In the book "The Great Gatsby" you experience the adventure through the eyes of Nick Carraway. A business man who has just moved to West Egg and through him you learn of Jay Gatsby and many other unique characters that have their own problems and characteristics that separates them from everyone else.
One of the qualities of Nick Carraway is that he is not very judgmental of the characters in the story, or at least not out in the open about it, so he is able to make friends with everyone so that you can see what they are like through Nick's eyes. The eyes of a friend. He made friends right off the bat with Gatsby and this slowly reveals Gatsby's past and secrets as they become closer friends.
Nick's presence allows for Gatsby to set up meetings with Daisy because he would ask Nick to invite Daisy over for tea and surprise, Gatsby happened to show up too. Nick becomes a character that Gatsby and others are able to confide their secrets too without exposing themselves to the other characters in the story. To Gatsby I believe that Nick is just a way of meeting Daisy on a regular basis because she knows him.
Throughout the book you meet so many interesting and diverse characters that I feel as though Nick is the medium point or considered "normal" so that you can base all of the other characters off of, kind of using him as contrast too see the differences between each person. An example of this could be that Nick is a business man who is not very wealthy and then you have Gatsby who fought in the war as a decorated officer and is currently very wealthy. The book would have been much different if you took Carraway out of it because it would just be taking out a character that had made an impact of bringing all of the characters together as a link.
In the end although Nick had his own way of being important to everybody. He did not really accomplish any major feats or deeply affect too many of the characters. Although if Nick never would have showed up to link Gatsby and Daisy, Myrtle and Gatsby might have never been killed in the end of the book. Things were definitely changed by Carraway's presence but not much was accomplished in the time span of the story itself.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
The Great Gatsby weekend project
For my weekend project I decided to do a poem since I think it would fit best with the book. Some of this poem was made already but I added in my own parts too:
Daisy and Tom look at each other for a moment in silence.
They say Tom's got some woman in New YorkBut you shouldn't believe everything you hear.She smiles slowly andwalking through her husband as if he is a ghostshakes hands with Tomlooking him flush in the eye.Wilson thinks she goes to see her sister in New York.Tom's the first sweetie she ever had.They stand face to faceDiscussing in impassioned voicesWhether Mrs. Wilson has any rightTo mention Daisy's name.Daisy!Daisy!Daisy!Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan breaks her nose with his open hand.Daisy glances up and holds out her handHer eyes fasten with an awed expression on her little finger;The knuckle is black and blue.A brute of a manA greatBigHulkingPhysical specimen of a—You must know Gatsby.The officer looked at DaisyIn a way that every young girl wants to be looked at some time.His name was Jay Gatsby.It's a strange coincidence.But it's not a coincidence at all.He wants her to see his house.He's afraid, he's waited so long.He's waited five years.The exhilarating ripple of her voice is a wild tonic in the rain.We haven't met for many years.Five years.You can't repeat the past.He kissed her.She blossomed for him like a flowerOne autumn nightFive years ago.You can't repeat the past.Daisy and Tom sit opposite each other at the kitchen table.They're not happyAnd yet they're not unhappy.No telephone message arrivedGatsby didn't believe it would come.He no longer cares.He has paid a high priceFor living too long with a single dream.Five years next November.Mr. Gatsby is dead.
Daisy and Tom look at each other for a moment in silence.
They say Tom's got some woman in New YorkBut you shouldn't believe everything you hear.She smiles slowly andwalking through her husband as if he is a ghostshakes hands with Tomlooking him flush in the eye.Wilson thinks she goes to see her sister in New York.Tom's the first sweetie she ever had.They stand face to faceDiscussing in impassioned voicesWhether Mrs. Wilson has any rightTo mention Daisy's name.Daisy!Daisy!Daisy!Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan breaks her nose with his open hand.Daisy glances up and holds out her handHer eyes fasten with an awed expression on her little finger;The knuckle is black and blue.A brute of a manA greatBigHulkingPhysical specimen of a—You must know Gatsby.The officer looked at DaisyIn a way that every young girl wants to be looked at some time.His name was Jay Gatsby.It's a strange coincidence.But it's not a coincidence at all.He wants her to see his house.He's afraid, he's waited so long.He's waited five years.The exhilarating ripple of her voice is a wild tonic in the rain.We haven't met for many years.Five years.You can't repeat the past.He kissed her.She blossomed for him like a flowerOne autumn nightFive years ago.You can't repeat the past.Daisy and Tom sit opposite each other at the kitchen table.They're not happyAnd yet they're not unhappy.No telephone message arrivedGatsby didn't believe it would come.He no longer cares.He has paid a high priceFor living too long with a single dream.Five years next November.Mr. Gatsby is dead.
The End of Gatsby
In the end of the book I was a little stunned at how Gatsby does end up dying. Although I still don't really understand the book, I think I will have to reread it to understand the real meaning but I still have trouble with it.
It was an interesting book but it feels like it had ended too abruptly, almost like I was missing something that I couldn't quite find.
It was an interesting book but it feels like it had ended too abruptly, almost like I was missing something that I couldn't quite find.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Chapter 8 Active Reading Notes
So far, everyone, especially Wilson are in shock that his wife had died but nobody except Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy know how she died.
Nick meets with Gatsby and Gatsby tells him how he and Daisy met a while back while he was still and Officer in the Army. Nick learns about how Daisy found Gatsby interesting because he new different things than her because of the difference between their lifestyles.
Meanwhile, Wilson admits that he has a way of finding things out and he goes looking for the owner of the yellow car that didn't stop for Myrtle and asks directions to Gatsby's house.
Gatsby tells his staff that the car is not to be brought out under any circumstances and although it was Daisy's fault for killing Myrtle he would take the blame.
The ending of the chapter really confused me: Nick and Gatsby's staff go looking for Gatsby and they talk about a red ring in the pool as well as a mattress in the pool and then suddenly they are talking about Wilson's body and the ending of the holocaust?
Nick meets with Gatsby and Gatsby tells him how he and Daisy met a while back while he was still and Officer in the Army. Nick learns about how Daisy found Gatsby interesting because he new different things than her because of the difference between their lifestyles.
Meanwhile, Wilson admits that he has a way of finding things out and he goes looking for the owner of the yellow car that didn't stop for Myrtle and asks directions to Gatsby's house.
Gatsby tells his staff that the car is not to be brought out under any circumstances and although it was Daisy's fault for killing Myrtle he would take the blame.
The ending of the chapter really confused me: Nick and Gatsby's staff go looking for Gatsby and they talk about a red ring in the pool as well as a mattress in the pool and then suddenly they are talking about Wilson's body and the ending of the holocaust?
Chapter 7 Active Reading Notes
Daisy, Tom, Nick, and Gatsby are all having tea at Gatsby's house during the hot weather.
Daisy starts asking everyone if they want to go into town for a drink so after a little more talking they all decide to go.
As they are all about to leave for town, Daisy says that she wants to ride in the coupe with Gatsby instead of the other car with Tom.
Tom stops for gas on the way down into town and feels a little guilty for ruining the gas station owner's life by having an affair with his wife.
At the end of the chapter all of the guests are in a room that they rented and are about to make mint juleps when everything explodes and Gatsby argues with Tom that he loves Daisy and that Daisy never loved Tom.
Daisy starts asking everyone if they want to go into town for a drink so after a little more talking they all decide to go.
As they are all about to leave for town, Daisy says that she wants to ride in the coupe with Gatsby instead of the other car with Tom.
Tom stops for gas on the way down into town and feels a little guilty for ruining the gas station owner's life by having an affair with his wife.
At the end of the chapter all of the guests are in a room that they rented and are about to make mint juleps when everything explodes and Gatsby argues with Tom that he loves Daisy and that Daisy never loved Tom.
Chapter 6 Active Reading Notes
Gatsby had invited Daisy and Tom over for a party and Nick arrives as well. This is the first time Tom meets Gatsby face to face.
Eventually Gatsby and Daisy begin dancing while Tom walks around the party and talks to other women.
During this time Nick is sitting at a table with some guests that are "tipsy" as he calls them and he listens to their conversation.
Later on in the party Gatsby asks Nick to stay and he tells him about how it used to be with Daisy and that he wants it to be that way again.
Eventually Gatsby and Daisy begin dancing while Tom walks around the party and talks to other women.
During this time Nick is sitting at a table with some guests that are "tipsy" as he calls them and he listens to their conversation.
Later on in the party Gatsby asks Nick to stay and he tells him about how it used to be with Daisy and that he wants it to be that way again.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Chapter 5 active reading notes
I couldn't find the outline on how to do these so I am going to just go with the flow.
When Daisy comes over to the house to have tea with Nick and Gatsby, I don't really understand why Gatsby says that it was a bad idea to set up the meeting, that is what he wanted wasn't it?
It seems as though Gatsby is trying to impress Daisy by showing off his house and all of his nice clothes along with his swimming pool and hydroplane.
Lastly, I hope we can discuss the ending of this chapter, it seems that Gatsby and Daisy forgot that Nick was there yet Daisy knew but Nick left them alone in the house together and walked back out into the rain alone.
When Daisy comes over to the house to have tea with Nick and Gatsby, I don't really understand why Gatsby says that it was a bad idea to set up the meeting, that is what he wanted wasn't it?
It seems as though Gatsby is trying to impress Daisy by showing off his house and all of his nice clothes along with his swimming pool and hydroplane.
Lastly, I hope we can discuss the ending of this chapter, it seems that Gatsby and Daisy forgot that Nick was there yet Daisy knew but Nick left them alone in the house together and walked back out into the rain alone.
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