The Great Gatsby -- chapters 8&9

          With the conclusion of the book, I came to fully understanding of the symbols and themes in “The Great Gatsby.”

          The green light throughout the book symbolized Gatsby’s hope. He was constantly chasing after Daisy and waiting for her to run back to him to rekindle the flame. He always had that belief and reassurance in the back of his head that he and Daisy’s relationship would work out. Since it was visible from both of their houses, the light was an obvious connection between the two. He is continuously trying to get closer to the light, or his goal and “American dream” of being with Daisy forever. When Nick is narrating in the final pages of the book, he states, “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock…… He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled under the night.” Nick is explaining that the “light”, or Gatsby’s dream, was long in the past and was not an achievable goal. Nick also tells, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” The current represents Gatsby’s dream of being with Daisy, and Gatsby is the boat. As hard as he tried, the current continuously pushed him back further and further from his dream. The current pushed him back into the past, making him remember his past history with Daisy, but never being able to reach his dream. When Gatsby’s dead body lied at his empty, dark, desolate home, help represent Gatsby never accomplishing his dream of being with Daisy.

        Another clear symbol was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. I didn’t recognize this symbol for awhile, but the ending of the book assisted me in fully understanding what the eyes are meant to represent. The eyes were mentioned a few different times in chapters 8 and 9. In chapter 8, Wilson and Michaelis were discussing the death of Myrtle. The book reads, “Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night. “God sees everything,” repeated Wilson.”” Wilson had told Myrtle before she was killed that she cannot hide her affair from him. Wilson believed that these eyes represented God, which helped me come to the conclusion that the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg represent the chaos of our world, the sorrows and disappointments, and misconception of morals and values. The eyes were constantly appearing in the book to remind the characters and also the reader that God is always watching.

         One last valuable theme that I came across in the book are the misconception of morals and values of the social classes, especially in the time period of the “Roaring Twenties.” Towards the end of the book, we read “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . . . .” Daisy continuously made Gatsby believe that his dream was achievable. Tom and Daisy cheated on each other, created problems, and changed everyone’s lives. Yet, they returned to their own lives after the accident. Daisy never confessed to killing Myrtle and did not even have the decency to do something after Gatsby’s death. Tom and Daisy represent the poor character of the upper class. One of the main themes this book teaches is how some people of the upper class continue to believe that they are higher than others and worth more due to the fact that they own more money. “The Great Gatsby” does an excellent job of portraying what our society is really like and how little respect some of us have for one another. 

Great Gatsby -- chapters 6&7

Some of the occurrences within chapters six and seven seemed very peculiar to me. These chapters reflect much on the time period that the story occurs in.

The first topic I would like to discuss is Gatsby’s description of his background and how he became who he is. Gatsby tells Nick that he grew up as just an average man in the Midwest, and eventually worked on Lake Superior. One day, coincidentally, Gatsby met a wealthy man named Dan Cody. This man employed Gatsby. Gatsby eventually realized that he wanted wealth and riches just like Dan Cody had. This situation symbolizes the “American dream” as we discussed before. Gatsby dreamed of being rich just like most Americans do. Gatsby also believes that his wealth will bring Daisy back to him. Gatsby dreams of being rich, having the perfect woman, and living a perfect life. We all dream of living a perfect life and keep trying to have the next best thing. What we don’t realize is that money cannot buy us happiness. I feel as though Gatsby’s social class is going to foreshadow that he won’t always get what he wants even if he has endless money and riches.

In the middle of chapter seven, Gatsby is trying to convince Daisy to admit to Tom that she never loved him. At first she tells Tom that she never loved him, but then admits the truth. Daisy admits to Gatsby that she will always love Tom, and that Gatsby needs to accept that. I don’t understand why Gatsby describes to Tom that he and Daisy’s love had been “Going on for five years now….both of us loved each other all that time.” If Daisy really loved him, she wouldn’t have left him for another man, and would take advantage of the opportunity to be with Gatsby. Also, Gatsby stated, “She only married you because I was poor.” If Gatsby is telling the truth, then Daisy is setting another example for greed and the “American dream”. Towards the end of the chapter, Daisy and Gatsby were on their way home when Daisy struck Myrtle Wilson with Gatsby’s car. Gatsby is willing to take the blame for the accident , even though Daisy was driving. This proves that Gatsby loves Daisy with all of his heart and would basically take a bullet for her if he had to. Even though Gatsby is trying to put Daisy’s happiness over his own, Daisy realizes that she still loves Tom and is happy with him. Gatsby realizes that his dream to be with Daisy is finally ending. Is the green light finally out now? Is Gatsby’s hope gone?

The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg appeared a few more times within the section of reading. While Nick, Tom, and Jordan followed Gatsby and Daisy, Nick mentioned seeing the eyes. He described them as faded, and they came into sight down the road. A few moments later the eyes are mentioned again and Nick describes them as giant and having “peculiar intensity.” These blurry, faded eyes should be able to foreshadow something by the end of the book.

Fitzgerald continues to include situations and occurrences in the book that assist the reader in understanding the time period in which the book is written. A few examples include the situation in chapter seven, where Daisy kisses Gatsby once her husband, Tom, leaves the room. This example adds to the other times in the book where significant others are cheating. Being unfaithful was definitely a characteristic of the 1920s. All of the parties and greed for alcohol also relate to the time period, which later led into prohibition of alcohol. These are a few symbols that relate to the time period.  

The Great Gatsby --chpt 3-5

At one point within this section of reading, Nick mentions Gatsby’s green light to him. He tells Gatsby that he noticed this light in his yard. At this point, we find out that Gatsby is still in love with Daisy, and the truth behind their relationship and love story. When Nick was at Daisy’s home, he was able to see Gatsby’s light from the end of her dock. From this point a person can infer that Gatsby’s green light has some relation to Daisy. The light is a connection between the two characters. After Gatsby confesses his love for Daisy, the light clearly represents the relationship between the two characters and his love for her. Even though Daisy is married to Tom, Gatsby still has hope for a relationship with Daisy. His persistent green light represents his hope and love for Daisy, which explains why the light is visible from her house. Nick sets up a date for Daisy and Gatsby to meet up again in hopes to rekindle the flame. Even though their meeting was a success, how is their love going to last when Gatsby is a man of West Egg and Daisy resides in East Egg? Will this difference affect their romance? Also, before Gatsby met up with Daisy, the weather was gloomy and depressing. It appears as though this weather is foreshadowing their relationship. If the weather is gloomy, will their relationship end up relatively the same? I think the weather plays an important role in this book to assist with symbols and foreshadowing.

The description of Gatsby’s elaborate mansion while Nick is at one of Gatsby’s fabulous bashes adds to one of the topics of my previous blogs. Fitzgerald wants the reader to understand the time period of the1920’s when riches and fame were values of many people. Also, by Gatsby’s speech and actions, we can assume more about the people of this time period and their lifestyle. A part that stood out to me like a sore thumb, though, was the fact that Gatsby has friendships with people of lower classes. In chapter four, Gatsby introduces Nick to a man named Meyer Wolfsheim. Nick believes that Wolfsheim is a sketchy man. How does Gatsby have connections with people of the lower class? Was Gatsby himself once part of the lower class?

The Great Gatsby --chapt 1 &2

The Great Gatsby is a book discussing the time period of the roaring twenties. Recently moving to New York, Nick moves into a mediocre house next to an extravagant mansion occupied by a man named Gatsby. Gatsby's mansion and the other nice homes across the neighborhood are details that help the reader understand that wealth was an important factor in the 1920's. The town is split up into West Egg and East Egg. The views and characteristics of the dwellers in each Egg differ greatly and create controversy between the two sides.

 Later, Nick meets up with a few of his relatives to have dinner. Tom Buchanan, whom Nick's cousin Daisy is married to, allegedly has a different lover in New York. Deeper into chapter two, Tom and Nick happen to meet up. Tom wants Nick to come meet his lover, who is also married to a different man that she is having an affair with. So far, affairs seem to be another common aspect of the 1920's.

Also, in chapter one, Nick is at Daisy's house and could see a subtle green light in Gatsby's lawn. I believe this green light is symbolizing something that will eventually appear later in the book.