Friday, April 3, 2009

Gatsby Fishbowl: Chapter 3


Hello, outer circle!


Here's my suggestion for stepping up the level of conversation today: Try bringing textual passages into some of your comments. Fitzgerald revised and revised each line of Gatsby--let's pay some homage to his language.


One other suggestion: Try getting into a hotseat. It's fun. Enjoy!

128 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Guys! This is Whitney. I am home sick today but did not want to miss out on this Fishbowl. So I will be blogging with you from my couch.

delaney n said...

Whitney you're such a trooper.

Unknown said...

Yes whit, I love you! Bummer that you're sick love.

MattN said...

So I though Fitzgerald was making Gatsby look like an old guy who was trying to stay young by having a ton of big parties! And does he just expect people to come to his parties every week? It seems odd that he just throws a party and brings in an orchestra and everything, and he does not even participate in his own party! He seems like an interesting character! Do you think Fitzgerald made Gatsby in a mirror of himself!

delaney n said...

Does someone want to clarify the car accident with me? I'm a bit confused on the details.

maddief said...

Oh, I hope you feel better Whitney! Hey guys, I don't know about you, but I really liked this chapter. The party scene was interesting and we finally got to meet Gatsby. Personally, I find him charming. He doesn't drink much, and he's so considerate of his guests. However, why does he let people he isn't familiar with come to his parties? I think he's lonely, what do you guys think?

amyw said...

mattn---I thought this was odd as well. He throws these exquisite, elaborate parties, and just stands on the edge of the crowd and observes the whole time. Why does he do this?

shannanp said...

MattN-
I don't think that Gatsby is a mirror of Fitzgerald because Gatsby doesn't drink, while in the biography of Fizgerald, he was always the one drinking. Also, Gatsby seems like a more open person than Fatzgerald.

shannanp said...

Delaney-I also thought that this was a really odd thing to add and it seemed like it was important because it was so long. I have a theory that it is supposed to show the craziness of the party.

amyw said...

delaneyn---Someone drove into a ditch and the wheel fell off, and it blocked traffic, causing everyone to honk their horns. The guy who was driving was completely disoriented and barely knew what happened, and eventually Nick just walked away.

ParkerH said...

I guess I'm not surprised that the narrator had an affair with some girl (page 56 in the non-gold), but what is F.S.F trying to say with this? Why does everyone have affairs?

Unknown said...

Matt- Believe me, Gatsby is not old. He is basically the same age as the narrator and the other main characters.

delaney n said...

Shannan P- Do you think maybe Fitzgerald is trying to make Gatsby in his image if he didn't drink? Like maybe this is the way Fitzgerald saw himself if he didn't drink?

kennaw said...

MattN~
In my book I wrote annotations on that too, but I think Gatsby is a person who wants to make everyone happy. I think he throws parties to entertain others. I don't think he is trying to be young i think he is simply trying to be nice. I wrote in the margins that he is trying to provide a reason for people to enjoy themselves and give them what they can't give themselves. On page 48 in the first paragraph and on page 53, there are some lines that support Gatsby trying to please everyone.

maddief said...

Matt, yeah Fitzgerald could be using Gatsby to mirror himself. He enjoys being in the spotlight and throwing parties. What makes me wonder is why he throws these parties? He acts and seems modest, so why show-off with these parties. I don't think he's vain, I think he's just lonely.

Unknown said...

What were your first impressions of Gatsby? You meet him in this chapter and I, personally, really liked him!

MattN said...

amyw: At first it totally seemed creepy to me that he just stood there and watched everyone! Like he was kinda putting something in the champagne or something!! He is introduced as a weird guy but ends up being very nice!

catem said...

MattN~ I think that the reason that Gatsby hosts all these parties to diminish his loneliness. If you think about it, he's always in his mansion alone, and just wants some company.

Anonymous said...

Thanks guys:)

MattN - Alrihght, I totally agree that Gatsby is an interesting character. I do not quite understand exactly who he is and he seems to have a total fairytale lifestyle. I do not really think he is necessarily forming him after himself, but maybe a general sterotype of the rich people during his time.

KiraW said...

I had one questions on this... Do you think that it seems that FSF is making any suggestions about women? Most of the women that he has in this book are either very bubbly and kind of stupid (Myrtle) bubbly but get bored easily (Daisy) or dishonest (Jordan) overall kinda negitive toward woman...

AustinD said...

@Maddie: Ditto in every sense of the word. I think he let's people come over to his parties is due to the lonelyness in everyone. As F.S.F. said, people just showed up expecting a good time and to escape the normal boredome.

meganu said...

Maddie - I agree, I thought the exact same about Gatsby. I think he's hiding something huge though, just because of the way Fitzgerald kept him so secret and mysterious this whole time.

amyw said...

Does anyone else think that by drawing suspicion with Gatsby's niceness and loyalty, Fitzgerald is commenting on how no one ever accepts anything at face value?

EmilyJ said...

maddief- I was thinking about that too, that would be a little weird to have half of your party be strangers, but maybe he doesn't necessarily invite them. I'm sure Gatsby's parties are a big deal in the town since they are so big, so a lot of people probably just hear about them and show up. But I agree, I don't think he minds it because it eases his loneliness.

mollyd said...

Amy- I know this sounds weird but maybe Gatsby might like to watch people. He might find them interesting and enjoy all the crazy things they do. Or like others are saying he may just be lonely and this is his way of attracting company.

shannanp said...

I really agree with Rose on the inner circle about Gatsby's older personality. I thought that he really is like an older brother to Nick because he is always calling him old sport. He also very welcoming to Nick and tries to make him feel very comfortable.

Unknown said...

Shannan- Do you think Fitzgerald wrote Gatsby as someone he would have wanted to be, like with the whole non-drinking thing.

KateP said...

maddief- Like Sabrina just said, I thought that it was odd that so many of his guests didn't know very much about him. For example when they were talking about how he killed someone or he was a spy. I agree with u that he was very charming though.

Unknown said...

Kira- I think that is just how women were seen back then. They were almost expected to be stupid for some reason.

maddief said...

Delaney, that's a really interesting comment about Fitzgerald imagining himself as Gatsby if he didn't drink. I think that Gatsby is the man that Fitzgerald always wanted to be. As we know though, he drank a lot and was not as calm as Gatsby, so I think Gatsby is his form of wishful thinking.

kennaw said...

ShannanP~
I also wrote in my books that I thought Gatsby represented who Fitzgerald wished he could have been. On page 48, again, a girl says,"...He doesn't want any trouble with anybody." I think that is how Fitzgerald wished he could have been.

amyw said...

What was the point of the car accident? Why was it included in this chapter?

Anonymous said...

maddief - Thank you! And I agree with you a think that he is very lonely and Fitzgerald is highlight the fact that the rich life of some americans has all the material needs imaginable, but the emotional needs are lacking. I mean you can even see it within the marriages. I really do not see any emotional fulfillment with any of the characters.

mollyd said...

Kira- That's a good point. I never really noticed how all the women were seen as careless or dumb or something. Maybe Fitzgerald just likes the idea of patriarchy or is trying to convey this.

EmilyJ said...

morgant- I agree! I really liked Gatsby when we first met him. He seems so down to earth, and the fact that he didn't randomly come out and tell Nick who he was shows a great amount of respect and humbleness. He doesn't seem to have a cold side to him, he just welcomes everyone in and accomodates them.

kennaw said...

Does anybody realize the repetition of the word twilight? It has been in each chapter at least once. Why does he use that word to describe?

catem said...

Amyw~ I think the reason that people are so suspicious of Gatsby is because he is just so unique. I think it's just showing how people always want to know what's going on.

ParkerH said...

Megan-
I'm not sure about Gatsby hiding something huge, or at least something that's horrible. I mean, it is "The Great Gatsby", and not "The Suspicious, Malevolent Gatsby". It could be a sarcastic or satirical title, but I don't think so.

Unknown said...

Kira- That is a good question. I was wondering the same thing. The women in this book are all different but they all have negative qualities in them that seem dominant. I feel like he is being stereotypical, but then again the women are all different.

Unknown said...

amyw- I really think that the whole car incident was to show the scene going from happy to a disaster in a sense; everything started to break down. Maybe it is like foreplay on the rest of the story...

shannanp said...

Delaney-
So do you think that Gatsby is the way that Fitzgerald wishes that he was? That the Great Gatsby is so "great" and he wishes that people veiwed himself like that.

KiraW said...

Maddie: I think that Gatsby seems really lonely. I think that one of the main themes reflected in this book is lonelyness. Do you think that in FSF's crazy party life he also may have been lonely?

amyw said...

kennaw---I think this might be a symbol of how everyone in the novel has some kind of loneliness or emotional problems, no matter how much money they have.

catem said...

Why do you think that Fitzgerald decided to have Gatsby not drinking? All of the guests were drinking except for him. Do you think there is any significance in this?

AustinD said...

@Amy: I think it was thrown in there to show the stupidity of the era. It shows that Nick finally understands all the panedmonium with Tom, the parties, and the day to day life of that era.

Unknown said...

Cate- I think that Gatsby is disliked because he is liked by so many, and people think of him a rich and stuck up sometimes. He is well known and will therefore get gossiped about a lot.

Unknown said...

Emily- Exactly! I felt like he was a really humble guy despite his wealth, and like Karly said in the inner circle, I felt like he had a huge influence over people. Wherever he was there seemed to be an impact. People knew who he was and he just like changed the atmosphere, yet he doesn't seem like he really wants all the attention. I like that about him.

maddief said...

Alright, so here are my thoughts on Jordan Baker. I was shocked when at the end of the chapter, Nick wrote, "Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply..." Why does he forgive her, and is this one of society's double standards?

amyw said...

catem---I think it's used mostly to show his separation. He's so detached from everybody, standing above them and observing them but not mingling. So it's just something to show how different Gatsby is from everyone else because he's not drunk like they are.

MattN said...

KiraW!!! I totally agree!!!! I noticed that all the women are either pushed around and just used by their husbands, get bored easily, or control the man! They are in all aspects of spectrum! I think he probably wrote this because Zelda decided to leave him because he had no money!! I think he knew this but still thought she was beautiful so married her anyway! With all of the affairs and not really loving relationships, he had pretty bad encounters with women!!

meganu said...

Mollyd - I also thought Gatsby was a people watcher! That was my first impression. I think it's true that he is lonely, but I think it entertains him. Or maybe he even likes gaining the knowledge of all of these different, random people who show up at his parties. Gatsby seems like he's very knowledgeable and likes learning, just because of his library. Owl eyes saw that all the books in Gatsby's library were real, not just space fillers. Gatsby seems like a real person who loves to learn. This is his way of just gaining new knowledge.

KateP said...

amyw- I was wondering that too. I was thinking maybe that might have happened at one of the parties that Fitzgerald once went too. Since they talk about the man being very drunk and very confused.

ParkerH said...

I had a comment yesterday (I think, maybe it was Tuesday) about everyone but Nick being fake. I now include Gatsby in my "real" list. Can anyone think of someone else?

kennaw said...

AmyW~
I agree with that! I also think it has to do with the time this book was set in and how many people were concerned with their social status and how money controlled their status and how other people saw them.

Unknown said...

Cate- I really think that Fitzgerald made Gatsby a non-drinker because not drinking anything made him stand out from the rest of the society. Also, I think Fitzgerald might have had a longing to be like that, and he knew that he could not be.

shannanp said...

LizC-I actually read your comment right after I posted mine and I completely agree that Fitzgerald wrote Gatsby as this dream persona.

Kenna-I read your comment after also and I also agree.
Also, the twilight thing: I thought that it was so odd that Gatsby never said dusk, dark, or night, but always twilight. Do you think that this is on purpose and what do you think is the significance?

Unknown said...

Parker- Myrtle's husband, Wilson is very real I think.

MattN said...

Parker! But maybe he is so great because of the terribly great things he did! He did something to get his work, and he was in the army, so he had some trauma, he seems that he likes attention in incriments! He is for sure hiding something! And he showed it to Jordan

amyw said...

maddief---I noticed this sentence too! I wasn't sure what it meant though. Maybe Nick meant that he doesn't really blame her dishonesty because he realizes that she always wants to be the best.

Anonymous said...

Catem - I was wondering that too. I was wondering why Fitzgerald made such a comparison between Gatsby and his guests. And I think it is because maybe Gatsby did not have a wealthy background and just came into this wealth by chance.

KiraW said...

Ooo Amy interesting! I hadn't even thought of that but it totally makes sence that he would be a bit untrustworthy. I really liked his character, but it was a little wierd that Gatsby would isolate himself so much in his own house and party

ParkerH said...

Kenna-
That mindset isn't limited to back then. It's still quite strong today.

maddief said...

Morgan, I agree, I think he is being very stereotypical towards women. I posted a comment earlier about Nick saying it's easy to overlook women's dishonesty. Does Fitzgerald find all women to be shallow, dishonest gossipers?

Unknown said...

Amy- I agree with your thoughts about Gatsby. I think it was a way of setting him apart and he is just a different character. He is just down to earth and he likes to be social which surprised me because in the beginning he was very secretive. But now that he is out in the open, I like him a lot.

catem said...

Amyw~ In some ways I think that Fitzgerald has Gatsby not drinking to further prove his greatness. I think that Fitzgerald always strove to be dry, but never could accomplish it. I think that Gatsby is just above that.

delaney n said...

Connection with the inner circle... pg 2 the narrator is talking about how he tries not to judge people but he says, "Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction-"

mollyd said...

Maddie- To me the narrator seems lonely just as lots of people had said and he could have forgiven Jordan in order to keep her company around. Also that connects back to the question Kira asked about how women in this novel are treated as "dumb" or "ditzy". Maybe the men just think that women will always mess up so the best you can do is forgive her.

shannanp said...

"I am one of the few honest people that I knew"
I disagree with this statement because it seems that Nick puts on a mask at all of the social events that he is now going to. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Also, what are people's thoughts on Jordan and Gatsby's relationship?

amyw said...

catem---I agree! And so now we know that Gatsby is how Fitzgerald aspired to be.

kennaw said...

ShannanP~ I feel that the word "twilight" gives a hint of mystery because it could be seen as either a dark or light noun. But the situations when he uses the word as a descriptor are all different.

maddief said...

Kira, you're right, I never thought of Fitzgerald feeling lonely at his parties. If Gatsby is a representation of Fitzgerald, then I bet beneath the drinking and laughter, his life feels kind of empty.

catem said...

Everyone~ Does anyone have any idea what Gatsby might have said to Jordan?

EmilyJ said...

How do you guys think Nick feels about Gatsby? Or do you think he even knows him well enough to get a good idea about him?

MattN said...

Parker! So are you suggesting that Tom is not real? He seems very very real to me! I am considering the fact that Nick is just crazy!

ParkerH said...

Matt-
That's interesting. I hadn't thought of it that way, and that is a viable point. He may be hiding something, but aren't we all? I guess I just don't think he's hiding something terrible. We'll find out, won't we?

Liz-
I'll look at that one. Thanks.

amyw said...

catem---I'm thinking that maybe Gatsby was encouraging Jordan to court Nick because maybe he saw a spark between them or something. Just an idea.

Unknown said...

Maddie- Yeah, that is true. With the quote you wrote, it's almost like the men expect the women to be dishonest, so you can't blame them deeply. I almost feel like he is saying that women are always stupid and because of that you can't really blame them that they are dishonest. That's what I get from it, but I'm not sure if it's true.

Unknown said...

Personally, I think that Jordan and Gatsby don't have a realtionship. There is not enough back up for that assumption I think.

shannanp said...

ParkerH-
I agree with Gatsby being real and Nick being fake. I honestly think that all of the other characters are fake because they have to be in the situations that they put themselves in. They are all very social so they have to be overly appealing to new people that they meet in order to have acquire a higher social standing.

KateP said...

catem- That really bothered me that Jordan left as soon as she got out of the room with Gatsby and didn't tell Nick. I have no idea what he said to her, but I was thinking maybe they have a connection or something.

catem said...

Shannanp~ In some ways Nick reminds me of Holden in The Catcher in the Rye. No, I don't think that Nick is crazy, but I think that he sees himself above others, and not as fake, but in reality everyone has an element of fakeness about them. Does that make sense?

MattN said...

Catem: Yeah i was very interested in that! I really don't think they were doing anything sketchy, but more so that Gatsby might have been showing her something sacred or really old and valuable that he owns! Just getting to know her because he thinks she is pretty!

maddief said...

Shannan, I think that because the story is through the eyes of a person, it is fated to be biased. Also, I think that Nick is Fitzgerald's filter of society, so whatever he thinks of society is projected through Nick. So yeah, I think that Nick is writing things the way he sees and feels, maybe not necessarily what actually happened. In that case, can we truly trust the narrator?

delaney n said...

Shannan- I get what you are saying about Nick putting on a mask. I definitely don't think he is 100% himself all the time, but I don't necessarily think he is trying to be fake. I think the narrator is either afraid to show his true self or just much too self concious, rather than dishonest.

Unknown said...

Emily- I actually think Nick likes Gatsby in a way. To me, Nick is very distant to everyone he comes in contact with, yet I feel like he has some interest towards Gatsby. I think he has taken well to him.

amyw said...

Idea! I think that Gatsby's separation was done to show how he's the only real person in the novel. We don't see any facade with him, while we do with everyone else.

Anonymous said...

Alright, so this was one of my favorite quotes from this chapter. Jordan Baker is talking to Nick and she says, "I like large parties. They are so intimate. At small parties there is no privacy" (Fitzgerald 54).

It is a simple sentence but I think that Fitzgerald was trying to make a point. What do you guys think?

KiraW said...

Shannon: I agree. Even though the narrator is really "honest" I think that he it afraid to be himself. I don't understand how he can call himself an honest person but not be honest with himself.

ParkerH said...

Matt-
No, I don't think he's real. He's having an affair, and smacks someone when they mention a name of one of them? (I can't remember who is who, I just know that the women was saying Daisy over and over again.) He is TOTALLY messing things up, he doesn't admit it, and gets angry when his bluff is called? That's messed up. He's fake.

ParkerH said...

Shannan-
I can see that, I suppose. I do disagree, but I can see your point.

Anonymous said...

MattN - haha I disagree with the fact that Nick is crazy. I do not think he is crazy at all. I think he is very sane and one of the only sane ones around and that is why he is the narrator.

delaney n said...

CateM- I totally see your connection to Holden from The Catcher in the Rye. That makes perfect sense.

MattN said...

So if Tom is fake, then does that not prove Nick's craziness?!?! He is following him around!

shannanp said...

EmilyJ-
I think that Nick is intimidated by Gatsby. It seems that Gatsby is very comfortable with himself and Nick is really uncomfortable with all of these situations. Gatsby will be good for Nick because Nick has been constantly surrounded by fake people for the first part of the story and Gatsby is so real and honest.

Unknown said...

Whitney- I liked that quote also. I think it is a true statement because with smaller parties, the people around you know everything else, and with a large party, people generally aren't concerned with you because they are concerned by themselves. As a result, you get more privacy. I think it kind of shows her personality a little bit.

maddief said...

So, when they discuss the books in the library, about how the pages are real, I think that Fitzgerald is saying that what occurs in it truly happened, maybe in his life.

amyw said...

whitneys---I noticed this quote too! I think Fitzgerald's trying to show the loneliness that there really was at the party. People would talk to people who they barely knew, and they would hang out with people just to be with someone. This represents the emotional detachment of all the characters and how no matter how much money they have, there's something missing.

KiraW said...

Molly: I think that Nick really has very little self confidence. It is kinda interesting how he seems to be a little afraid of commiting. He doesn't want to settle down it seems.

Unknown said...

Whit, I think that it means when you are involved only in a group of people you know, that they will eventually find out everything about you, but when you are with a bunch of stragers and a huge group of people then you have more intamacy because not everyone knows your past.

kennaw said...

EmilyJ~ I think Nick has heard about Gatsby enough through other people that he could make a good or a bad judgment about him. He's heard how generous he is, but then that he could be a murderer. But, when he meets him face to face I think it proved to Nick that maybe he is a good guy after all and immediately liked him based off the majority of good things he's been told about him.

amyw said...

maddief---Great connection! I can completely see this.

MattN said...

Whitney! But Nick is always commentting on how honest he is...which is weird...and yet he is a fake at parties and describes how Daisy is amazing because she is lying! I want to believe him...but there are also lots of sketch hints showing he is crazy!

ParkerH said...

Matt-
Eh... Maybe I should come up with a "realness" scale... Gatsby is at the top, and Nick doesn't exactly epitomize "realness", but he is comparitively real. Most other people are pretty much lumped at the bottom. Fair?

Unknown said...

Delaney- Personally, I think that the narrator is very real. I believe that Fitzgerald would have wanted an honest person to tell the story so that you can see the fasad (spelling? haha) of all the liars. If a liar told the story then the perception would not be even close to how it is now.

meganu said...

I really liked what the inner circle just talked about. Do you think that the parties were just for Gatsby to get to know certain people? Do you think he threw that party just to get to know the narrator? And if so, why would he want to get to know the narrator?

shannanp said...

CateM- I actually had that connection of Nick to Holden at the end of the chapter when Nick was talking about his love for Jordan because he was so unsure, yet so passionate about it.

catem said...

Why do you guys think that Fitzgerald included the car crashing in the ditch? It just seemed kind of random. Any ideas?

ParkerH said...

Matt-
I thought Jordan was being the dishonest one. Am I wrong?

catem said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Morant - I agree! And I think he is also making a point about people. People tend to be a part of crowds in order to hide who they really are. I just thought it was a really interesting point.

Unknown said...

Cate- we discussed the car thing near the beginning I'm pretty sure. No offense :)

maddief said...

Agh, Amy help me, I'm confused! All of this real talk is making my head hurt! >.< Do we mean literally or figuratively real? I know their fictional because they're in a book, but does real refer to being honest, or Nick having hallucinations? XD

ParkerH said...

Liz-
Yeah... just a heads up, it is "facade" (with some weird french squiggly on the 'c').

amyw said...

meganu---He always throws parties, so I don't think it was just to get to know the narrator. I think he's almost throwing them to show himself how great he is compared to everyone else---he's detached, doesn't drink, doesn't mingle with anyone at the parties. I think it's a form of smugness.

MattN said...

Parker! Yeah that seems veryh real! Everyone else that participates in the books events all seem hazy and unreal because of the not so realiableness of the narrator! Jordan is being dishonest! And because Nick likes that, he is contradicting himself...which makes him kinda sketch and toward the not real side!

Unknown said...

Whitney- Yes, that's exactly what I thought. I just think that when you are in a crowd, people aren't trying to figure you out or try to figure out your life, they don't care. It is easier to hide things when people aren't trying to get it out of you.

Anonymous said...

meganu - OOH!! I like that too! That is such a good prediction. Maybe it has something to do with his job since we have no information of his work. That is such an interesting thought.

catem said...

Thanks Liz... sorry

meganu said...

Amy - I know he always throws these parties, but do you think it would be a theme to get to know a specific person at each party?

amyw said...

maddief---He's literally more real than everyone else because he doesn't have a facade and he's detached.

ParkerH said...

Maddie-
I can see why you're confused. We all know they're fictional, but we're trying to talk about whether or not they put up a fake front of sorts. A "real" person shows how they really are, but a "fake" person hides who they truly are. That help?

shannanp said...

MaddieF-That is a way that I definitely haven't looked at the story. Thank you for that new perspective. I absolutely agree that the narrator cannot be trusted. But if you really think about it, can anyone always be trusted, so when can and cannot Nick be trusted, are there certain circumstances?

Unknown said...

Amy, I personally don't think Gatsby is smug at all. Just lonely and broken.

alexf said...

MattN and CateM~
I think that Gatsby threw all the parties because he enjoys making others happy. Honestly, the fact that he just stood there, didn’t drink, and didn’t have affairs with other women show that he’s a genuine man that enjoys company. Cate, it could be to diminish his loneliness, and there isn’t really anything wrong with it! It’s always fun throwing parties and meeting new people. Maybe it’s just it – that he wants to meet new people…?

KiraW~
I actually never noticed that FSF made all the women in his book bubbly/stupid, bubbly/bored, or liars. Maybe FSF suggested this about women because he had such problems in his marriage and could never just settle with one woman. (Zelda and his “girlfriend”) Maybe he’s trying to say that there is not one woman who is perfect, so sometimes, the more the merrier? (Even though that’s a horrible attitude!)

KateP/SabrinaD~
I agree that it was strange that Gatsby has been kept such a secret, while rumors of his past float around his guests. Why does Gatsby allow this to happen? Does he have something to hide in his past, or is he just very carefree and forgiving? Also, did anyone find it strange that the characters in this book just invite anyone anywhere? For example, at the party that Nick went with Tom to, the drunken man kept suggesting that he and Nick go out to lunch together. Also, Nick had only talked to Gatsby for abut two minutes when Gatsby said, “Want to go with me, old sport? Just near the shore along the Sound” (Fitzgerald pg 47 non-gold). In this quote, he was asking Nick whether he wanted to go with Gatsby to fly a hydroplane. Now while this is very nice, did anyone else find it strange that he just randomly invited Nick along?

KiraW~
I agree that a theme in this book in loneliness. This is because Tom is lonely/unsatisfied with Daisy, so he has an affair with Myrtle; Daisy is lonely because Tom is cheating on her; Nick is lonely because he is homesick and bored; Jordan is lonely because she has no prominent man in her life (which is consumed with golf); Gatsby is lonely because he lives in a huge mansion all by himself. But so far, all the “lonely” are fixing their problems… Tom has found a new woman and Nick and Jordan are sort of a “thing.” How then, will Daisy and Gatsby overcome their loneliness?

MeganU~
I like the idea of Gatsby throwing the parties to get to know a particular person, but why would he throw the party to get to know Nick? After all, Nick has only so far been invited to one/two parties and lives RIGHT next door to Gatsby. Maybe then, Gatsby is trying to get to know someone else? Who else though? Maybe Jordan? But why?

marissas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
marissas said...

This is my make-up blog.

@matt- I don't think Gatsby looks like some old guy trying to regain his youth. I just think at this point in the story, Fitzgerald wanted him to appear very mysterious. I know the reason as to why he threw all the parties now, but at the time I would have thought that he threw all the parties to cover up some inner turmoil. That is why I believe he didn't participate in his own party.

@kira- I think that Fitzgerald may have just been portraying women as how they were actually treated back then. However, I think that we have seen all of the characters (even the men) acting a little on the crazy side. I'm sure the women will probably gain a bigger, more sophisticated role in the book later on.

@Parker - I think Fitzgerald is using all of the affairs to prove the type of culture and inner agitation the society has. The affairs could simply symbolize that people that live there are happy on the outside, especially in their marraiges, but on the inside they just long for adventure and change. Their hearts can't be pinned down, they need to wander.

rachel said...

Okay so I think that Gatsby is trying to say that a lot of love in this society is only for look and that it is selfish. The affairs really bug me and I think that Fitzgerald is trying to make the point that marrige isn't respected any more. Marriage seems to be just for a sense of belonging and control something to go back to at the end of the day. The main problem with this is that what one does during the day is what truly matters. I think that all of the relationships in this book are made out of lust and longing for acceptance, not out of love or respect. All of these marriages are built on nothing they are in the clouds and will disappear when a rainstorm comes. Gatsby was a great character to me. He seems like someone who wants everyone to have a good time but doesn't need the credit for it. I think he is a very unique character with a true heart. All of the people around him seem to be incredibly immature but he seems to know what he is doing and where he is going in life. I think he hates money and that is why he is using it for huge parties. It all goes back to competition in the society, he doesn't have an attachment or love for money at all but he cares what the society says and therefore follows the standards. I think this book proves that the American dream is... stupid. Eat drink and be merry is in no way a road to happiness. To me Gatsby represents the person who follows the American dream in the eyes of society but in reality is clinging on to something more. One thing that bugs me about this book is that the people don’t realize that they have nothing. Money is just paper and possessions don't in the long run matter. F.S.F. is making the point that true happiness comes from true love and sacrifice not from living in the fake worldliness of society.

rachel said...
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