The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past (180).

When I realized that The Great Gatsby was a love triangle, I figured I would not like this book because it would end the same way that all of them end. It would be another repetitive, boy-likes-girl situation with a twist. As a reader, I try to steer away from those types of books because the plot line seems redundant. There is not much action to keep my attention; however, since it is for school, I tried to read it with an open mind. Each book does give some new insight even I find it almost insignificant. It astounded me that marriages were not taken seriously. They flouted them by cheating. Call me old fashioned but I am not a big fan. It showed the flaws of the American system in the 1920s. It reminds me that almost a hundred years later, Americans still have trouble with a monogamous relationship. I found that the same problems ring true today as they did back then. Gossip and cheating run rampant, yet the way we handle the situation changed. For example, Daisy knew that her husband had another woman and ignored it to the best of her ability. Nowadays, I find that people are more confrontational about cheating. Many people are more likely to divorce than to work out the situation. Although Tom and Daisy Buchannan had their share of problems, they dealt with them, and for that, I give them the respect that they deserve. 

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

The minister glanced several times at his watch, so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn’t any use. Nobody came (174).

A theme from Gatsby’s funeral is that the people are fickle. They went to Gatsby’s parties, talked to him, and had fun. However, they only used him for their amusement. They did not have the decency to come to his funeral. No one felt the need to do so. Gatsby had so many acquaintances at these parties, yet none came except three men. The people did not want to arrive at the funeral because it was not fun thing. They chase the parties, not funerals. Even Gatsby’s friends did not to associate themselves with a murder. It’s sad but true. The only reason they flocked to him was due to the massive parties that he threw.

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

He had intended, probably, to take what he could and go-but now he found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail. He knew that Daisy was extraordinary, but he didn’t realize just how extraordinary a “nice” girl could be (149).

Through the novel, Fitzgerald utilizes figurative language multiple occasions, especially symbolism and analogies. For example, he equates Daisy to a “grail”.  The lost grail is a futile. Many men search for the grail. None succeed. Here, he implies that success is out of Gatsby’s reach. He will fail in obtaining his desired woman. Also, within the chapter, he speaks of a holocaust. This analogy describes the deaths of Myrtle and Gatsby in the same day. Through the analogies, Fitzgerald assumes his audience to be more educated. 

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

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 (162).

So… I was a little confused here, especially when Fitzgerald says holocaust. I know he means death, but who died exactly? From the way I read it at first, it seemed to me that Wilson killed himself because of the death of his wife. Why was he at Gatsby’s house to commit suicide? Then, I realized that he did not want to kill himself but avenge his wife. He killed Gatsby because of Myrtle. His death completed the holocaust. Gatsby and Myrtle interest me; they died because of love. Myrtle died trying to get Tom’s attention when she thought he was driving the car. Gatsby died because of her death. That is one heck of a day.   

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

He [Gatsby] put his hands in his coat pockets and turned back eagerly to his scrutiny of the house, as though my presence marred the sacredness of the vigil (145).

Gatsby awaits his fairy tale ending that will never occur. He wants it so badly, but it is just out of his reach. When I first began to read this book and saw the love triangle, I thought that Gatsby would begin a new life together. That is what typically happens in a novel nowadays. Everything that ends just perfectly and the way it should; however, in The Great Gatsby that was not the case. Gatsby failed in regaining the love of his life. It demonstrates that life is a little messy. We cannot place it in a little box and keep it there. People change and with them, so do their thoughts. Since Daisy’s thoughts changed, she remained with her husband. She no longer felt the need to leave because of the occurrences of that strange, dramatic day. She wanted stability instead of a past love; those five years apart killed the chance between Daisy and Gatsby. It seems there will be no happily ever after for the two.

As much as an audience loves to watch the romantic comedies, how often do people achieve total happiness? In movies, we see glimpses of how we want to live; a knight in shining armor comes to sweep the distressed girl off her feet. It may not happen in reality, but it does send us the message that as a human race, we are worth an endearing relationship. As often as people dream about the happily ever after fantasy, sometimes they aren’t in the cards. Sometimes, we do not get it. Sometimes, we feel like Gatsby or Jack from the Titanic.  

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

He [Wilson] had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick. I stared at him and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before (124)…

When I read this quote, I thought of a movie, Stick It. The main character, a gymnast with some parental problems that kept her away from Worlds, said, “My world was disintegrating, and.” She walked out on Worlds because she could not cope with the pressure of her family separating. Betrayed, Graham left the life of gymnastics until the justice system forced her back into training. Tom Buchanan must have felt the same feelings of betrayal and fear that Haley Graham felt when she realized that her mother cheating on her father. Understanding that he might lose Daisy, he did the opposite of what Haley did. She ran away from her Olympic dreams due to her parents’ affairs; whereas, Buchanan fought for Daisy. He succeeded, making Gatsby look unscrupulous in Daisy’s eyes. Before his intervention, Daisy loved Gatsby, and she planned to run from her present life. He realized that he could not live without her. He discredited Gatsby as a criminal, and when they openly argued about Daisy’s love, it opened Daisy’s eyes to what she was doing. From all the confusion, Daisy realized her need to stay with Tom although she does not love him anymore. He won, but at what price? 

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don’t think he had ever really believed in its existence before (117).

She may be the reason to keep together
because she epitomizes their love.

Daisy’s and Tom’s daughter is a real example of their marriage. Small, sweet, and innocent, the child looks like her mother; however, through what she says, she seems to be a daddy’s little girl. Both parents love their child while they have no feelings for each other. Many have witnessed Buchanan with Myrtle and Daisy with Gatsby. Although they both deemed their love to another significant other, their child demonstrates the bond shared between her parents. It shocks Gatsby to see her because he probably blocked her out of his mind. It brings a sense of reality that there was a love between Daisy and Tom. If there was something between the two, it will be more difficult for Gatsby to convince Daisy that they were meant for each other. He sees the task in front of him in the form of a small child. Even though she may be young, she reminds Daisy and Tom of what they once had while reminding Gatsby that she had someone else’s child. He may even be a little jealous.

Just like the animals, there is a price to pay
for gambling.

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

“I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before,” he said, nodding determinedly. “She’ll see (110).”

As Gatsby says this, the action rises. He voices his determination to Nick, and he knows he cannot live without Daisy. He wants everything to go back to the way it was before he went to war. He will do anything to remind Daisy of what they once had. With such high stakes comes an awful price. To bridge the gap between the past and the present, he would have to go to extensive lengths. Daisy married Tom and had a child. Reversing the years that they spent together would take serious convincing on Gatsby’s end. He will pay the price to persuade Daisy away from her husband. If he succeeds, he will feel like the king of the world; however, if he does not, he loses the love of his life. With high stakes and high rewards, what will Gatsby do?

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way (96).

When I want something so badly and I plan every detail, it typically works out. As Gatsby has planned every detail about his reunion with Daisy, I have prepared myself to leave America behind for six weeks. Although I will be in Mexico, I have planned the trip with meticulous detail. I have done everything in my power to make sure that I have an enriching trip. I will learn the language and see another culture that the world has to offer. At first, my experience might be like Gatsby. He has thought about this day since he bought his house across from Daisy. Now that it is actually here, he feels nervous and clung to Nick’s help. Soon, he gained confidence, which I hope will be the same with me. I will become comfortable with the foreign culture, people, and language until it becomes my own. Gatsby probably felt confidence when Daisy and he became closer and began to reopen their old fire.  

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock (93).

Green means go. Yellow means maybe slow down. Red always means stop. We learn this from a young age by a game. Then it’s enforced when we learn to drive. This green light on Daisy’s dock signifies Gatsby’s hope. He wants to go to her and rehash the relationship that they had before he left. As long as the light burns, he still has a hope that he can steal her from Tom Buchanan. The chance may be infinitesimally small like when the Sound has fog. However, he knows that the light is still burning.

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

“He’s a bootlegger,” said the young ladies, moving somewhere between his cocktails and his flowers. “One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil (61)…”

Gatsby shrouds himself in mystery at this point. Although his estate neighbors the Caraway house, Nick has only seen him once looking across the Sound. However, rumors of his neighbor run rampant. Without ever meeting the man, how could Caraway believe or disprove this gossip. At the party, he meets a man that is entirely different from what he expected. He anticipates a quasi-sinister, bootlegging partier. Contrary to the expectations, Gatsby seemed to defy the rumors. He did not partake in the merriment and drink but watched his guests. While he may not compare to the hefty stories, Gatsby’s ambiguity leaves some questions. He still seems like a shifty character with a mysterious past filled with devious acquaintances. As Nick hears Gatsby’s background from Jordan Baker, he agrees to entangle himself into a bad romance. He allows his house to be used so that Gatsby can see his love of his life Daisy. 

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

…I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands (38).

This sentence onto the end of the chapter feels disjointed from the rest of the chapter. The ellipsis suggests that he did not include the ride to Mr. McKee’s house. The sentence before it presents the two men in an elevator together. Then, the next reveals that Nick went into McKee’s house to see his portfolio. Why Mr. McKee has to be only in his underwear is a mystery. When I first read this, I thought that Nick Caraway was too drunk to remember, but then I thought differently. He told the story coherently up to this point. I think that Mr. McKee’s little fiasco is not important to the main purpose of the novel. He did not need find it necessary to place a minute detail into the work if Mr. McKee was not going to make another appearance, especially if the man ended up only clad in his underwear. Nick left him his dignity by not giving detail about the walk down to McKee’s house. 

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

 "The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be - will be utterly submerged (Fitzgerald, 13)."

When Tom Buchanan spoke this quote, he epitomizes a portion of the novel setting. During the 1920s, Americans separated the African Americans and the whites. Inter-marriage was out of the question because whites deemed themselves superior. Through this quote, I obtain my first glimpse of the expectations enforced upon the society, especially the white upper class. They lived in a culture where social connections were a must have in life. For example, Nick was Daisy's "second cousin once removed (5)." Today, I am lucky to remember all of my cousins' names, much less my second cousin once removed although I do not think I have any of those. Also, in the 1920s, the United States government denied its citizens the right for alcohol consumption. I found it interesting that the denizens still partook in drinking over the simplest event.

Family tree confusion:

Oh honey no..

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

"I bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment securities, and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Mæcenas knew (Fitzgerald, 4)."

Enjoy the recreation by the MUPPETS.

This allusion to Nick's desires to become rich reminds me of today's society. We are honed from a very young age to become productive members of society. To do so, we need the right tools. Just as Nick needed books on investment securities, today, doctors need medical journals and mechanics need a variety of wrenches and pliers. All of these devices are needed to acquire their aspiration: financial stability, yet is it necessary for happiness? Today, we often associate happiness with money and success. As in the case of Midas in mythology, he wanted wealth from the gods. Receiving the golden touch, he turned everything to gold, even his daughter. His greed blinded him when he accidentally killed her. He realized that the splendor of materialism is not all that the world has to offer. We must take a lesson from Midas and Kermit. Although it is comforting to have money in the bank, it is not the epitome of happiness. It should not be the only purpose in our lives because it will provoke a sense of regret and loneliness.