Summary:
In Chapter Three, Nick is invited to a party at Jay Gatsby's house for the first time. There he encounters Jordan Baker and accompanies her for the rest of the night. He also finally formally meets Gatsby. Nick describes the party as being huge and glamorous with "finger-bowls" of champagne, a full orchestra, and lot's of people dancing. Towards the end of the chapter, Nick reveals something about his home life, that he has a woman back home who he has been writing too but wants to stop so he can further his relationship with Jordan Baker.
Character:
Jordan Baker
- "Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought to impossible. She was incurably dishonest. She wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body." (FITZGERALD 58)
- She is dishonest and lies a lot.
- People are attracted to her by the way she talks, walks, acts, and by her appearance.
- She also appears to be full of herself, but she may be using that to mask her insecurity.
- Jordan Baker is the one person Nick Carraway knows at the party. As soon as he sees her, he calls out to her and they are inseparable throughout the rest of the night. She's well known and people feel important when they know her. She seems to actually know Gatsby unlike the rest of the guests who are just using him for his house and wealthiness. Even in the first chapter, Nick says that he "likes looking at her". She holds herself well and knows how to talk to people. She will be an important character in this book because Nick obviously is beginning to care about her and wants to further their relationship.
Meaningful Quote:
"It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who hd found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world." (FITZGERALD 44)
- I chose this quote because it showed how popular, yet unknown, Gatsby really is. In this chapter, Nick talks about how he was one of the few people who had actually been invited and when he's eating dinner with the "two girls in yellow" the conversation revolves around the rumors regarding Gatsby's life. His lifestyle intrigues people; he's rich, easy-going, throws a lot of parties, but no one really knows who he is. In fact, when Nick is first talking to him, he doesn't even realize that the man he's talking to is Gatsby. In conclusion, this quote stood out to me because it emphasized the mysteries that surround Jay Gatsby and his life.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Chapter Two (p. 23-38)
Summary:
In chapter two, Nick goes to New York with Tom Buchanan. On the way there they stop at a garage and we are introduced to George B. Wilson and his wife, Myrtle. It turns out that Myrtle is the woman with whom Tom is having an affair and she slyly accompanies Nick and Tom to an apartment that Tom owns in New York. At the apartment, their neighbors, the McKees, and Myrtle's sister, Catherine, come over and they drink and have conversations. At the end of the party, Tom slaps Myrtle in the face as a result of an argument and breaks her nose. Nick had had too much to drink and all of the sudden he is waiting for a train at Pennsylvania Station with no idea of how he got there.
Character:
Myrtle Wilson
- "She was in the middle thirties, and faintly stout, but she carried her surplus flesh sensuously as some women can. Her face, above a spotted dress of dark blue crepe-de-chine, contained no facet or gleam of beauty, but there was an immediately perceptible vitality about her as if the nerves of her body were continually smouldering." (FITZGERALD 25)
- She's a powerful woman, strongly built, yet she holds herself well.
- She is smart and knows what she wants and how to get it.
- She has a way of making people compliment her by talking negatively about herself or playing something down as a way of actually bringing it to everyone's attention.
-- "'I like your dress,' remarked Mrs. McKee, [...] Mrs. Wilson rejected the compliment by raising her eyebrow in disdain. 'It's just a crazy old thing [...] I just slip it on sometimes when I don't care what I look like." (FITZGERALD 31)
- Myrtle is Tom Buchanan's mistress and she herself is also married. She is a strong woman, not to be taken lightly. When asked why she married George, when she evidently can not stand him, she said that she must have been crazy and describes it as being one of the biggest mistakes of her life. Near the end of the chapter, Tom and Myrtle have an argument regarding whether or not it is appropriate for her to bring up Daisy and Tom slaps her in the face and breaks her nose. This shows the abusive side of Tom and also brings Myrtle down a step because she has been acting so strong and full of herself. I feel that she will be an important character because she is obviously in love with Tom and I feel that she is not going to stand being the "other" woman much longer.
Meaningful Quote:
"We drove over to Fifth Avenue, so warm and soft, almost pastoral, on the summer Sunday afternoon that I wouldn't have been surprised to see a great flock of white sheep turn the corner." (FITZGERALD 28)
- This quote stood out to me because it described the setting and helped me to visualize where the characters where and what they were doing. The use of the word "pastoral" made the setting seem peaceful and relaxing which is why Nick would not be surprised to see "a great flock of white sheep turn the corner".
In chapter two, Nick goes to New York with Tom Buchanan. On the way there they stop at a garage and we are introduced to George B. Wilson and his wife, Myrtle. It turns out that Myrtle is the woman with whom Tom is having an affair and she slyly accompanies Nick and Tom to an apartment that Tom owns in New York. At the apartment, their neighbors, the McKees, and Myrtle's sister, Catherine, come over and they drink and have conversations. At the end of the party, Tom slaps Myrtle in the face as a result of an argument and breaks her nose. Nick had had too much to drink and all of the sudden he is waiting for a train at Pennsylvania Station with no idea of how he got there.
Character:
Myrtle Wilson
- "She was in the middle thirties, and faintly stout, but she carried her surplus flesh sensuously as some women can. Her face, above a spotted dress of dark blue crepe-de-chine, contained no facet or gleam of beauty, but there was an immediately perceptible vitality about her as if the nerves of her body were continually smouldering." (FITZGERALD 25)
- She's a powerful woman, strongly built, yet she holds herself well.
- She is smart and knows what she wants and how to get it.
- She has a way of making people compliment her by talking negatively about herself or playing something down as a way of actually bringing it to everyone's attention.
-- "'I like your dress,' remarked Mrs. McKee, [...] Mrs. Wilson rejected the compliment by raising her eyebrow in disdain. 'It's just a crazy old thing [...] I just slip it on sometimes when I don't care what I look like." (FITZGERALD 31)
- Myrtle is Tom Buchanan's mistress and she herself is also married. She is a strong woman, not to be taken lightly. When asked why she married George, when she evidently can not stand him, she said that she must have been crazy and describes it as being one of the biggest mistakes of her life. Near the end of the chapter, Tom and Myrtle have an argument regarding whether or not it is appropriate for her to bring up Daisy and Tom slaps her in the face and breaks her nose. This shows the abusive side of Tom and also brings Myrtle down a step because she has been acting so strong and full of herself. I feel that she will be an important character because she is obviously in love with Tom and I feel that she is not going to stand being the "other" woman much longer.
Meaningful Quote:
"We drove over to Fifth Avenue, so warm and soft, almost pastoral, on the summer Sunday afternoon that I wouldn't have been surprised to see a great flock of white sheep turn the corner." (FITZGERALD 28)
- This quote stood out to me because it described the setting and helped me to visualize where the characters where and what they were doing. The use of the word "pastoral" made the setting seem peaceful and relaxing which is why Nick would not be surprised to see "a great flock of white sheep turn the corner".
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Chapter One (p. 1-21)
Summary:
In the first chapter, the reader is introduced to Nick Carraway, who is the narrator of the book. He talks about himself in the beginning and informs his readers that he has just moved to New York and rented a house in Long Island in an area called the West Egg. He describes his house as an "eyesore" that had been overlooked next to the grand mansion of Mister Gatsby. In this chapter, Nick goes to his cousin, Daisy's, house and has dinner with her husband, Tom Buchanan ( who was a college acquaintance of Nick's) and their friend Miss Jordan Baker. During the dinner, he realizes he doesn't really know these "friends" at all and is also informed by Miss Baker that Tom has a "woman in New York". The topics of the dinner conversation include Tom's ideas about "Nordic Superiority".
Character:
Daisy Buchanan
- "Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a 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." (FITZGERALD 9)
- The way she talks makes people want to listen to her. Carraway says that he has heard people say that "Daisy's murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism that made it no less charming." (FITZGERALD 9)
- Carraway also talks about the warmth that came from her whenever she talked. "She was only extemporizing, but a stiffing warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words." (FITZGERALD 14)
- Daisy describes herself as being "cynical about everything" and later says "God, I'm sophisticated!" with a hint of insincerity in her voice. (FITZGERALD 16, 17)
- Daisy is the first female character we read about in the book. She is married to Tom Buchanan, a strong, wealthy, egotistical, and unfaithful man. She lives in a mansion that is furnished with nice things and she lives very well. She is also Nick Carraway's second cousin once removed but she seems to think that she and him are much closer than they really are. She is described as being a lovely woman but also seems to act a little superficial and in this first chapter we don't really get to know her. She is an important character because I feel that she is going to be a major part of the rest of the book and she sets the tone for the way females during this time period should/would act.
Meaningful Quote:
-"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." (FITZGERALD 4)
- I chose this quote because it helped me to visualize the setting and I could see the sun setting over the lawn and the light on the leafs on the trees. Also, I could relate to the quote because I really feel like every summer I have a chance to start over again and make this new period of time without the pressures of school and hectic schedules whatever I want it to be. It really stood out to me because I could picture summer and it made me want it to be June and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin.
In the first chapter, the reader is introduced to Nick Carraway, who is the narrator of the book. He talks about himself in the beginning and informs his readers that he has just moved to New York and rented a house in Long Island in an area called the West Egg. He describes his house as an "eyesore" that had been overlooked next to the grand mansion of Mister Gatsby. In this chapter, Nick goes to his cousin, Daisy's, house and has dinner with her husband, Tom Buchanan ( who was a college acquaintance of Nick's) and their friend Miss Jordan Baker. During the dinner, he realizes he doesn't really know these "friends" at all and is also informed by Miss Baker that Tom has a "woman in New York". The topics of the dinner conversation include Tom's ideas about "Nordic Superiority".
Character:
Daisy Buchanan
- "Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a 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." (FITZGERALD 9)
- The way she talks makes people want to listen to her. Carraway says that he has heard people say that "Daisy's murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism that made it no less charming." (FITZGERALD 9)
- Carraway also talks about the warmth that came from her whenever she talked. "She was only extemporizing, but a stiffing warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words." (FITZGERALD 14)
- Daisy describes herself as being "cynical about everything" and later says "God, I'm sophisticated!" with a hint of insincerity in her voice. (FITZGERALD 16, 17)
- Daisy is the first female character we read about in the book. She is married to Tom Buchanan, a strong, wealthy, egotistical, and unfaithful man. She lives in a mansion that is furnished with nice things and she lives very well. She is also Nick Carraway's second cousin once removed but she seems to think that she and him are much closer than they really are. She is described as being a lovely woman but also seems to act a little superficial and in this first chapter we don't really get to know her. She is an important character because I feel that she is going to be a major part of the rest of the book and she sets the tone for the way females during this time period should/would act.
Meaningful Quote:
-"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." (FITZGERALD 4)
- I chose this quote because it helped me to visualize the setting and I could see the sun setting over the lawn and the light on the leafs on the trees. Also, I could relate to the quote because I really feel like every summer I have a chance to start over again and make this new period of time without the pressures of school and hectic schedules whatever I want it to be. It really stood out to me because I could picture summer and it made me want it to be June and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin.
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