The Great Gatsby Chapter 7

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

I just read a book last week called Maid to Match which was actually pretty good, considering I just grabbed it of a shelf at random at the library.  It is about a maid who wants to upgrade her position in the household to ladies' maid, but she meets a male servant who is new to the house and quickly falls in love with him (but that's not really relevant to this novel).
      When I read chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, I thought of this book because all of the servants in it are very close and loyal, like Gatsby's new servants would be.  I know it's a little ridiculous to fire an entire household of workers, but I do understand why he did it.  He wanted to be sure no word of his affair with Daisy Buchanan reached the ears of anyone, much less Tom--who knows what he would have done if he heard of if from anyone but Daisy.
       The major scene in chapter 7 was the little dinner at the Buchanans' house that Gatsby, Jordan, and Nick were invited to.  A common description during this part was "hot," which reminded me of pretty much this entire summer which was really hot, considering we live in INDIANA.  Numerous records were broken this summer for extreme temperatures.  I love this description of the heat: "The straw seats of the car hovered on the edge of combustion; the woman next to me perspired delicately for a while into her white shirtwaist, as her newspaper dampened under her fingers, lapsed despairingly into deep heat with a desolate cry" (Fitzgerald, page 115).  I also loved how Daisy passionately kissed Jay right in front of Nick and Jordan because she was so forward for the 1920's and so irrational with love that she just didn't care.  I also felt a little sad for Gatsby because "he didn't really believe in its [Daisy's child's] existence before" (Fitzgerald, page 117), and a child would just further complicate any break-up (what he wants to happen).

The Great Gatsby Chapter 6

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is just going to be a random post with odds and ends from chapter 6 because I really didn't find something big that I wanted to blog about.
      Before chapter 6, I was really confused as to what the point was of The Great Gatsby.  I was also really confused about the reporter, but I guess it just had to do with some of his illegal activities or something else we're not really privy to.  I think that should be more in focus in the book because the audience does not really understand his whole story, which I suppose is one of Fitzgerald's key means of describing the mystery of the great Gatsby.  I was also really confused with the pool thing.  What did running that woman's head under cold water have to do with anything? Relevancy, please?
      Also really random--I loved the part about St. Olaf College because I had never heard of it until I got mail from there last year.
      I thought the little meeting with Tom was really weird and didn't fully understand its meaning and purpose, but I did like how Gatsby talked about Daisy, even though Tom didn't fully "get it" yet.
      It was really funny when everyone started calling Tom "the polo player" (Fitzgerald, page 105).  I was actually laughing out loud when I read that part, considering how much I hate Tom Buchanan.  I also loved the description of Jay's dancing the fox-trot, which shows how much he actually learned on his way to success in society.

The Great Gatsby Characters

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jay Gatsby

Gatsby is, obviously, the main character in the novel, although we do not directly meet him until the third chapter.  Some would argue that Nick Carraway is the central character in the book, but I think that he is just a pawn in Gatsby's plans and just plays the role of friend and observer throughout the story.  I think he is a round, dynamic character because he has multiple personality traits and changes throughout the novel.  Something random about Jay Gatsby--what's with the "old sport" stuff on nearly every page?  I love it though!  I also love his newly-kindled relationship with Daisy.  "At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete" (Fitzgerald, page 111).

Jay and Nick

I couldn't find a drawing of just Nick, so this is one of both him and Gatsby; however, this is actually a great place to start with Mr. Carraway's description.  Well, he doesn't actually know Jay for practically his entire life, but he does live right next door to him.  As a pawn in Gatsby's future plans, Nick is invited to one of Gatsby's famous parties, and some sort of relationship blossoms, although neither really confides truthfully in each other.  Nick is also a round, dynamic character because of his role in Gatsby's life.  The Great Gatsby is about what else--the great Gatsby--and his demise.

Jordan Baker

Jordan Baker is an interesting character because she is so mysterious, and I really like her because she is so forward for the 1920's.  I think that she is more of a static character because she really doesn't change throughout the novel and really isn't a main character.  I like her relationship with Nick, but I wish Fitzgerald would have included more details about the two of them, instead of focusing on just Jay and Daisy.

Daisy Buchanan

I immediately liked Daisy, but after a few more chapters, I found her to be kind of annoying.  She is so focused on wealth and status, just like Lily Bart in The House of Mirth, and she doesn't realize how much better her life would be with Jay who would be loyal to her and not have a mistress (like somebody else we know...).  Like I said with Lily Bart, I cannot understand why she just didn't drop Tom for Gatsby; I would like to think that I would give up a life of wealth and luxury for true love.  Wait, that doesn't really make sense--I guess she just does not want to become involved in a divorce scandal and whatever illegal activities Jay was involved in.




And I guess I'll include Tom, even though I really don't like him.

Tom and Daisy Buchanan

Jerk!!  I'll just leave it at that.

No, not really.  But he is really not a nice guy.  I keep thinking about his mistress and that one time he punched her...  Well anyway, he doesn't really change throughout the novel either, so I would classify him as static and possibly flat because he only has a few personality traits.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 5

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Dear John--A great, bittersweet movie and book (though I have not read it yet) which really parallels Gatsby and his story with Daisy.  In The Great Gatsby, Jay and Daisy had been sweethearts when they were younger and were really in love.  However, Jay had to go off in the army and left her behind while he successfully served in the Great War.  Just as John arrived home to find the love of his life married to someone else, Gatsby came back home to find that Daisy had moved on, married Tom Buchanan, and had a beautiful daughter.  This was devastating to both men, but it also gave Gatsby something to strive and work toward: getting her back.  In order to get Daisy's love back, he felt that he needed to become very wealthy and prove to her that he could support her both emotionally and physically.  Presently in the novel, Gatsby has achieved nearly everything he wanted, yet he still desires Daisy, so Nick invites her over for a tea that Gatsby just happens to attend.  It was a bittersweet reunion because she was still married to Tom and they could not openly be together, but they did have a nice time and renewed certain feelings toward each other.  Fitzgerald's writing in this scene was often very beautiful.  One particular sentence stood out to me: "He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room" (Fitzgerald, page 89).  I love Nick's view of his friend's romance and the way Fitzgerald describes it with such beautiful diction.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 4

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

In Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby, we finally realize that Gatsby likes Tom Buchanan's wife Daisy (if we didn't read the summary on the back of the book or forgot what it said, like I did).

"'This is Mr. Gatsby, Mr. Buchanan.'
They shook hands briefly, and a strained, unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby's face...I turned toward Mr. Gatsby, but he was no longer there" (Fitzgerald, page 74).

 He is awkward around Tom probably because he is jealous and possibly angry at him for stealing away his woman.  This is completely understandable as no one would want to be around someone who currently has the love of the person he/she loves.  I wonder if Tom suspects anything or if Daisy had mentioned anything about Jay to her husband.  I know I wouldn't.
      Anyway, Nick goes on to describe a conversation with Jordan Baker in which she recalls the details of Jay and Daisy's relationship years before.  It was sad when she said she found Daisy drunk on her wedding day because she was obviously still in love with Jay, but she had given up on him and true love.  Many things come into focus in this chapter as well, such as why Gatsby moved into that particular house (because it was across from Daisy) and why he befriended Nick from the beginning (because he wanted Daisy to come over to see his house).  This makes a lot of sense, but I do feel bad for Nick because he has been taken advantage of and possibly is not close to the real Gatsby at all (although I'm still not sure if he really likes him or not).

This is where I would reference a movie or book where the man didn't want to he around his love's husband, but there are too many to choose from so I'll leave it to your imagination.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 3

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

I really liked the third chapter of the novel because it went in-depth into one of Gatsby's famous, extravagant parties.  One of my favorite lines from this scene is where Jordan says "And I like large parties.  They're so intimate.  At small parties there isn't any privacy" (Fitzgerald, page 49).  I absolutely love this contradiction!  At first, it doesn't make much sense, and then I read it again and fully understood what Jordan was getting at.  At large parties, people are able to separate into smaller, more intimate groups and can discuss certain topics or perform certain acts.  But at smaller parties, everyone is in the same place, and no one gets any privacy.  I have been to both types of parties and must say that I agree with Jordan Baker on this one.  I enjoy being able to mingle with different people and get some privacy, which is seemingly impossible at a small, intimate party.
      I also really like how Nick comes up with nicknames for various party-goers.  On page 44, he refers to three men as "Mr. Mumbles" and the man from the library as "Owl Eyes" (Fitzgerald, page 54).  Both references give a little insight into how he views the world and seems to make fun of many aspects of the party. I'm a huge fan of The Office, so of course I thought of a Michael Scott moment.

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

As I said before, the narrator of this novel is very different from Wharton in The House of Mirth.  Written in first person, The Great Gatsby tells the story from the point of view of Nick Carraway who is close friends with Jay Gatsby.  Throughout the first couple chapters, Nick described his life and acquaintances which set the stage for Gatsby for the remainder of the novel.  Differing greatly, the narrator in The House of Mirth is omniscient and tells the story in third person, giving thoughts and feelings of different characters, not just Lily Bart.  Edith Wharton and F. Scott Fitzgerald both share some qualities in their writing such as flashbacks, beautiful diction, and varying syntax [but that's for another post]. 
      Now a little about Nick Carraway.  I really liked Nick from the very beginning.  He is really funny, sometimes sarcastic, and intelligent.  I appreciate his decisions and choice of friends, although the novel does not go very in-depth with his various relationships.  Anyway, I love the little "bromance" blossoming between Gatsby and Nick because it seemed like he really needed a close friend, even though he had those huge, extravagant parties seemingly every weekend. I really like Gatsby too because he loves Daisy, even after all those years, and he is cutely nervous and embarrassed around her.  "Oh, God," "This is a terrible mistake...a terrible, terrible mistake," and "Don't talk so loud" (Fitzgerald, pages 87-88.)  This was really sweet as Gatsby seemed so calm and collected all the time except when he was around Daisy.  Nick was also sweet during this scene when he talked Gatsby through his nervousness and really supported him like a good friend should.  [Whoops, I guess this is in chapter 5, so I'm going a little out of order on the posts.]