"...Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life..." (Fitzgerald 2).

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Works Cited


Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Guay, Mark W. "How Millennials Are Redefining the American Dream." The Huffington Post.                       TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Apr. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.

Pictures:
  • Diction: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/2f/aa/fd/2faafdc2b28e3256596a8a6c7f4d6bf7.jpg
  • Syntax: http://metroscenes.com/cities/new-york-city-january-2013/
  • Quotation Analysis: http://www.thegloss.com/2013/05/08/culture/baz-luhrmanns-jay-gatsby-is-really-a-jerk/
  • Characterization: https://www.pinterest.com/msmielnichuk/rehal-tom-buchanan/
  • Conflict: http://simonmaryan.com/2014/04/02/internal-conflict-between-minds/
  • Figurative Language: http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2012/mar/30/quiz-general-knowledge-guardian
  • Author's Style: http://d15irhca3igrs6.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/daisy.jpg
  • Connection Article: http://www.dingtwist.com/american-dream/
  • Theme: http://fitzgeraldandfashion.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Baz-Luhrmann-The-Great-Gatsby-Green-Light.jpg

Author's Style



In his classic novel, The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald implements the use of motifs and symbolism to develop the story line and strengthen his style of writing.

A correlation between weather and emotional tone of the story is a reoccurring motif throughout the novel. The day of Gatsby and Daisy's reunion is rainy, representative of the awkward and disappointing moment which did not live up to expectations. But once their love is rekindled, the sun begins to shine. Fitzgerald writes, "But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room [...] 'Its stopped raining.' [...] When he realized what I was talking about, that there were twinkle-bells of sunshine in the room, he smiled like a weather man, like an ecstatic patron of recurrent light[...]" (89). The sunshine represents their rediscovered love, bringing Gatsby out of his five years of gloom. On the day that was "broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest, of the summer," (Fitzgerald 114), Gatsby and Tom erupt into a climatic confrontation over their relationships with Daisy. Finally, on the day of Gatsby's funeral, Fitzgerald narrates, "About five o'clock our procession of three cars reached the cemetery and stopped in a thick drizzle beside the gate--first a motor hearse, horribly black and wet, then Mr. Gatz and the minister and I in the limousine, and a little later four or five servants and the postman from West Egg, in Gatsby's station wagon, all wet to the skin. [...] I heard a car stop and then the sound of some one splashing after us over the soggy ground. [...] Dimly I heard some one murmur 'Blessed are the dead that the rain falls on,'" (174-175). The dark, rainy weather of the funeral sets the depressed, somber mood of the event. The rain is representative of Gatsby's mortal death, but also the death of his ultimate dream.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald also applies the use of symbolism heavily to add depth to what may have originally been a shallow story line, and connect it to the overlying themes. One strong use of symbolism was the comparison between Daisy's voice and wealth, glamour, and social status. When he first meets with his cousin, Nick claimed,"It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again. Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered "Listen," a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour" (9). Daisy's voice is melodic and captivating. It pulls the listener in and makes them want to hear everything she has to say. Later during a lunch party, Nick narrates, "'She's got an indiscreet voice,' I remarked. 'It's full of--' I hesitated. 'Her voice is full of money,' [Gatsby] said suddenly. That was it. I'd never understood before. It was full of money--that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song if it... High in a white palace the kind's daughter, the golden girl..." (Fitzgerald 120). Daisy's voice is symbolic of the wealth and prestige that is so important to the people of the East Egg, and the very desire of Gatsby.


Theme

The overall theme of The Great Gatsby can by tied to the mysterious "green light" at the end of Daisy's dock. In the beginning of the novel, Fitzgerald dictates, "But I didn't call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone--he stretched our his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a single green light [...]" (21). This far-off green light sits in the water between Gatsby's estate on the West Egg and Daisy's home on the shore of the East Egg. It represents Gatsby's unreachable goal of belonging to Daisy's world of old money and prestige. At the very end of the novel, Fitzgerald comes back to this green light, claiming, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recede before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And one fine morning-- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (180). The green light represents an unattainable goal that people strive for. No matter how much one will "run faster" or "stretch out farther", they will never be able to reach this dream because they are held back by their past. Humans are like boats, endlessly pushing forward to this end goal, but yet they will ultimately be held back by the "current", which is representative of the past. In order to move forward, individuals must accept their past mistakes and grow with them, rather than attempt to hide and avoid them.

Figurative Language

Fitzgerald utilizes visual imagery often in his novel to add a vivid and descriptive depth to the story of Gatsby. One of the most poignant uses of imagery was at the end of chapter eight when Fitzgerald narrates, "There was a faint, barely perceptible movement of the water as the fresh flow from one end urged its way toward the drain at the other. With little ripples that were hardly the shadows of waves, the laden mattress moved irregularly down the pool. A small gust of wind that scarcely corrugated the surface was enough to disturb its accidental burden. The touch of a cluster of leaves revolved it slowly, tracing, like the leg of transit, a thin red circle in the water" (162). In this passage Fitzgerald never explicitly says that Gatsby was shot, but through this graphic visual imagery, readers slowly come to the horrific realization that he has been killed. The mattress moving irregularly down the water, and the wind disturbing the "accidental burden" make readers feel an uncertain and uneasy feeling. The "thin red circle in the water" create a sudden, dreadful realization in readers that Gatsby has been murdered, and it was his lifeless body which was floating in the still pool.

Connection Article

In this article published by the Huffington Post, author Mark W. Guay goes into detail about how this idea of the "American Dream" has changed for each generation. The great-grandparents of the new generation came to America to flee from the injustices of their home nations, hoping to find employment and a safe place to raise their families. They considered America the "land of golden bricks" (Guay). The next generation, after World War 2, dreamed of having a perfect family and a home "with a white picket fence" (Guay). But now with increasing student-loan debt and a housing market crash, millennials are having to recreate a new American Dream. This generation has less of a desire for materialistic items like homes and money, and a stronger craving for a life with purpose. Millennial's American Dream is to impact their world and have a positive change on the future.

Gatsby lived his entire life chasing his idea of this American Dream. By filling his life with materialistic riches and ostentatious parties, Gatsby hopes to build up his reputation and be worthy of his dream girl, Daisy. Daisy is viewed as the "Golden Girl". Winning her heart and being worthy of her love is Gatsby's ultimate goal, and he believes that be must achieve this goal before he is truly successful. His love for Daisy is very shallow and superficial, more for the title of it, rather than the meaning behind it.

The millennials have a dream for their lives that is much different than Gatsby's. Their idea of success is leading a life full of purpose and achievement, rather than working to fill their lives with wealth and lusting over material items.

Article: (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-w-guay/how-millennials-are-redef_1_b_7092990.html)


Conflict

In Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby faces many sources of conflict, both internal and external. One of the largest and most influential was Gatsby's conflict with his past. Although he was raised by poor and simple parents, Jimmy Gatz always desired to live a grander lifestyle. But instead of accepting his past and using it to grow forward, Gatsby attempts to conceal his past and create an entirely new persona for himself. Hiding behind lies and false stories, Gatsby tries to build himself up and reach his goal of belonging to the same class as his lover Daisy. He often found himself falling back into old habits and speech patterns, such as calling Nick "old sport". Because this identity was built on lies instead of the truth, it was very fragile, and Gatsby often feared one of his lies would fall through. One day while driving with Nick, Gatsby divulges, "'I'll tell you God's truth." His right hand suddenly ordered divine retribution to stand by [...] He looked at me sideways--and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying. He hurried the phrase "educated at Oxford," or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it 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" (Fitzgerald 65). Gatsby faced a man vs. self conflict, attempting to hide his past and pretend to be someone who he truly wasn't.

Characterization

Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald uses direct presentation of the character Tom Buchanan to describe openly who he is as a person. Fitzgerald characterizes Tom as, "a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward [...] you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage--a cruel body" (7). Tom is a very flat character. He is always distinguished by his brute strength, intolerant racism, and his need to be in control.
    Whenever Tom interacts with another character, his large arms are mentioned such as when he is showing Nick around the estate and turns him around with one arm. He often uses his barbaric strength to force others to obey him. During the dinner party in the city, Tom becomes furious with his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, for mentioning his wife, although he had just recently been mocking Mr. Wilson. When Myrtle refuses to stop saying Daisy's name, Nick narrates, "making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand" (Fitzgerald 37). Tom was not below using physical violence to make sure other people respected his authority.
     During Nick's first visit to the Buchanan home, Tom goes off on a rant about a novel titled The Rise of the Colored Empires, and then goes on to say, "It's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things [...] This idea is that we are Nordics. I am, and you are, and you are, [...] and we've produced all these things that go to make civilization--oh, science and art, and all that. Do you see?" (Fitzgerald 13). Tom is very obviously a racist and who believes his race to be superior to all others.
     Throughout the novel, Tom proves that he wants to be in control of every situation. One hot day during a trip into the city, Tom learns that not only is his wife having an affair with Gatsby, but his mistress and her husband are planning to move away across the country. Tom suddenly realizes that these two women who he had once believed were completely under his control, had their own lives and would make their own decisions. This infuriates Tom, and he immediately begins to lash out at Gatsby, trying to make the other man look bad in order to destroy the relationship and gain Daisy's favor.
     Tom proves to be a static character, or almost exactly the same at the end of the story as he had been at the beginning. One late afternoon in October, Nick runs into Tom again and they speak about what had happened to Gatsby. Nick claims, "I couldn't forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people [...] I shook hands with him; it seemed silly not to, for I felt suddenly as though I were talking to a child. Then he went into the jewelry store to buy a pearl necklace--or perhaps only a pair of cuff buttons--rid of my provincial squeamishness forever" (Fitzgerald 179). It is apparent that even though Tom's actions had caused three people to lose their lives, he felt very little remorse or guilt. The author leaves the reasoning behind why Tom is going into the jewelry store open-ended, allowing for readers to assume that he is buying these superficial gifts for either his mistress or Daisy, implying that his morals have not changed from the events that just recently transpired. Tom still places greater value in materialistic items, rather than the people in his life.


Quotation Analysis

     "He snatched the book from me and replaced it hastily on its shelf, muttering that if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse" (Fitzgerald 46).

     In this quotation, Fitzgerald uses foreshadowing to allude to the extravagant image Gatsby has built up for himself, and ultimately, its demise. Gatsby had created this persona for himself, building it upon lies and false stories while running from his true past. If one "brick" or lie falls through, then the whole masquerade would come tumbling down. Later on in the story, this is exactly what happens. By hiring people to investigate Gatsby, Tom exposes him as a bootlegger. This causes Daisy to end her relationship with Gatsby, ending the chances of Gatsby fulfilling his dream and ultimately leading to his murder.

     "He smiled understandingly--much more than understandingly. It was on of those rare smiles with a quality of external reassurance in it, [...] It faced [...] the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood., believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey" (Fitzgerald 48).

    In this passage, Fitzgerald uses the quality of Gatsby's smile to characterize his personality as a whole. The emphasis on the word "you", implies that when Gatsby placed his attention solely on one person, they felt as if they were the center of the world. His smile had a quality about it that made people feel very important. Through words such as "rare", "irresistible" ad "assured", Fitzgerald characterizes Gatsby as very charismatic and charming. Gatsby's smile also divulges a quality about himself he hopes to convey. Fitzgerald states that his smile, "...assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey" (Fitzgerald 48). Throughout his entire adult life, Gatsby had attempted to create this facade of wealth and sophistication. Just as his smile assured others that he thought of them exactly how they wanted to be thought of, Gatsby hoped to be seen by others as how he was trying to present himself.


Monday, April 20, 2015

Syntax

     "Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life" (Fitzgerald 35).

     Fitzgerald utilizes juxtaposition syntax to contrast the feeling of both belonging to and being excluded from the society of Nick's peers. Nick was up high over the city, taking part in the lavish parties and lifestyles of Daisy and Tom. Butt he was also "looking up" at them from the street because he didn't truly feel as if he belonged in that world. Phrases such as "within and without" and "enchanted and repelled" emphasize this contrast.

Diction


     "...A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in a one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frost wedding-cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wing does on the sea.
     The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house... There was a boom...and the caught wind died out about the room, and the curtains and the rugs and the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor." (Fitzgerald 8).

     In this passage, Fitzgerald uses ornate and fanciful diction to illustrate the extravagance and lavishness of the lifestyles of the East Egg. Words such as "wedding-cake", "wine-colored", and "enormous" all serve to create this image of a regal, mystical society in which Daisy, Tom and Jordan live. The words "rippling", "fluttering", and "ballooned" all express this carefree mentality the people of East Egg possessed, feeling no sense of responsibility to liability to their actions and mistakes.