"'Look here, old sport, you've got to get somebody for me. You've got to try hard. I can't go through this alone." - Nick's idea of what Gatsby might have been thinking about his death, page 165.
What I believe to be the saddest part of this whole novel is the fact that absolutely no one came to Gatsby's funeral. Even though during his life he upheld the impression that he had lots of friends because he threw parties all the time, no one seemed to feel that they should go to his funeral. The only people that showed up were Nick, Gatsby's father, and the owl-eyed man. This reinforces my idea that Gatsby can be considered a protagonist of the story. People all around him gave him the impression that they wished to be his friend. Even the people he did business with did not take the time out of their days to attend the funeral. Basically, people only used him and his house. Everyone seemed to want to be involved in his life for the sole fact that he was rich and could throw them great parties. Daisy is a prime example. She only wanted to be with him because he was rich. Once he died, the so called love she had for Gatsby was gone and she seemed to just totally forget about everything they had. She continued on with her life with no consideration to the man that just died.
Monday, April 30, 2012
The Great Gatsby - Why I really dislike Tom
"'What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy's, but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle like you'd run over a dog and never even stopped his car.'" - Tom Buchanon, page 178.
From the very beginning of the story, I never really liked Tom Buchanon. The second half of this novel only re-enforced my feelings and pushed me into disliking him even more. First of all, I think it's incredibly hypocritical for Tom to have had an affair with Myrtle and then become very jealous when he realized Daisy and Gatsby might be having an affair. All of a sudden it was very wrong for anyone to ever have an affair. To go along with this, even when it was all over, Tom still showed that he had feelings for Myrtle. He blamed Gatsby for her death and kept saying how he didn't even stop when he hit her. Little does he know, it was actually his own wife who killed Myrtle. He had no sympathy for the fact that he was basically the reason for why Gatsby died.
From the very beginning of the story, I never really liked Tom Buchanon. The second half of this novel only re-enforced my feelings and pushed me into disliking him even more. First of all, I think it's incredibly hypocritical for Tom to have had an affair with Myrtle and then become very jealous when he realized Daisy and Gatsby might be having an affair. All of a sudden it was very wrong for anyone to ever have an affair. To go along with this, even when it was all over, Tom still showed that he had feelings for Myrtle. He blamed Gatsby for her death and kept saying how he didn't even stop when he hit her. Little does he know, it was actually his own wife who killed Myrtle. He had no sympathy for the fact that he was basically the reason for why Gatsby died.
The Great Gatsby - Protagonist(s)
"A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about...like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees." - Nick Carraway, page 161.
"When I had finished she told me without comment that she was engaged to another man. I doubted that, though there were several she could have married at a nod of her head, but I pretended to be surprised." - Nick Carraway, page 177.
Is it possible for a story to have two protagonists? I believe that this story does in fact have two protagonists. It is hard to distinguish between Nick and Jay who the true protagonist is. Therefore, I believe they both hold the position. For obvious reasons, Gatsby could be considered the protagonist. He loved Daisy and she didn't ever show the same love for him back. Then, he was wrongfully blamed for killing Myrtle. This resulted in him being murdered by Myrtle's husband. That sounds like a lot of forces negatively acting against Jay Gatsby if you ask me. On the other hand, Nick could also be considered the protagonist. He never really fit in with the lifestyle of New York City. This would be one of the main reasons he went back to Minnesota. Also, it seems as though Nick never really had any true friends. Finally, he became really close to Gatsby only to lose him as the result of a murder. Another reason he could be considered the protagonist is because of how Jordan treated him after everything went down. They used to really like each other. Then Jordan went off and got engaged to someone else, or at least pretended to get engaged to someone else.
"When I had finished she told me without comment that she was engaged to another man. I doubted that, though there were several she could have married at a nod of her head, but I pretended to be surprised." - Nick Carraway, page 177.
Is it possible for a story to have two protagonists? I believe that this story does in fact have two protagonists. It is hard to distinguish between Nick and Jay who the true protagonist is. Therefore, I believe they both hold the position. For obvious reasons, Gatsby could be considered the protagonist. He loved Daisy and she didn't ever show the same love for him back. Then, he was wrongfully blamed for killing Myrtle. This resulted in him being murdered by Myrtle's husband. That sounds like a lot of forces negatively acting against Jay Gatsby if you ask me. On the other hand, Nick could also be considered the protagonist. He never really fit in with the lifestyle of New York City. This would be one of the main reasons he went back to Minnesota. Also, it seems as though Nick never really had any true friends. Finally, he became really close to Gatsby only to lose him as the result of a murder. Another reason he could be considered the protagonist is because of how Jordan treated him after everything went down. They used to really like each other. Then Jordan went off and got engaged to someone else, or at least pretended to get engaged to someone else.
The Great Gatsby - Resolution
"After Gatsby's death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes' power of correction. So when the blue smoke of brittle leaves was in the air and the wind blew the wet laundry stiff on the line I decided to come back home." - Nick Carraway, page 176.
As sad as it may be, Jay Gatsby's death can be considered the resolution of the story. Every little conflict that was happening suddenly seemed to come to an end. For example, the conflict between Tom and Daisy Buchanon's marriage seemed to end. Gatsby's death came in the wake of Myrtle's death. Both of these people are what caused Tom and Daisy to be unfaithful. With these two people dead, the couple is free to be faithful and loving to each other once again. Another conflict that wasn't as obvious was that Nick Carraway never seemed too happy to be living in New York City. Gatsby's death was like the final straw and is what pushed him to finally leave. Although Gatsby's death seems to be the resolution to the story, I am not particularly happy with how it ended. It was just so unhappy and I was left feeling like the story never came to a very good ending. Tom got to keep the girl he wanted, Gatsby lost the girl he loved and ended up dying, and Nick was left with no friends once again. The whole thing was just really sad.
As sad as it may be, Jay Gatsby's death can be considered the resolution of the story. Every little conflict that was happening suddenly seemed to come to an end. For example, the conflict between Tom and Daisy Buchanon's marriage seemed to end. Gatsby's death came in the wake of Myrtle's death. Both of these people are what caused Tom and Daisy to be unfaithful. With these two people dead, the couple is free to be faithful and loving to each other once again. Another conflict that wasn't as obvious was that Nick Carraway never seemed too happy to be living in New York City. Gatsby's death was like the final straw and is what pushed him to finally leave. Although Gatsby's death seems to be the resolution to the story, I am not particularly happy with how it ended. It was just so unhappy and I was left feeling like the story never came to a very good ending. Tom got to keep the girl he wanted, Gatsby lost the girl he loved and ended up dying, and Nick was left with no friends once again. The whole thing was just really sad.
The Great Gatsby - Dramatic Irony
"'Well, I tried to swing the wheel-' He broke off, and suddenly I guessed at the truth. 'Was Daisy driving?' 'Yes,' he said after a moment, 'but of course I'll say I was.'" - Jay Gatsby, page 143.
This moment is a great example of dramatic irony. Tom Buchanon believes that Gatsby is the one who killed his mistress. However, it was actually his own wife who killed Myrtle. My next question is how on earth Tom would react if he found out that Daisy killed her. He might become violent. Tom already showed that he has a violent side to him when he beat up Myrtle. Who knows what he would actually do when he found out that Daisy killed her, even if it was a complete accident. The other thing I thought was important to note is how much Gatsby loved Daisy. He was willing to take the blame for killing someone in order to protect her. However, Daisy doesn't really love him back in the same way. When Gatsby dies, she doesn't even visit him at his funeral. Basically, Gatsby was willing to protect someone he loved even though she would never do the same for him.
This moment is a great example of dramatic irony. Tom Buchanon believes that Gatsby is the one who killed his mistress. However, it was actually his own wife who killed Myrtle. My next question is how on earth Tom would react if he found out that Daisy killed her. He might become violent. Tom already showed that he has a violent side to him when he beat up Myrtle. Who knows what he would actually do when he found out that Daisy killed her, even if it was a complete accident. The other thing I thought was important to note is how much Gatsby loved Daisy. He was willing to take the blame for killing someone in order to protect her. However, Daisy doesn't really love him back in the same way. When Gatsby dies, she doesn't even visit him at his funeral. Basically, Gatsby was willing to protect someone he loved even though she would never do the same for him.
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Great Gatsby - Daisy's Motivations
"'They're such beautiful shirts,' she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. 'It makes me sad because I've never seen such - such beautiful shirts before.'" - Daisy Buchanon, page 92.
Ok, so it is a little hard to determine if Daisy truly is in love with anyone or if she is just a gold-digger, out to be with anyone who can make her rich. As soon as Gatsby left for the war, she was quick to marry someone else. Tom Buchanon happens to be very wealthy, only adding to my prediction that Daisy is a gold-digger. Additionally, Gatsby makes a point to make sure that Daisy sees his home. He wants to impress her. Maybe he, too, knows that she has a weakness for the finer things in life. He probably knows that if she sees his incredibly rich life and his incredibly nice home, then maybe she will fall in love with him again and he will be able to win her back. Being with someone like this will not make him happy. Perhaps the reason Tom cheats on her is because he knows she is just using him for his money. Perhaps he knows that she does not truly love him. This would explain his comment at the beginning of the novel when he said, "Don't believe everything you hear, Nick." This was immediately after he realized that Daisy and Nick were talking about his infidelity.
Ok, so it is a little hard to determine if Daisy truly is in love with anyone or if she is just a gold-digger, out to be with anyone who can make her rich. As soon as Gatsby left for the war, she was quick to marry someone else. Tom Buchanon happens to be very wealthy, only adding to my prediction that Daisy is a gold-digger. Additionally, Gatsby makes a point to make sure that Daisy sees his home. He wants to impress her. Maybe he, too, knows that she has a weakness for the finer things in life. He probably knows that if she sees his incredibly rich life and his incredibly nice home, then maybe she will fall in love with him again and he will be able to win her back. Being with someone like this will not make him happy. Perhaps the reason Tom cheats on her is because he knows she is just using him for his money. Perhaps he knows that she does not truly love him. This would explain his comment at the beginning of the novel when he said, "Don't believe everything you hear, Nick." This was immediately after he realized that Daisy and Nick were talking about his infidelity.
The Great Gatsby - Feeling Alone
"They had forgotten me, but Daisy glanced up and held out her hand; Gatsby didn't know me now at all. I looked once more at them and they looked back at me, remotely, possessed by intense life. Then I went out of the room and down the marble steps into the rain, leaving them there together." - Nick Carraway, page 96.
This is the point in the story when I felt the most sympathy for Nick. He thought he had a friend in Gatsby, but to me it looks as if Gatsby was only using him to get to Daisy. It says that Gatsby didn't know him anymore. Once he got what he wanted, Gatsby totally forgot about Nick. Now, Nick is left without anyone. The rain symbolizes his loneliness. Once he leaves the house and leaves two of the people he was most close to, he feels utterly deserted. However, there is still Jordan and hopefully this is just a temporary feeling he has. Maybe Gatsby will come to his senses and realize what a good friend Nick was to him. After all, he did reunite him with his former love.
This is the point in the story when I felt the most sympathy for Nick. He thought he had a friend in Gatsby, but to me it looks as if Gatsby was only using him to get to Daisy. It says that Gatsby didn't know him anymore. Once he got what he wanted, Gatsby totally forgot about Nick. Now, Nick is left without anyone. The rain symbolizes his loneliness. Once he leaves the house and leaves two of the people he was most close to, he feels utterly deserted. However, there is still Jordan and hopefully this is just a temporary feeling he has. Maybe Gatsby will come to his senses and realize what a good friend Nick was to him. After all, he did reunite him with his former love.
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