
- lHis style of prose is both lyrical, dense but also efficient.
- lEstablishes his own family background.
- lWe meet some of the main protagonists.
- lHe alludes to Gatsby but we do not meet him directly, thereby maintaining a sense of an enigma. lImportantly, he reveals that he has returned to the West in order to process the events of this summer.
Nick:
Fitzgerald invents this character to write the novel - written as an autobiographical account of events taking place over a 3 month period in the summer of 1922.
Contradicts himself throughout. Is a stockbroker yet admires romantic sensibilities:
“I wanted the world to be in uniform”
“I am inclined to reserve all judgements”
“Reserving judgement is a matter of infinite hope”
lNick's function is as both observer and participant. Be aware of not only what he discloses about others, but also about himself.
The American Dream
"life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth…It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless
of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position [James Truslow Adams,1931, ‘American Dream’].
Daisy
l“turbulent emotions possessed her”
l“breathless thrilling words”
l“face was sad, and lonely”
l“absurd, charming little laugh”
l“low thrilling voice”
Dressed in white! Connotations…
First impressions:
- lInsubstantial, unable to be held onto. She comes across simultaneously as somewhat false but also truthful (“I hope she’ll be a fool”). Daisy’s main flaw is that she is intelligent enough to see how aimless and shallow her entire existence is yet won’t do anything to change. Her growth as a human has literally been halted and she is indeed p-paralysed.
- lAlmost immediately we are made aware that Tom is having an affair, reinforcing a central theme that everything from the outside looks perfect but the real truth is far from perfection.
- l“Our beautiful white girlhood” Daisy’s only redeemable feature is her willingness to scoff and undermine her husband’s racism. Her sarcastic remarks about her ‘beautiful white girlhood’ deliberately mocks his fecklessness and stupidity.
- l“I hope she’ll be a fool…a beautiful.”Her relationship with her daughter seems empty of natural affection and empathy but she has enough intelligence to accept that her life is meaningless and she doesn’t want her daughter to realise that her life will be the same.
- l“I’m p-paralysed with happiness” Seems to be a contradiction. Shows how lifeless she is and has so little energy to show any real feelings.
Tom
- Easily influenced and is driven by fear about losing his wealth and title.
- “Standing with his legs apart” – alpha male, masculine stance.
- “rather hard mouth”
- “cruel body” “The Rise of the Coloured Empire” – Tom’s favourite book. Racist propaganda.
- Intellectually challenged. Doesn’t have the mental capacity to digest information properly.
Jordan
“I’ve been lying on that sofa for as long as I can remember”
Reinforces the lack of motivation and paralysis present in the East Eggers. Almost overwhelmed by their apathy.
Setting Continued
lChapter one introduces the reader to the two main settings: West Egg and East Egg.
lThese settings are very important as they help to establish the characters and also link in with the main themes of the novel.
lThey are also symbolic of different class systems in America (the supposedly classless society).
lChapter one introduces the reader to both West Egg and East Egg and establishes the symbolic significance of both.
lWest Egg represents ‘new money’, ostentatious and mock, whereas East Egg represents ‘old money’, established and genuine.
lOne represents the aspiring class, the other the established, upper middle-class.
Setting and The American Dream
lSnobbery exists because it is a class system within a class system – a reminder that, no matter how well you do in life, there will always be someone ‘above’ sneering at your efforts.
lThis type of class division is particularly interesting in light of The American Dream.
lThis dream relates to the idea of America as the Land of Opportunity, and states that any man (note man), if he is willing to work hard and improve himself, will find the means to do so there.
lOne of the founding principles of the country is a firm belief in reward for hard work, and the idea of the Self Made Man is one which American values is fundamentally based.
lSo the ideas that such ‘winners’ would be seen as second class citizens in East Egg is a reminder – if any were needed - that the American Dream is fundamentally flawed.
Gatsby and The Green Light- Symbolism
lAt the edge of his dock, Gatsby is seen to be holding out his arms and trembling. He is gesturing towards a:
Single green light, minute and far away
•This light and Gatsby’s gesture (trembling) has great symbolic resonance throughout the rest of the novel
- lIt could represent money – green is the colour of money in America and this could be a symbol of “the dream” and achieving wealth.
- lAlternatively, green can represent jealously and envy and this could indeed by applied to Gatsby’s desire to be part of East Egg society and to be just like them, while knowing that he will never be good enough.
- lThe light could also represent Tom and Daisy’s house (we know there is a pier there), and may hint at a connection between the characters. lIt could be seen to symbolise hope, Gatsy's hope. By placing this episode at the end of the chapter, Fitzgerald effectively foreshadows and delays Gatsby's introduction in the novel, adding to his mystery but also adding hinting at character traits and connections.
Audio Notes- Spoiler alert!!!!
Chapter 2
Summary
- Introduced to a third setting – The Valley of Ashes. This shows a darker side to the American dream and demonstrate what happens if you work hard but don’t achieve what you want.
- Meet George and Myrtle Wilson, the only impoverished characters in the novel and they live in the Valley of Ashes.
- Find out that Tom and Myrtle are having an affair and Myrtle has aspirations to leave the ash pit. She sees Tom as her ticket out and does not accept that there is no chance of a permanent relationship between the two.
- Shown the contrasts between Daisy and Myrtle.
- Move to another setting – Manhattan, New York. Tom, Nick, Myrtle and other people throw a small party and we see a darker side to Tom’s character as he punches Myrtle when she insults Daisy.
- The theme of illusion and reality is explored in this chapter, as is the fallacy of the American Dream.
Setting- Valley of Ashes
We are quickly introduced to a further setting in chapter two called the Valley of the Ashes. Lying halfway between the eggs and New York itself, the Valley of Ashes symbolises the ‘edge’ of society.
We are quickly introduced to a further setting in chapter two called the Valley of the Ashes. Lying halfway between the eggs and New York itself, the Valley of Ashes symbolises the ‘edge’ of society.
The Valley of Ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of desolate land created by the dumping of industrial ashes. Represents a kind of purgatory – a place in limbo but also symbolises the shameful underbelly of American capitalism. These men are devoid of colour, working ceaselessly to maintain the status quo of the Tom Buchanans who don’t seem to work at all. It represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The Valley of Ashes also symbolizes the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result.
Ash: has a traditionally negative association with decay/waste/dirt – think of crematoriums, ‘ashes to ashes dust to dust’, cigarette trays. But it has positive connotations too – the phoenix rising from the ashes for example. This can perhaps symbolise the redemptive nature of humanity – the ability of men to pull through circumstances of great hardship and suffering. The ash-grey men at work in this place symbolise the downtrodden working class chained forever to industry and monotony. They move ‘dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air;. Living out a mere half-life, a million miles from the splendour and indulgence of the Buchanans’ environment.
Lack of colour and definition in the landscape:
A line of grey cards crawls along an invisible track… immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight.
This perhaps represents the idea that this section of society is deliberate hidden from view (notice how the train curls away from the Valley, as if it ‘shrinks away’ from having to confront it.) In modern industrial society, the polarisation between the haves and have-nots, between the slaves and the masters, grows ever stronger. By repeating images of greyness, obscuring cloud and blindness, Fitzgerald emphasises the tendency of the privileged to casually ‘overlook’ the reality of hellholes such as these.
The Eyes of Dr T.J. Eckleberg
above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleberg…[his] eyes…are blue and gigantic – their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose…his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping group.
The sign on the hill is ambiguous – Fitzgerald gives no overt explanation of its relevance in the novel – and yet it pervades the consciousness of the reader as we pass through the Valley of Ashes into the life of the Wilsons.
- The colour blue can have many different connotations-open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, depth, trust, loyalty, wisdom and fantasy or dreams. Here the blue eyes could represent fantasy. The ‘blue’ eyes, however, cannot see without the spectacles- perhaps cannot see the fallacy of their dreams, or a hint that the fantasy will never become a reality. The yellow- represents fake gold- the illusion of wealth- consumerism.
- Reminds us – by its sheer size and the incongruity of its surroundings – of the importance and influence of advertising in modern culture. These eyes have no natural place on the hillside, and yet they dominate the landscape, being its most prominent feature. A constant reminder of money and the money that can be spent advertising industry.
- Fitzgerald has deliberately chosen an advert for optometry in order to point out the modern man’s inability to see the corruption of our society and environment. This lack of vision applies to all of the characters in the book, as each fail to ‘see’ in various ways
- The billboard shows how consumerism and materialism has taken the place of traditional spiritual values.
- Emphasises just how little these people are ‘seen’. The eyes are the one thing watching over them, but even they are ‘dimmed’, neglected, uncared for.
- The eyes can be seen as a symbol of God for the people of the valleys- a spiritual leader giving the hope of vision, hope of wealth, of help- a hope that is decaying- dimming but ever present.
Characterisation: Myrtle and George Wilson
The only impoverished characters in the novel live in the Valley of the Ashes. Notably their home is made of yellow brick. Again the symbolism of colour is both complex and revealing.
Just like the yellow brick road in L Frank Baum's 1900 classic The Wizard of Oz, the façade of the Wilsons’ home is a symbol of false promise in the midst of despair. We know Myrtle has aspirations beyond the ash heap – despite the impossibility of any permanent match between them, she sees Tom Buchanan has her ticket to a lifelong party; by contrast, George is one of the ash-grey men, and his only source of joy is, ironically, the wife who is cheating on him:
A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in his vicinity – except his wife, who moved close to Tom.
A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in his vicinity – except his wife, who moved close to Tom.
Myrtle
Myrtle represents the idea of escape in the novel, but like other characters, her dream is false and filled with illusion. Both she and her ghost-like husband are locked to the Valley of the Ashes by the very nature of their impoverishment. Thus, the yellowness of their home could also suggest decay and atrophy.
She initially displays a robust sexuality and the reader can see why Tom is attracted to her – she is the opposite from the pure, delicate and insubstantial Daisy:
“carried her flesh sensually”
“continually smouldering” “wet her lips”
“soft, course voice”
On the way to New York
the descriptions become less flattering:
“rather wide hips” “bought cold cream, perfume”
“I want one of those dogs” – Becomes a consumer, materialistic- ironic as she is the one being bought.
“rather wide hips” “bought cold cream, perfume”
“I want one of those dogs” – Becomes a consumer, materialistic- ironic as she is the one being bought.
“her personality has also undergone a change”
“intense vitality…converted… hauteur”
“violently affected” “high mincing shout”
Myrtle’s transformation emphasises her desire to be accepted into Tom’s world. She believes in illusion and in looking the part, yet this existence is a façade. The irony is that as she metamorphoses into her interpretation of an East Egger she becomes more grotesque – until eventually she is little more than a ridiculous parody of herself.
Myrtle Vs Daisy
We are presented with a great contrast between Daisy and Myrtle. Whereas Daisy is presented as faintly ephemeral. Dressed in pale pastels with her ‘low, thrilling voice’, Myrtle is charged with sensual and verbal energy. When she comes down the stairs, Nick notes her ‘immediate perceptible vitality… as if her nerves were continually smouldering’.
Unlike Daisy, she wears bold, saturated colours to reveal her hot-blooded temperament and her robust femininity. She is straight forward, commanding and overtly sexual, licking her lips at Tom as she approaches him. It is only when she changed her dress that her character alters as Nick observes through a drunken surreal haze.
Both myrtle and daisies are common flowers but daisies are seen to be the more beautiful . However, the myrtle flower is commonly associated with love and feminity and is very aromatic, whereas daisies have no specific meaning or smell.
Mrs Wilson … was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream coloured chiffon … with the influence of the dress, her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality … was covered into impressive hauteur. Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions become more violently affected… and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her, until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air.
The change of dress is symbolic of the nature of falsity and pretence that pervades the whole novel. Her movement from her real self (represented by the full-blooded blue of her previous dress) to her ‘desired’ self (seen in the pastel cream of a dress which might be worn by Daisy) is indicative of her inability to face the truth about her life. She is pretending to be the one person in the world who she cannot hope to emulate – her lover's wife.
Theme: Illusion and Reality
The idea of falseness rings throughout this chapter. In pairs, find as many examples of you can of this falseness and explain what they tell you about the characters and Fitzgerald’s overall impression of this type of society:
- Lie told by Myrtle about the reason Tom cannot divorce Daisy
- The abundance of alcohol serves as a reminder of the characters need to fill their leisure time with artificial stimulants.
- Myrtle’s discussion of her own marriage reveals her own superficiality: the fact that she was appalled by George borrowing a suit for the ceremony really only tells us that she is the one who cannot see beyond surface reality.
- Her husband ‘dumbly’ adores her, but his status in society is the only thing that matters in her materialististic, greedy world.
Dual Setting
Manhattan = loud, garish, abundant, glittering.
Simultaneously fascinating and repulsive. Fast paced and dazzling but lacking in morals. The change in setting is mirrored by a change in behaviour. Even Nick is less offended by the affair and lets himself get drunk- caught up in the setting!
Chapter 3
Summary:
- A large party is staged at Gatsby’s mansion and Nick describes his opulent and ostentatious lifestyle.
- Nick meets Jordan Baker there and notes that lurid speculation concerning Gatsby’s past is rife and finally meets the man himself.
- The evening ends with a car accident outside the house.
‘… men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars…”
The moth image symbolises the guests moving towards Gatsby’s ‘light’. Although the imagery here seems delicately positive and romantic (whisperings, champagne and stars), Fitzgerald urges us in this chapter to peer beneath the false veneer of the ‘blue gardens’, the guests are ultimately shown to be buzzing flies drawn to the detritus of Gatsby’s backyard:
'People were not invited – they went there… and after that they conducted themselves according to the rules of behaviour associated with an amusement park.'
This is symptomatic of the artificial ‘rush’ required by these people in order for them to enjoy life: like those waiting in line at a roller coaster, they breathlessly anticipate the ‘game’ of social interaction and its attendant levels of hilarity and hysteria. They trash Gatsby’s backyard, endlessly consuming and regurgitating food, drink and opportunities for mindless and empty conversation.
Symbolism of yellow:
We have already seen a connection between yellow and false hope and/or dreams of wealth (the Wilsons’ yellow brick house) and decay (the faded yellow of Dr. TJ Eckleberg’s gigantic eyes).
Remember that yellow has connotations of decay as well as brightness and an imitation of gold.
The symbolism extends to Gatsby’s station wagon ‘scampering like a brisk yellow bug’ to meet his various guests from their trains; to the ‘yellow cocktail music’ which plays as the earth, significantly, ‘lurches away from the sun’; to Jordan Baker’s ‘golden arm’ and to the twins in yellow dresses who indulge in drunken behaviour and gossip fiercely about their host.
Each of these props in the scene, on some level, are false: Gatsby’s car fetches guests who don’t care for him; the yellow music is brassy- not classy, and eventually reaches a hysterical pitch; Jordan’s arm is symbolic of her golden allure and her class and status compared to most of the guests( although this hides her deceit and spiritual vacuity); the twins are the visual epitome of the careless excess displayed by the partygoers at large.
Symbolism- waste:
Since Gatsby is interested in presenting pure theatre for his guests, no expense is spared. Nick details the trails of food, drink and décor processed on the weekends of these parties, subtly documenting the wastefulness on show:
'Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruitier in New York – every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves.'
The process of consumerism – and its corrupting effect - is clearly shown here. The crowd at the party is again portrayed as a relentless machine which devour everything. The piles of fruit peel therefore come to represent more than mere rubbish heaps – they stand for waste and greed.
Symbolism- the car.
The automobile was a fairy recent invention and therefore a rare commodity in 1922, but it features very strongly both as an aspect of the narrative and as a symbol throughout the novel.
The car that is crashed by a drunk driver at the end of the chapter symbolises the potentially destructive effects of industrialisation and mass consumerism. The invention of the car has progressively caused a road safety hazard in the twentieth century that was effectively non-existent in previous time. Fitzgerald is asking whether the price we pay for these dangerous commodities of convenience is too high.
The car is again shown as a metaphor for the carelessness and selfishness of the Eggs, set at the end of the chapter during a conversation between Nick and Jordan. It reveals the selfishness of the upper classes who don't feel the normal codes of conduct apply to them.
Characterisation- Gatsby
The reader is finally introduced to Gatsby in this chapter and this delay reinforces his mysterious and enigmatic qualities. Even when he first appears, Gatsby is unassuming and detached from the party which is in stark contrast to the behaviour of his partygoers.
Gatsby's entrance:
An important authorial technique in heightening climax is delay. Fitzgerald delays Nick’s meeting with Gatsby until this chapter, although our interest is aroused when Nick first sees him, especially when his behaviour is so odd. These points all contribute to the climax of the eventual meeting.
Instead of making some ceremonial entrance, Gatsby stumbles to Nick’s attention almost by accident. This is key to understanding Gatsby’s relationship with his guests – they do not now what he looks like, and he is easily overlooked.
The language used by Nick is very complimentary and warm which is bound to have an effect on us, the reader, so we begin to like him just as Nick does.
Gatsby's smile:
His smile proves immediately enigmatic, and seems to symbolise the man himself:
'It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it … it faced - or seemed to face – the whole eternal world for an instant … it understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would to believe in yourself and reassured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey. Precisely at that point it vanished. '
This smile reflects Gatsby’s passion for hope. It follows a path toward something full of promise, then it… just… stops… We are therefore given some very early clues about Gatsby's association with the conflict between fantasy and reality. We don’t know yet how much of him is real. He certainly keeps apart from the other guests – and this proves to be a point in his favour, from what we have learned in the first 3 chapters – he doesn't drink, he is excessively kind and makes a clear attempt to befriend Nick, who we can clearly establish as being a reliable and ‘solid’ character.
But something just doesn’t ring true. Why is he doing this for the parasitic guests? Why does he waste money on these orgies of self indulgence? Why does he use affections such as ‘old sport’ in his speech? Why does his smile promise so much yet deliver so little?
Rumours:
The mysterious and elusiveness of Gatsby is heightened by the ridiculous rumour mill surrounding him.
‘I don’t think it’s so much of that,’ argued Lucille sceptically; ‘it’s more that he was a German spy during the war.’
‘You look at him sometimes when he thinks nobody’s looking at him. I’ll bet he killed a man.’
Gatby's parties:
During the parties, Gatsby removes himself from the action. His sobriety and detachment is in stark contrast to his guests.
This party introduces him as the showman with the Vaudeville moniker ‘The Great Gatsby’ which alludes to the tremendous attention to detail he has.
They are overtly lavish which symbolises the materialism and conspicuous consumption prevalent at this time.
Themes:
lIllusion vs. Reality
Gatsby looks like he belongs to the elite but in reality his attempts are gauche and unconvincing to anyone who pays attention. Gatsby’s social naivety is emphasised throughout the novel.
lIllusion vs. Reality
Gatsby looks like he belongs to the elite but in reality his attempts are gauche and unconvincing to anyone who pays attention. Gatsby’s social naivety is emphasised throughout the novel.
Old World vs. new World
While Gatsby belongs to West Egg – he goes to enormous lengths to show his alliance with the old world: house modelled on French Hotel de Ville; car is a Rolls Royce which is typically old world; library is old world/European Gothic style and he often says ‘Old Sport’ which is a typical anglophile phrase. He is trying to create the illusion that he is ‘old world’
Characterisation: Jordan Baker
Gatsby reveals “the most amazing thing” to her – again reinforces his mystery. Why is he confiding in Jordan?
“She was incurably dishonest” – also linked to the theme of illusion vs. reality as we expect sportspeople to behave with integrity and honesty. Is there a contradiction here?
“for a moment I thought I loved her” – emphasises the fleeting and insubstantial nature of ‘love’ in this era. These feelings cannot always be relied upon – instability of the era.
Jordan asserts that she does not need to take care when driving because other people will take care on her behalf. When asked by Nick what she will do if another bad driver were to encounter her on the road, she says: ‘I hope I never will. I hate careless people. That’s why I like you’.
The irony of this is not lost on the reader or Nick, who reflects at the end of the chapter that he is ‘one of the few honest people I have ever known’.
Chapter 4
Summary:
The irony of this is not lost on the reader or Nick, who reflects at the end of the chapter that he is ‘one of the few honest people I have ever known’.
Chapter 4
Summary:
- Gatsby visits Nick’s house for the first time, and talks of his wartime experience.
- They travel into the city, where Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfsheim.
- Later, Jordan tells Nick about Daisy’s past, her brief love affair with Gatsby, and her subsequent marriage to Tom.
Nick refers to an ‘old timetable’ containing a list he made in the summer of 1922 of the visitors to Gatsby’s back yard, those who ‘paid him subtle tribute of knowing nothing whatever about him’.
He lists characters whose names bear allusions to animals of various descriptions.
Each of these animals carry negative associations, and are shown to belong to the power-hungry, parasitical jungle Nick had already outlined in chapter 3.
Their names symbolise the type of people that they are.
Some of the animals are horned and masculine in nature – the Hornbeams, Blackbucks (note reference to ‘dirty money’), Hammerheads and Cecil Roebuck.- showing aggression etc.
Some are animals characterised by their wily, industrious natures – the Leeches, ‘Rot-gut’ Ferret and Edgar Beaver- showing greed and corruption.
Another distinct group are characterised by their association to fish and pungent smells – the Fishguards, Ripley Snells, Mrs Ulysses Swett, S.B. Whitebait- again ‘fishy’- corrupt.
Faustina O’Brien also reminds us of the legend of Faust, the character who sold himself to the devil.
All of these characters, with their weirdly negative word associations are shown, by their lack of interest in the real Gatsby, to have ‘sold out’ to the world of glamour and wealth.
We have already discussed the symbolism related to cars in chapter 3 but chapter 4 focuses more precisely on Gatsby’s.
A potent symbol throughout the entire novel, the car is shown to be both an indicator of status and a harbinger of doom.
Gatsby’s car is described as being ‘swollen here and there in its monstrous length’ and like a ‘green leather conservatory’. Gatsby’s car, then, is more like a home in its proportions, being ‘terraced with a labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns.’ The ‘green’ of the leather symbolises wealth in its connection to the ‘green’ dollar, but it also subtly associated with the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. We are reminded throughout the entire novel that the entire show – the car, the house, the parties and the possessions – all exist in order to recapture her.
Characterisation- Gatsby:
Gatsby’s possessions do not make him happy. He seems to get no intrinsic pleasure from the collected artefacts around him and seems self-consciously aware of the pretence upon which he has built his public persona. As such he ‘chokes’ on his lie to Nick that he was educated at Oxford and seems burdened by an intense energy: ‘he was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand’. He seems to be aware that he could be exposed at any time – unlike the complacent Tom, who revels luxuriously in the splendour of his castle, Gatsby seems never to be at rest with himself.
Meyer Wolfsheim:
Critics have poured scorn on Fitzgerald’s open caricature of Wolfsheim, who seems to embody a very stereotypical Jewish man. In reality, though, it is worth remembering that Fitzgerald portrays white Anglo-Saxon Protestants with equal distaste and that he doesn't single out the Jewish community for any specific reason.
- ‘Gatsby’s very careful about women. He would never so much as look at a friend’s wife.’- How far is this statement ironic?
- Reveals the sinister/illegal side of Gatsby. Why is he friends with such a man? What does this tell us about Gatsby?
- Particularly distasteful character who has a shallow way of conducting two conversations at once:
Yeah, Gatsby’s very careful…’
- ‘Oggsford’- Does Wolfsheim believe Gatsby went to Oxford or is he simply spinning lies on Gatsby’s behalf.
Gatsby reveals that Meyer Wolfshiem is the person who fixed the World Series in 1919. This therefore connects him to characters like Jordan Baker who openly cheat in order to gain privilege. His preoccupation with Gatsby’s ‘Oggsford’ education is another indicator of the premium given to Anglican values among the wealthy classes.
Wolfsheim is shown to represent the cut-throat impersonal world of big business, where the players eat each other alive. Nick is understandably disconcerted by him and his connection to Gatsby makes us question Gatsby’s ethics.
Wolfsheim is shown to represent the cut-throat impersonal world of big business, where the players eat each other alive. Nick is understandably disconcerted by him and his connection to Gatsby makes us question Gatsby’s ethics.
Nick’s perceptions of Meyer Wolfsheim are markedly different from the views held by Gatsby. In the narrative, Wolfsheim’s reconstruction of the death of Rosy Rosenthal follows Gatsby’s account of his own history and precedes Jordan's recollection of her encounter with Daisy and the handsome young lieutenant. The placing of Nick’s narrative of Wolfsheim’s tale of violence among gangsters inevitably causes sinister overtones to reverberate into the framing glimpses of Gatsby's past.
Gatsby is presented as a heroic soldier, innocent lover and criminal in this chapter. Is he all three? What do we believe?
Gatsby is presented as a heroic soldier, innocent lover and criminal in this chapter. Is he all three? What do we believe?
Characterisation- Daisy
She is shown to get over this disappointment quickly by becoming engaged to Tom Buchanan the next February, Jordan, her bridesmaid, tells of how she discovered Daisy drunk on her bed on the day of her wedding breakfast, clutching a letter in her hand (from Gatsby) and crying uncontrollably. Significantly, she attempts to toss away the £350,000 pearl necklace Tom had given her as an engagement present and says she has ‘changed her mind’. This fickle tendency to change her mind will become even more significant…
The letter and the pearl necklace are important symbols of stability and status at this crisis point in Daisy’s life. As Gatsby’s letter comes apart in hands ‘like snow’, her decision seems to have been made for her. Gatsby’s love is perceived as transient and unstable- like the letter, whereas Tom’s version of ‘love’ represents rock solid permanence, by virtue of its immutable wealth.
'She didn’t say another word. We gave her spirits of ammonia and put ice on her forehead and hooked her back into her dress, and half an hour later, when we walked out of the room, the pearls were
around her neck and the incident was over.'
Daisy, through choice, has become an emblem of Tom’s old money. She abandons her romantic urges, casts off her emotional coat and embarks on a marriage which will offer stability of status. Note the effort of the others to ‘ice’ her into submission, cooling her truer passion for the man she loved, and the way they ‘hook’ her into her dress. For she has, indeed, become a piece of meat in this transaction. This is borne out in Jordan’s recollection of how Tom began cheating on her almost immediately after the wedding was over, as well as his love of alcohol.
Jordan then informs Nick that Gatsby's ‘favour’ is to ask him to invite Daisy round to his house for tea, in an attempt to rekindle an affair that had been extinguished by ice and snow years earlier.
For notes/power-points on Chapters 5,6,7,8 and 9 please go to:
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