Great Gatsby

Chapter Nine

2008-03-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

In Chapter Nine, Nick talks about Gatsby's funeral, thats why
we chose a cemetery for our picture. Nick takes care of the
funeral because he was Gatsby's only friend. When Nick tries
getting in touch with Gatsby's acquaintances, they seem to
have all moved away. The only people that come to the
funeral is Gatsby's dad, owl eyes and some servants. Tom said
Gatsby deserved to die and Jordan didn't even go to the funeral.
Gatsby's funeral showed us how important people thought
Gatsby was and how they just used him for his parties and
wealth.

"What I called up about was a pair of shoes I left there. I wonder if it'd be too much trouble to have the butler send them on. You see they're tennis shoes and I'm sort of helpless without them"(177).
No one cares about the death of Gatsby. A man calls for his shoes back that he left at his house after a party. Gatsby was only used. This shows that the people of the two eggs have no feelings.

"I raised him up out of nothing, right out of the gutter"(179).
Wolfshiem explains that when he met Gatsby he was useless. He says that he actually turned him into someone and made him into something.

"Of course we was broke up when he run off from home but I see now there was a reason for it. He knew he had a big future in front of him. And ever since he made a sucess he was very generous with me"(181).
Mr. Gatz talks about his son was bound to get ahead. He had the drive for it since he was little. He explains that even after he left he was generous to provide his father with a nice house.

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made"(188).
Nick explains that Tom, as well as Daisy, were just like everyone else. All the couple cares about it their wealth and it is what keeps their relationship.

Themes: The American Dream
In the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows Jay Gatsby's feelings of the 1920s American Dream. The American Dream is an illusion when someone gets a lot of money with minimal effort. For Gatsby, The American Dream fails and unsuccessful for many reasons. He thought money and his wealth could get him the girl, Daisy. He thought money was the way to help him acheive his goals. It only buys him the illusion of friends, love and respect. When we learn that when he dies, he dies without friends and without respect. At the end of the book, it shows the hopelessness of what the American Dream might me and despite how hard you try, even the attempt with corrupt or hurt you.

Chapter Eight

2008-03-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

We chose a swimming pool for Chapter Eight because Nick finds
Gatsby dead in his pool when he goes to the West Egg. Right before
Nick finds Gatsby, the gardner worries about that he need to drain
the pool. Gatsby tells the gardner not to because he has not gone for
a swim yet and wants to. Everyone was thinking that whoever was
driving the car must of been Myrtle's lover. Wilson shoots Gatsby
because he thinks Gatsby's the one who killed Myrtle. When it was
really Daisy the one driving Gatsby's car. Nick imagines what Gatsby's
final thoughts were. Gatsby must have felt empty without Daisy and
without his dream.

"He couldn't leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do"(155).
With little to no hope, Gatsby still clutches at the thought of Daisy coming back to him. He continues to wait for her call when deep down both him and Nick know she won't.

"He had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same strata as herself- that he was fully able to take care of her"(156).
When Gatsby met Daisy he was so impressed he wanted to impress her so he lied and made her think he was wealthy. This shows how much money means to people.

"'They're a rotten crowd. You're worth the whole damn bunch put together"(162).
This was the first time Nick had complimented Gatsby. Gatsby is happy because he knows Nick meant what he said and is actually a true friend unlike every one else Gatsby had met in his life.

"It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete"(170).
Gatsby was murdered by Wilson after he was falsely accused of having an affair and killing Wilson's wife, Myrtle. This is significant because her lover was actually Tom and Tom's wife killed her by accident.

Symbolism in Chapter Eight
There were many colors in this chapter that represented different characters. Gatsby's pink suit represents Gatsby being materialistic and having individual traits. The trees with yellow leaves symbolize the money surrounding Gatsby's house. It also symbolizes decay and corrupt. Gatsby's car, the color yellow, symbolizes dishonesty and corrupt. The color red is to symbolize death and danger. The color yellow also foreshadows doom. The eyes of Dr. Eckleburg represents him watching over the Valley. The dog leash symbolizes Myrtle and Tom's affair.

Chapter Seven

2008-03-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Chapter Seven was very important, it was hard to choose. We picked a
picture of New York because Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick, and Jordan
take a trip to the city. One day, when Gatsby and Daisy were together
they get bored. Daisy asks Gatsby if they can all go to New York City.
Tom sees Daisy's and Gatsby's love for each other so he agrees with her.
Nick rides with Jordan and Tom in Gatsby's car. While Gatsby and Daisy
ride together in Tom's car. They stop for gas at Wilson's work and they
see that he has discovered but not the identity of her lover. Nick realizes
that Tom and Wilson are in the same situation. Tom asks Gatsby if he
likes Daisy and Gatsby says that Daisy loves me not him. Tom then
accuses Gatsby of bootlegging and Daisy then falls back for Tom.

"I wanted somebody who wouldn't gossip"(120).
Gatsby fires all of his servents to have people who would hide his secrets. Daisy had gone over serveral times and they didn't want people to know. This only shows that you can't trust people and you need to watch your back.

"She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw"(125).
Tom is finally begining to realize the chemistry and love that Daisy and Gatsby have for one another. When Tom witnesses Daisy mouth to Gatsby that she loves him his mouth drops and his temper rises.

"I've been here too long. I want to get away. My wife and I want to go west"(130).
Wilson tells this to Tom without hesitation because he does not know about Tom and Myrtle's affair. Tom is angry but can't show his emotions because his affair is kept secret from Wilson.

"'Your wife doesn't love you. She's never loved you. She loves me'"(137).
In the heat of the moment Gatsby finally admits to Tom that him and Daisy are in love. This causes an outrage and Gatsby and Tom go back in forth fighting over Daisy.

Symbolism: Death Imagery
In this chapter, the death imagery is shown through Myrtle's death. The selfish way of people during the 1920's resulted in her getting struck by a car. The death of the American Dream is caused through Gatsby's unsuccessful experience. His wonderful life with Daisy as she explains her love for Gatsby and Tom. Wilson and Tom are sad when he hears about Myrtle's death. The person driving the car was Daisy and Gatsby was in the passenger seat. He is the one who gets blamed for it and Wilson shoots him near the end of the novel. This chapter shows the loveless marriages and the unfaithfulness that occurs with most of the characters.

Chapter Six

2008-03-06T07:06:00.003-08:00

We did this picture because we find out in this chapter Gatsby's real background. Gatsby was born James Gatz on a North Dakota farm and attended College at St. Olaf's in Minnesota. He dropped out to do janitor work. He meets Dan Cody while walking down the beach one day. Dan Cody, owner of the yacht, is a very wealthy man. Gatsby joined Dan on his yacht and traveled the seas with him. He then fell in love with money and wealth. When Cody dies, he left him $25,000 which made him very successful and wealthy. Gatsby then believed money could accomplish anything since he was rich.

"So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this concept he was faithful to the end"(104).

We learn Jay Gatsby had changed his name. When he was a teenager he slightly changed it from James Gatz so he could reinvent himself.

"He was still searching for something to do on the day that Dan Cody's yacht dropped anchor in the shallows along shore"(105).

Meeting Dan Cody changed Gatsby's life. Dan was a wealthy man and bought Gatsby nice things. Gatsby fell in love with money after meeting and spending time with him.

"He never understood the legal device that was used against him but what remained of the millions went intact to Ella Kaye"(107).

Ella Kaye was a woman who came on board to Dan's yacht the week he died. She was able to get the money that Gatsby should have gotten after spending 5 years with him.

"Tom was evidently perturbed at Daisy's running around alone, for on the following Saturday night he came with her to Gatsby's party"(110).

Tom did not trust Daisy, especially around Gatsby. Even though he was in an affair he would not accept her being in one so he went to Gatsby's with her so she wouldn't go behind his back to do anything.

Character contrasts: Jay Gatsby and Dan Cody
When Gatsby was 17 years old, he changed his name from James to Jay, Gatz to Gatsby. He meets Dan Cody, very wealthy man and owner of a yacht, who sails over seas. Gatsby sees Dan Cody with all this money and luxury, he then realizes money is something he wants to have. He then joins Dan on his ships and this made Gatsby change his character traits. Dan Cody worked as a clam digger and salmon fisher. He has a lot of relationships with women which causes Gatsby to admire Dan. Although Dan Cody had it all, he also taught Gatsby to think money is everything.

Chapter Five

2008-03-06T07:06:00.001-08:00

We did a picture where it is raining and sunny because in this chapter Gatsby and Daisy show good and bad emotions. In the beginning, it is pouring rain which is significant because Gatsby is about to see Daisy and hes scared and nervous. About a half an hour later, the sun shines again. Gatsby is with Daisy and things are going very good. When Gatsby and Daisy are in the room together, the sun is still shining which shows their emotions for one another. When Daisy is about to leave, the rain is falling which shows sadness.

"'Five years next November.' The automatic quality of Gatsby's answer set us all back at least another minute"(92).
The fact that Gatsby knows exactly how long it has been since the last time he has seen Daisy proves how much he has missed her. He shows that he really loves her and has been counting down the days until he can finally meet with her again. This creates an awkward silence between Gatsby and Daisy.

"When he realized what I was talking about, that there were twinkle-bells of sunshine in the room, he smiled"(94).
The sunshine is symbloizing Daisy and Gatsby. Things are going well between the two of them so the rain stopped and the sun came out.

"'I'm glad, Jay.' Hes throat, full of aching, grieving beauty, told only her unexpected joy"(94).
Daisy is so overwhelemed and happy to see and fianlly be able to talk to Gatsby after so many years. She doesn't know how to react and is so glad and taken back by his arrival.

"Possibly it had occured to him that the colossal signifigance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her"(98).
The green light that burns all night at the end of Daisys dock would always seem so far away to Gatsby. Now that they are reunited, it doesn't seem so far.

Symbolism: Color
In Chapter Five, there is a lot of symbolism having to do with colors. On page 89, the color silver and gold represent Gatsby. This color represents wealth and Gatsby's love for money. On page 90, the color lavender represents Daisy. Lavender shows her beauty and delicate traits. The color blue, also on page 90, represents Daisy and her being gloomy and sad. The color gold, found on page 97, represents Gatsby. Gold also shows Gatsby's rich side and wealth. Also on page 97, Gatsby shows many-colors which brings out the mysterious side of him. The color pink on page 99 represents Daisy and her sense of love and passion.

Chapter Four

2008-03-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

This red heart represents Gatsby's love for Daisy. He bought a house on the West Egg just so he could be across the bay from her house. Since Gatsby first met Daisy, many years passed because he was involved with a business and went into the military. His memory of her made it obvious that he was still in love with her and he believes he needed to win Daisy's love. By the time Gatsby was rich he moved back to the west egg to see her but she was already married to Tom. Since she was married, it was impossible for her and Gatsby to get together but that didnt stop them from flirting and showing their affection toward one another.

"I had talked with him perhaps half a dozen times in the past month and found, to my disappointment, that he had little to say" (68-69).

This is about how Nick imagined Gatsby to be an extraordinary man full of stories. It shows how money can change someones view on a person.

"He wants her to see his house and your house if right next door" (84).

Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy to his house so Gatsby can see her. It is important to Gatsby that Daisy sees his house to impress her with it so that she will think more highly of him.

"He doesn't know very much about Tom, though he says he's read a Chicago paper for years just on the chance of catching a glimpse on Daisy's name" (84).

This shows how in love Gatsby is with Daisy. He was willing to get the Chicago paper everyday just to read it to find out anything he could about Daisy even though he knows she is married.

"..trying to forget something very sad that had happened to me long ago" (70).

Gatsby tells Nick that something bad happened to him but doesn't tell Nick what it is. This makes it hard to trust Gatsby. Nick is suspicious, frustrated, and annoyed by this.

Realism
In this novel, the author uses realism. In Chapter Four, I noticed that he used the 1919 World Series. Gatsby introduces Nick to a gambler, Meyer Wolfshiem. He apparently was the man responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series. Seven Chicago White Sox players were accused of fixing the series for gambles who had made bets on the game's outcomes. F. Scott Fitzgerald included a Wolfshiem character for the fixing of the World Series to show and symbolize that money could buy any American absolutely anything including love and happiness.

Chapter Three

2008-03-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

I'm tired of rumors starting
I'm sick of being followed
I'm tired of people lying
Saying what they want about me
Why can't they back up off me
Why can't they let me live
I'm gonna do it my way
Take this for just what it is
- Lindsay Lohan (Rumors)

We picked these lyrics because in chapter three we find out that everyone talks about each other and they gossip alot. There is a party that Gatsby has at his house. All the people at the party talk different things about Gatsby. One group was talking about how Gatsby killed a man once cold blooded. Jordan thinks Gatsby is from Oxford and tells Nick but this is just what she has heard. No one seems to know the truth about Gatsby's wealth or personal background. Nick expects and imagines Gatsby to be florid and corpulent in his middle years from what he hears. When Nick meets Gatsby for the first time, he wasn't anything that he thought he was going to be.

"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whispers and the champagne and the stars" (43).
This quote is talking about Gatsby's parties and the guests that go. It explains how they gossip amongst themselves and drink socially.

"I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited"(45).

Nick tells the reader about the guests at the party. He says that unlike most of the people there he was personally invited by Gatsby. This shows the inconsiderate of people showing up without an invitation.

"Theres something funny about a fellow that'll do a thing like that. He doesn't want any trouble with anybody" (48).

A woman is explaining how Gatsby will do anything to make people happy. She tells how it is strange that he wants everyone to love him like he's hiding something from everyone.

"Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once" (48).

The people of the east and west egg are mostly gossipers. They talk about anything to anyone that will listen and spread rumors that spread like wildfire by word of mouth.

"I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known" (64).

Nick tells how it is hard to trust the people around him due to their loud mouths. He says he has met few people in his life that were honest.

Symbolism: Names
During Chapter 3, Gatsby has a party at his house. The people at the party gossip and talk about Gatsby and just use him for his parties. The people at the party don't have names. This symbolizes that everyone there represent the same personality and they all follow each other around. This also symbolizes that no one there cares about anyone but themselves. They are anonymous and unknown to the readers. Most of the people at the party are associated with animals which symbolize that animals lack human emotions. Leeches, blackbucks, ferrets, bulls, and duckweed are used for the anonymous names of the people at the party. The events that happen to them are bad, some have affairs, drown, dies, and jumps off buildings which symbolizes the lives of the rich seem perfect, they arent perfect.

Chapter Two

2008-02-28T16:14:00.001-08:00

We chose this picture of Jerry Springer because in Chapter 2 of Great Gatsby there are many affairs between the individuals. Tom Buchanans sneaks around his wife Daisy to see his Mistress Sam Myrtle up in New York. Daisy and his mistress are complete opposites. There personalities are different because Daisy is more of a home body and Myrtle loves to go out and have fun. They are also different in appearance. Unlike Daisy, Myrtle is not a Jazz baby and has more of a thickish figure. Like Tom, Myrtle is also married and has a husband, Wilson who thinks she is visiting her sister when she is with Tom.

"Tom Buchanan and his girl and I went up together to New York- or not quite together, for Mrs. Wilson sat discreetly in another car" (31).

This quote shows that the people living in the eggs are both sneaky and dishonest with one another. Tom lies to Daisy to see his mistress while Nick helps to cover up the lie. Myrtle also tells her husband that she is leaving to visit her sister.

"I almost married a little kyke who'd been after me for years. I knew he was below me. Everybody kept saying to me, 'Lucille, that man's way below you!' But if I hadn't met Chester he'd of got me sure" (38).

This shows how much wealth and popularity means to these people. They seem stuck-up, snobby, and fake. People believe that men and women of the same class should be together and that the more money you have, the better you are.

"Crazy about him! cried Myrtle incredulously. Who said I was crazy about him?"

This quote shows how much people gossip and talk about each other.

"Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand" (41).

Tom hits Myrtle repeatedly shouting out Daisy's name. This is important because back then a man beating and controlling a woman was more acceptable. If a man was to do that today he would be looked down upon.

Setting: Valley of Ashes
The Valley of Ashes shows significance and symbolism. Myrtle and Wilson live in the Valley of Ashes and its very depressing and dark. When Nick and Tom go to New York to visit, they have to go through The Valley of Ashes and it is very hard for them to see through the ash. Men who live there work on shoveling up the ashes. The commuter train runs between West and East Egg and New York, passes through The Valley of Ashes. Tom forces Nick to get off the train because Nick seems to be nervous by the surroundings and darkness of The Valley of Ashes. Myrtle cant escape from the depressed life she had made for herself. She leaves and moves to a house by herself but even though she tries making this change, she still cant escape from her depressed surroundings.

Chapter One

2008-02-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

These two eggs represent the West and the East eggs which are just outside of New York. The purple egg represents the West Egg, wealthy but at a lower class. The colorful egg with the ribbon represents the East Egg because although its wealthy also its at a higher class. Tom and Daisy live on the East Egg. Nick and Gatsby live on the West Egg. People that live here are not what they seem. It symbolizes that people on the outside may look one way, but be a different person on the inside.

"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had" (1).

Nick was taught not to judge people because he had more advantages. His family was wealthy and he received a good education and went to Yale University.

"Twenty miles from the city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay, jut out into the most domesticated body of salt water in the Western Hemisphere, the great wet barnyard of Long Island Sand" (9).

East of New York are the West and East eggs. Nick and Gatsby are citizens of the west egg, the less fashionable of the two and more superficial.

"Well, its a fine book and everybody ought to read it" (17).

Tom was talking about the book, "The Rise of the Coloured Empires" and talks about how the white race which he explains is the dominant race and should watch out for the other races and beat them down. This shows that Tom is very racist.

"I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of the dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness" (26).

This quote is important because the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses a lot of symbolism in The Great Gatsby. He uses colors to symbolize different feelings and people. In this quote, the color green is significant. It could symbolize many things such as wealth, greed, and envy.

Symbolism: West and East Eggs (Setting)
There is a lot of symbolism in chapter one of The Great Gatsby. For example, they call the place they live just outside of New York the West and East Eggs. This is significant because the 'eggs' are meant to symbolize the people living in them. On the outside of eggs(the food product) is the shell. The shell is a hard white layer. Inside of the hard shell is the yoke. The yoke is yellow and liquid. This symbolizes that people on the outside may look and act like they are something different then they actually are and feel on the inside. The people find it hard to express themselves and how they truely feel because they are scared of what other people may think of them and how they will react. Therefore the people that live in the West and East Eggs are not what they seem and are like eggs.