The Great Gatsby Notes
Content
The Great Gatsby: Notes Chapter 1-3 1. Nick shares with the reader the following insights about his younger self: • He is “vulnerable”. • He is close to his father. • He is ‘inclined to reserve all judgments‟. • He is a target for people – including „veteran bores‟ and „abnormal minds‟ - who want to confess their secrets to him. (He assures us that „most of the confidences were unsought‟, especially since they are frequently unoriginal or biased, though he also owns up to being „a little afraid of missing something‟). • He sees himself as ”normal” but privileged – not in conventional terms but in possessing „a sense of the fundamental decencies‟ as an accident of birth. So the reader is alerted from the outset that Nick will hope for the best and be prey to the confidences of strange and maybe immoral people - and that he may suffer as a result. 2. The Buchanans‟ drawing room is a fantasy place, „rosy-coloured‟ with a „frosted wedding-cake of [a] ceiling‟, the wind blowing through it so that the two women on the sofa are „buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon‟. In their „rippling, fluttering‟ white dresses, the two seem innocent and fragile. The notions of restlessness and drifting are again indicated. Tom substantiates his dominance by bringing the women literally down to earth. Chapter 2 During this section, Nick sees his infamous neighbor, Jay Gatsby for the first time. Although he is intrigued by the majestic figure cut by Gatsby, Nick does not approach him personally. At this time, Nick notices a single green light burning across the water, and is strangely drawn to it. Next, Nick spends some quality time with Tom Buchannan. The two men spend an afternoon with Tom's mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Once again, Nick finds himself immersed in the disingenuous world of Tom Buchannan. On Tom and Myrtle... Tom is once again described as a pompous, self-important man who drags Nick with him into a "supercilious" (33) interlude with his mistress. Tom treats Mr. Wilson, a small town mechanic, with contempt, ignoring the man's entreaties, and threatening to take his business elsewhere. Later, Tom states that Wilson is "so dumb he doesn't know he is alive" (29). Ironically, Mrs. Wilson is described as "haughty" (32) and pompous in her treatment of her husband, whom she walks through "as if he were a ghost"(29). She is not your typical eye-candy, rather a "smouldering", and vital individual who is not described in flattering physical terms, but seems to be a powerful and charismatic individual. The two lovers spend the afternoon in an apartment, drinking and carousing before inviting a group of acquaintances to schmooze with. The party itself seems to consist of a collection of self-congratulatory and desperate people who run around dishing out shallow compliments to each other in vain efforts to gain favour with their host. Nick closes down Gatsby's party, spending the night marvelling at the various antics of the opportunistic sharks who swirl around the cocktail table. Men slowly sink into arguments with their wives and the drunken man from the library is involved in a careless car wreck. Gatsby watches the entire scene, strangely detached and in "complete isolation" (51) from a window. This section of the novel gives us the first true glimpse into Gatsby's character. More importantly, it demonstrates to us the distance between Gatsby and the individuals who swarm around him like so many flies. Nick attends an evening soiree at Jay Gatsby's estate, and, aside from his feelings of discomfort and awkwardness, he notes that the guests surrounded him
in "swirls and eddies" looking "hungry". He seems certain that they all were "selling something", and had their eyes on "easy money"(41). In a sense, Gatsby has surrounded himself with a sea of opportunistic sharks. The only individual Nick seems familiar with is Jordan Baker, who seems aloof at best. The only highlights of Nick's interactions with Jordan revolve around a dress Gatsby purchased for one of Jordan's friends, and further suspicions regarding Gatsby's function as a "German spy"(42) and whether or not he killed a man. Finally, Jordan questions Gatsby's claim at being an "Oxford man" (46), a strange statement when one considers the unlikely rumors regarding Gatsby she seems willing to support. Jordan reveals her mindset when she states that she feels most comfortable during large "intimate" (46) parties, and that ironically, smaller get togethers lack "privacy". This helps us understand the nature of Gatsby's bashes. They seem to be less of a puddle of friends gathering in companionship, than a sea of strangers seeking to lose themselves in anonymity. Finally, Nick comes face to face with his host. Shockingly, Nick discovers that Gatsby is not the "florid and corpulent"(46) individual he had expected. Much to his dismay there is nothing "sinister" about Gatsby at all. Thus begins a strange relationship between Nick and Jay. Jay seems eager to establish a true friendship, while Nick, fresh from his eye-opening experiences with the Buchanan‟s, steps carefully into Gatsby's world in an effort to understand why such a "rare" (45) individual would step into the secret world of men and women like Tom and Daisy. Later, Nick describes another eye-opening interaction with Jordan, during which she reveals a shocking and hypocritical carelessness and an "incurable" dishonesty (53). Finally, Nick states that in this world of swirling deceit and self-serving escapades, he is "one of the few honest people" (54) he had ever known. 1. Examine the following quotations, explain the circumstances surrounding the quote, and describe how this line could be significant to the novel thus far. "There's something funny about a fellow that'll do a thing like that" (42) "It's a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me... What realism... They're real. They're..." (44) "It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced-or seemed to face- the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with irresistable prejudice in your favour" (45) Looking to chapter 4… Historical Theme: “The World Series had been fixed in 1919” (64). Research this event, and explain how it might be linked to themes found within our novel. The fixed World Series of 1919 occurred through the games between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned from baseball for life because of intentionally losing some games allowing for the Cincinnati Reds to win the series. The idea was collaboration. However, two main men stand out from all the others, William Thomas “Sleepy Bill” Burns (he was the connection to the players) and Billy Maharg (he had underground connections). These two men eventually rounded up eight players and promised them pay (they went and got loans from several people and agreed to give 100,000 dollars for the players to split). In the end, about half a million dollars were then bet on the Cincinnati Reds. The fix succeeded, but the swing in bets raised suspicion. Finally by late 1920, the eight “Black Sox” were accused of fixing the series. Obviously, in the literal/comprehension sense, at the mention of the fixed World Series, Gatsby states that Wolfsheim is the one who put the idea into play. The idea of cheating and playing foully definitely relates to Wolfsheim‟s shady character as well as well as Jordan, who cheated in her golf tournament. Most of the players who participated in this scandal also mostly participated because of the money. With the amount of money they would earn, they would be able to have enough money for about a year! This theme of wealth (and greed) is definitely present in our novel, since most of the characters are rich and lead luxurious lives.
in "swirls and eddies" looking "hungry". He seems certain that they all were "selling something", and had their eyes on "easy money"(41). In a sense, Gatsby has surrounded himself with a sea of opportunistic sharks. The only individual Nick seems familiar with is Jordan Baker, who seems aloof at best. The only highlights of Nick's interactions with Jordan revolve around a dress Gatsby purchased for one of Jordan's friends, and further suspicions regarding Gatsby's function as a "German spy"(42) and whether or not he killed a man. Finally, Jordan questions Gatsby's claim at being an "Oxford man" (46), a strange statement when one considers the unlikely rumors regarding Gatsby she seems willing to support. Jordan reveals her mindset when she states that she feels most comfortable during large "intimate" (46) parties, and that ironically, smaller get togethers lack "privacy". This helps us understand the nature of Gatsby's bashes. They seem to be less of a puddle of friends gathering in companionship, than a sea of strangers seeking to lose themselves in anonymity. Finally, Nick comes face to face with his host. Shockingly, Nick discovers that Gatsby is not the "florid and corpulent"(46) individual he had expected. Much to his dismay there is nothing "sinister" about Gatsby at all. Thus begins a strange relationship between Nick and Jay. Jay seems eager to establish a true friendship, while Nick, fresh from his eye-opening experiences with the Buchanan‟s, steps carefully into Gatsby's world in an effort to understand why such a "rare" (45) individual would step into the secret world of men and women like Tom and Daisy. Later, Nick describes another eye-opening interaction with Jordan, during which she reveals a shocking and hypocritical carelessness and an "incurable" dishonesty (53). Finally, Nick states that in this world of swirling deceit and self-serving escapades, he is "one of the few honest people" (54) he had ever known. 1. Examine the following quotations, explain the circumstances surrounding the quote, and describe how this line could be significant to the novel thus far. "There's something funny about a fellow that'll do a thing like that" (42) "It's a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me... What realism... They're real. They're..." (44) "It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced-or seemed to face- the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with irresistable prejudice in your favour" (45) Looking to chapter 4… Historical Theme: “The World Series had been fixed in 1919” (64). Research this event, and explain how it might be linked to themes found within our novel. The fixed World Series of 1919 occurred through the games between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned from baseball for life because of intentionally losing some games allowing for the Cincinnati Reds to win the series. The idea was collaboration. However, two main men stand out from all the others, William Thomas “Sleepy Bill” Burns (he was the connection to the players) and Billy Maharg (he had underground connections). These two men eventually rounded up eight players and promised them pay (they went and got loans from several people and agreed to give 100,000 dollars for the players to split). In the end, about half a million dollars were then bet on the Cincinnati Reds. The fix succeeded, but the swing in bets raised suspicion. Finally by late 1920, the eight “Black Sox” were accused of fixing the series. Obviously, in the literal/comprehension sense, at the mention of the fixed World Series, Gatsby states that Wolfsheim is the one who put the idea into play. The idea of cheating and playing foully definitely relates to Wolfsheim‟s shady character as well as well as Jordan, who cheated in her golf tournament. Most of the players who participated in this scandal also mostly participated because of the money. With the amount of money they would earn, they would be able to have enough money for about a year! This theme of wealth (and greed) is definitely present in our novel, since most of the characters are rich and lead luxurious lives.
