Dr. Pamela's English Courses: The Great Gatsby

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Great Gatsby - Quotations

Choose a quotation from The Great Gatsby that you would like to discuss at length. Indicate the chapter and page # along with the quotation (in italics). Then, explain the significance of the quotation to the novel; additionally, try to relate the quotation to any symbolic or metaphoric sense in general. Be sure to expand your quotation to illustrate your understanding of its use. In your response to two peers, be sure to provide additional insights and understanding as you relate your own ideas to your peers' discussion. Avoid using same quotations as others. Be creative.

59 comments:

morganJanuary 27, 2012 at 12:48 PM
In chapter one, page 21 (in the book with the notes and preface), Daisy said, “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”. Daisy said this quote referring to her baby. This quote has much significance to Daisy’s character. As we have discussed in class Daisy is bored with her life. She has everything and anything that she could ever want material wise. However, she is still a woman of post World War times. She knows that women have limitations. Daisy is rich so she has fewer limitations than other lower class woman, but she still has limitations. Apparently Daisy feels that woman can have better lives if they are beautiful and ditzy. This advice works because that is all that people expect of women. Daisy is reliant on her husband and other men, such as Gatsby. She needs the attention, amongst other things. Daisy knows her place in the household. When Daisy argues with Tom before Myrtle’s death she is not being a beautiful fool. A beautiful fool would not second guess her life with a rich man to be with a poor man just for love. Daisy was also being an insubordinate wife when she was arguing with Tom. Therefore, she knows, firsthand, that being anything but a fool will lead a woman to go against their stereotype. It will cause unnecessary ripples. Ultimately, it will cause them to think for themselves. Daisy cannot handle thinking for herself, although she would not admit it. When she tried to think for herself she told Tom that she never really loved him, but that same night she is holding hands with Tom across the table. Daisy realizes that she cannot think for herself while also dealing with the consequences. She realizes this and immediately makes amends with Tom. She knows that if her daughter just goes through life being a “beautiful little fool” she will find some rich man that will provide her with a home and society’s approval. Best of all she would have someone to tell her what to do and she will not make the same mistake of trying to think for herself.
In previous generations all woman were prizes for their husbands to flaunt, especially in the higher class. Women were minorities. They were not as important to society as they are now. No one believed that woman could make advancements in society; all they could do was cook, clean, and give birth. Society expects them to be beautiful and unable to function without men. I find this true even in today’s society to a point. Many girls feel that they need to do what their boyfriend wants them to do, regardless of how it affects their life. Women can be so vulnerable. They seem so dependent on men much of the time. Many women feel embarrassed and insecure if they do not have a boyfriend or are not married. I believe that this goes back to Daisy’s time when woman were forced into arranged marriages, and they had to be submissive to their husbands. In the past, women were looked down on if they were not married because that is all they were there for; once again cooking, cleaning, and child-bearing. However, most women that are dependent on men are never going to be completely happy. Women need to know that they are capable of accomplishing anything on their own if it is God’s will. Ryan, Scott, and Mitchell I am sorry if this offends you at all, but this is the truth (if you disagree then blog about it).
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SophieJanuary 27, 2012 at 7:19 PM
The quote I've chosen is one of my personal favorite. It is in chapter 9, page 177 spoken by Jordan Baker: "You said a bad driver was only safe until she met another bad driver? Well I met another bad driver, didn't I? I mean it was careless of me to make such a wrong guess. I thought you were rather honest, straightforward, person. I thought it was your secret pride."

Jordan say's this beautiful quote, well written may I add (props to Fitzgerald), to Nick the last time they meet. I think this is a very raw and open moment for Jordan. We sort of see her wall come down, and her true feelings come out. In the duration of the story, one doesn't really know if Jordan and Nick are "together" or not. I think it is very obvious they are attracted to each other, and Nick even mentions after she says this that he is "Angry, and half in love with her." She is relating the metaphor of a "bad driver" to what her and Nick discuss earlier in the story of finding someone just as careless as Jordan, and how she hopes she never would. She hopes she never would because she knew it would break her heart. This is Jordan's way of saying that Nick broke her heart, without actually becoming that submissive. Write above this quote, I love what she says when she says:"Nevertheless you did throw me over, You threw me over the telephone. I don't give a damn about you now, but it was a new experience for me, and I felt a little dizzy for a while."

In her own discreet way, this is Jordan's admission to her feelings for Nick, and then letting him know. Saying she "felt dizzy for a while" is her saying that she made her feel weak at the knees and infatuated with him. He was her secret poison that she loved to take in little sips, no matter how intoxicating and messy the end turned out to be. She tells Nick that the "bad driver" she was so scared of meeting, she met in him. He was her reckless, her impulse, her poison. He was someone she couldn't help but be attracted to. I think Jordan didn't want to fall for Nick, but she did. It was almost inevitable. She admits to her carelessness when she says that she "made a wrong guess." She didn't really know for sure how Nick felt about her, so she went with what she felt. I like that about her, taking action on an impulse, on a simply feeling. She tells Nick how she built up this admiration for him, like we see with Nick building up the same admiration for Gatsby, as being an "honest, straightforward, person." She realizes that the whole time she was blinded by this love for Nick that she couldn't realize that he wasn't all in. Though nick says he is half in love with her, he never showed it to her. Jordan, being independent like we see with her golf career and such, realizes she can't wait for him any longer. That's why she "doesn't give a damn" about Nick anymore.
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SophieJanuary 27, 2012 at 7:19 PM
(blog continued)

What she says about Nick's "secret pride" is Jordan's way of telling him how much she believed in him, how much she saw in him. She realized Nick may not have been completely honest to everyone all the time, but she knew that deep down he was. She believed in him so strongly, in his "secret pride" that good part of him that he kept hidden. She thought that if she could pull herself towards him that would make them closer, when in all actuality it did exactly the opposite. I think we as people do that all the time. We think that if we keep believing in a person so strongly, their little good parts will shine through. I think we cling to people to try to get them to be best. I think that makes Jordan a very vulnerable character, therefore very relatable.

I think in life, we all come to a point where we have to stop making excuses. We have to see through the thick blindness in front of us. I think when Nick "threw her over the telephone" that was that point for Jordan. That was her admittance to an honest recognition. I think it really shows how Jordan is a dynamic character, since she does undergo a change. I think Jordan is a very complex character, who is at first a little skeptical about Nick, but after a while she becomes open and honest. She throws herself out on a limb for him, and he threw her right back. She met her bad driver, she met her careless. I think for Jordan though, that infatuation with Nick wasn't enough. Her love for him wasn't enough. She had to move on. She had to stop believing in him.
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SophieJanuary 27, 2012 at 7:29 PM
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LairaJanuary 28, 2012 at 7:08 PM
“He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was.” ( chapter six, page 117 in the book with notes, which I believe is around six pages ahead, but I am not sure). This quote really stuck out to me when I was reading. Nick is saying this about Gatsby.

Gatsby is living not only in his past but in a dream. He is refusing to face his reality. His dream world makes it easier than facing his cruel reality because Daisy cannot be his. This reality is too hard for him to bear. Since Daisy came into his life, he no longer had a life of his own. He changed his whole life for her. He became this man that he no longer recognized. Throwing parties with people that he didn’t know and making himself out to be an important man ( the phone calls which I think were fake).I believe that by obtaining this wealthy man status, Daisy would be more approving of him because that was the only thing standing in the way then. While becoming this wealthy man, he somewhere along the lines lost the man he was. His life became this idea, this dream… that was so confusing and disordered. He was living a lie.

If Gatsby could just start all over again and wake up from his reality, I think he could find that “something,” or “someone” he was trying to recover. He wanted Daisy so bad that he became this person for her, he changed for her. He wanted to recover that love that they once shared. Daisy had loved Gatsby but once he went off to war Daisy had married Tom. Gatsby’s only desire is to have Daisy love him once more. Gatsby just threw away his whole life. If he could wake up from that reality and realize that that love can no longer be, I think he would find what he was looking for….

This quote really relates to me because I feel that often we choose not to face our own realities. Living in this fantasy or dream world would be much more enjoyable because in that world, you can’t hurt. A person can’t hide from reality forever. It will find you. I think that we need to face our reality even though sometimes it may hurt and continue to strive forward and move on with our lives. We don’t have enough time in our lives to be stuck in the past or the idea of the future, only the present. The past holds our memories but that doesn’t mean we have to live in it.
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LauraJanuary 29, 2012 at 6:44 AM
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Alex CoppoloJanuary 29, 2012 at 7:25 AM
The Great Gatsby was a marvelous story with so many memorable lines. Choosing just one is an extremely difficult task. Of course, for this assignment it is necessary. I simply chose the last quote in the book. Although we examined it slightly in class, it is the quotation that sticks with me the most. On the last page of the actual story, whether you have the copy with the introduction or the copy without, there is a line that seems so profound yet concludes the story in the best way possible. In his musings upon the past, Nick writes, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” This is the quote that I chose and that I intend to analyze.

The quote is used to wrap up the entire novel. Therefore, I find it very relevant. It is so unique that there can be many different takes on it. But, in summing up the story, it really finds its purpose. It describes a situation experienced by all the characters in the tale and their inability to let go of the past. It is the perfect way to end the story.

I find that the quote could also be extremely symbolic. One of the components of the quote which I noticed is how it relates to water. In the story, water is very important. The first time we get a glimpse of Gatsby, he is staring out across the water at the green light on Daisy’s dock. We later on discover that Gatsby got his real start as a new person when he took to the water on a yacht. It marked his change from a simple man to that of a socially elite man. Then, at the end of the story, after he is shot, Gatsby sinks to the bottom of the pool. Once more, we see the use of water. It is a recurring theme throughout the story. I find it important that water and its currents are constantly moving yet the characters cannot seem to move forward at all in the story. They are still and stagnant. As many people know, stagnant water eventually begins to deteriorate in quality just like the lives of Daisy, Gatsby, Tom, and all the other characters. The water, to me, seems to be like life. We continue forward in life but it frequently pushes us back.

I feel that this quote is very descriptive. As I said in class, when we stay still too long in water we are eventually wiped back by the current. This is also the case if we sit down and let it take us over. Also, it applies when we do not put enough force into our progression. If we stumble for one second, the current can overtake us and erase all the progress we have made. Just like in the average current, Gatsby tries not to dwell on the past too much. He generally stays in one place and moves further and further into reminiscence until he meets Daisy again. At this, he begins to press forward for the option of a new future with her. When she shattered his dreams, he stumbles and is wiped away into the image he has of the past and even beyond that where all his hopes are shattered against the rocks.

If Gatsby had not lingered in his past feelings, he may have proved himself worthy to Daisy. If Daisy had not continued to dwell on her past feelings for Gatsby, she might have been truly happy in her life with Tom. If Tom had not tried to keep the glory and ego he once had in college, he may have been happy with the life he led rather than trying to find Myrtle to settle his unpleased feelings. If Myrtle had simply moved on after discovering George wasn’t perfect or wealthy, she might not have cheated on him and been locked in her room to which point she runs out into the street and is killed. If George had not dwelled on his past obliviousness, he would have been able to handle matters better. As it is easy to see, dwelling in the past destroyed several lives just like a rapid current can. As the last one left whole, Nick can only beat onwards. But as we see as he writes the story, he is still thinking of all the past drama he had to go through. So, while we beat forward in that ceaseless current that is always working against us, we are frequently pushed back. We can never really forget something once it happens.
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LauraJanuary 29, 2012 at 7:33 AM
“Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” Chapter 3 page 59(without the introduction)
At first when reading this I thought back to the beginning of the book when Nick talks about his father’s advice not to judge other people. This was a controversial point in whether or not he is a reliable narrator. The debate can take many routes. The first point made is he is a reliable because he doesn’t judge. How foolish must a person be to actually believe that? No matter whom you are, or how much you try not to, every human being judges, little or small. This is then reinforced in the quote above. Honesty is one thing that that we want in everyone but no one can give; either a person forgets the small details or they only tell you part of the truth. So in my opinion Nick thinking he is honest is not only judging (he had to judge everyone else he has ever known to say that they are not honest) but it is also a lie. But Fitzgerald’s talent also comes out when he says “everyone suspects himself” that is probably the only truth Nick speaks. Everyone thinks that they are stronger and better in something than someone else is until they are in that spot themselves; then they are no better than the person who they deemed as weak before. Fitzgerald is truly an amazing author, what he writes makes a person look at themselves and what they need to fix and grow as a person. Nick’s personal growth is also reflected in the end of the book when he tells Jordan, he “is too old to lie to himself and call it honor” Nick, who sat by silently when Tom broke Myrtle’s nose and who never told his cousin that Tom was having an affair, finds himself wanting to let go of his past mistakes and stop lying to Jordan. He knows he doesn’t love her and stringing her along is wrong. Nick may not have been honest when claimed to be but he finds himself becoming honest.
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KristinJanuary 29, 2012 at 7:39 AM
"He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was."

This quote is found in Chapter 6 on page 117 (in the book with the yellow band). I believe that this quote is extremely significant to the novel, in that its idea is the basis on which the novel is fueled. The novel basically runs on Gatsby’s mystery involving his past, on Gatsby’s love for Daisy and his ambition to win her back, with Nick, Tom, and Jordan’s involvement in Gatsby and Daisy’s love. This quote is symbolic, and shows Gatsby’s emptiness. His dark void that he has been trying to fill with parties, money, and additionally, Daisy’s love, in which he hopes to fill this emptiness inside of him.

Gatsby gave so much of himself into loving Daisy that he believes his only true happiness would be found in loving Daisy and regaining the feelings and relationship that they had possessed long ago. I think that Gatsby believes that Daisy holds a certain youthful, hopeful part of himself that she took away with her when they parted. Sometimes, when we love someone, we feel like they become a part of us because we give so much time into loving them and being with them, that they actually may have a little bit of you, this is what I think Gatsby feels.

Gatsby thinks that a starting place would change everything, and I completely disagree with that. I don’t think Gatsby could have ever been happy with Daisy, and I think this for a few reasons. One reason, the most prominent reason, is that Gatsby did not, and never will have old money. He does not know how to act like a wealthy upper class man, because he was thrown into it instead of growing up in it. This is an aspect of society that makes Daisy and Gatsby unable to connect like society tells them they should. Another reason is that I think both characters may have changed. People change over time, and its inevitable. People change from the experiences they encounter, the places they’ve been, and the people they meet. There is no way that Gatsby and Daisy could have been the same people that they fell in love with five years ago.
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TaylorJanuary 29, 2012 at 8:34 AM
“I spoke to her,” he muttered, after a long silence. “I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window-“ With an effort he got up an d walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it, “-and said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing , everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me but you can’t fool God!” This is quoted from Mr. Wilson on page p. 167 in the book with the yellow band around it.
I feel like this quote describes the book extremely. Well the whole book is based on lies. Everyone is so caught up in impressing one another that they do not realize how messed up everything has become. But Mr. Wilson does realize how messed up these people are. he is able to see this because he is so naive the whole story. He is a hard working man who loves his wife and wants the best for her. But because he is so naive he seems to be the one who gets hurt the most in the end. He loses the love of his life forever. Everyone else may not have gotten what they wanted but they still have what they started with. Daisy goes back to Tom and Nick just goes back to the Midwest, but Mr. Wilson has nothing to go back to. He had his love Myrtle who is now dead.
When he mentions that you can’t fool God. He says this meaning that no one can get away with something without anyone knowing. And that is exactly what happens in the book. Everyone gets so caught up in their own lives they do not realize that there secret affairs are visible to everyone else and could end up hurting other people. And when they finally do realize that their affairs are out in the open they do not car enough to stop they only care about themselves.
There is very good foreshadowing that leads up to this saying. In the very beginning in the second chapter of the book it talks about the billboard of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. On pages 27 and 28 it is describing how his eyes are behind his spectacles and constantly watching. This could also symbolize that you can get fool some people but God is always watching. Just as Mr. Wilson said.
This is a very important quote that can teach people very important life lessons. You must always be careful just because something doesn’t have immediate consequences doesn’t mean that they never will. Just as Myrtle, Mr. Wilson, Nick and they rest of the characters in the book learned the hard way.
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ScottJanuary 29, 2012 at 9:53 AM
For my quote I chose, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” This was spoken by Nick on page 187-188 in the book with the yellow band around it.
To me, this quote brings up one of the biggest topics of the entire story. It speaks volumes of the lack of compassion that those with money have in this story, as just so often is true in real life. Tom and Daisy both showed a huge lack of compassion for others when they each had their own little affairs, which had such massive consequences.
Tom had his affair with Myrtle, without a care in the world as to how it would affect poor Mr. Wilson. To make it even worse, Tom did not even truly care about Myrtle. He only had his affair with her for his own personal pleasure. Then there is Daisy. She had an affair of her own, however brief it was, with Gatsby. As we talked about in class discussion, Daisy being such a hollow character, I do not believe that she was even really capable of truly caring for anyone. So I believe that she only had her little fling with Gatsby to try to have some fun, to make her boring life a little more interesting. But just as Tom had done, she too did not care about the possible consequences of her actions. To me, Daisy simply led Gatsby on to try to have some fun, not because she truly loved him and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. However, because she led him on, Gatsby came to believe that she did want to be with him because of his obsession with her and with his vision of her which, as we also talked about in discussion, was kind of blown way out of proportion because he had been away from her for so long that he forgot what she was truly like. He was almost blinded by love, of how hollow she really is.
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ScottJanuary 29, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Blog Continued

As said in the quote, Daisy and Tom make their mess and then just run away from it, leaving it for others to clean up. That is so true, and we can see that when we look at how both of their affairs came to an abrupt end. When Myrtle is killed by Gatsby’s car, Tom’s affair with her is obviously ended. However, the effects and consequences of his affair are still happening. Instead of doing the right thing, Tom leaves the mess for others to clean up. He leaves poor Mr. Wilson there in his garage, in that state of deep depression and grief, and even worse, I believe we can definitely make an educated assumption that Tom points the finger at Gatsby to Mr. Wilson. Tom does this to save his own skin because earlier in the story he himself had driven that car to his garage. Tom does this to make sure that Gatsby and not he will have to deal with the investigation into Myrtle’s death, because he is careless. Daisy, too, is careless. When confronted by both Gatsby and Tom at the hotel, she does not know what to say, because to me she does not really love either man. This is because she is such a hollow character. I believe the only reason she even decides upon staying with Tom is because it is what she is used to. So then Daisy basically breaks off her little affair with Gatsby, and despite his deep obsession with her, I believe this is when Gatsby for the first time really sees her for what she really is. I think that he still tries to desperately cling to some long lost hope that Daisy will still choose him, but as we know this does not happen and this destroys Gatsby. He pretty much just gives up all hope when he goes into the pool, drifting into a dream-like state. Even though he sees the shadowy figure of Mr. Wilson, Gatsby makes no effort to even get away or cry out for help. Thus is the end of Gatsby and just another consequence of Tom and Daisy’s actions, of which they take no responsibility for. Instead of rushing over as soon as she heard the terrible news like someone who really cared about Gatsby, Daisy rushes away. She and Tom go off to avoid the whole situation, leaving the mess for someone else to take care of. That someone else was Nick, one of the few characters in the story that to me show any compassion and responsibility at all.
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StephanieJanuary 29, 2012 at 10:44 AM
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StephanieJanuary 29, 2012 at 10:52 AM
The quote I chose was, “Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes.” This quote is found in chapter 5, page ninety-one of the book with notes (or the yellow stripe). We get this description of Gatsby when Daisy first arrives and he leaves only to go knock on the door.

I chose this quote because at first it really stuck out to me. I was like “Wow, I cannot believe Gatsby would be that nervous to see Daisy.” I mean, we can all understand nerves, but to look as “pale as death” is just crazy to me. However, now having finished that book and thinking about the quotation had made me think about it a lot. Fitzgerald was really just foreshadowing what was to happen in the future, and I think he did that very cleverly. I think, maybe, I could have paid attention to that but I probably would not have noticed either way. I just thought he was overly nervous and making himself sick over it. The puddle was also just because of how hard it was raining, I never thought about Gatsby’s pool. Fitzgerald really thought through his plan and executed the foreshadowing well when he put that in there.

This quote shows a good use of foreshadowing because that is pretty close to how Gatsby must have looked at the end of chapter eight. When Gatsby is killed he is in the pool (standing in a puddle), which he never uses. He actually said, “’Don’t do it today,’ Gatsby answered. He turned to me apologetically. ‘You know, old sport, I’ve never used that pool all summer?’” (p. 161) I also found this extremely odd. The pool was ready to be drained and it was fall, which means the weather was getting cold, and he wanted to use it for the first time. I personally would have just waited. However, Gatsby wanted to use his pool, so he did. That made him an easy target. When he was shot, he also would have looked as “pale as death”, just like he did three chapters before. The finally his hands were like weights in his pockets is symbolic because after Gatsby dies, he sinks to the bottom of the pool, kind of like he is a weight.

I may be thinking too much, but it also popped into my mind that the start of all of the craziness was when Gatsby saw Daisy again. That is when my original quote is brought into play. The end of his life is also caused by Daisy, because she killed Myrtle and did not even stop. So I feel like in the last four chapters, the book really came full circle. We see that Daisy was the downfall in Gatsby’s life in more ways than one.

I personally think this quote was most important in more ways than one. Even though we did not know it at the time, it showed how Gatsby’s life would soon end. It is a great example of foreshadowing in the book, and it shows us just how much little things can affect our lives.
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ElizabethJanuary 29, 2012 at 12:37 PM
“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” (says Nick’s father)”just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” This is at the very beginning of the book in chapter one, page one in the book without the extra notes. I think this is a very important quote in the book because it sets up the whole story. This statement gives some credit to the narrator to show that his parents taught him not to judge people. All throughout the story the narrator struggles to keep his judgments away but especially in the middle of the book he does criticizes people. The second half of the quote tells how Nick did have some advantages in his life. He had a good family to raise him, and he was able to move to the east to get a fairly good job. You could compare his life to that of Gatsby’s. He started out as a poor boy from a poor family. Gatsby did have some advantages, although they may not have been the greatest ways, to get his money. Nick and Gatsby both had “advantages” that many other people did not have at the time, yet they did their fair share of criticizing other people. Then compare their lives with that of George Wilson. He did not have many advantages in his life. He was a poor, hardworking man. The Wilsons were not really written about as criticizing much, just Mr. Wilson at the end. So in general, within the story or even in the world now, the people that do have the “advantages” seem more likely to criticize other people than one who is poorer and happy with what they have. This quote could also go along with the theme of “the American dream” because everyone striving for this dream needs advantages to get “on top of the pile” to be wealthier.
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KristyJanuary 29, 2012 at 12:49 PM
To me, The Great Gatsby was one of the best novels I have ever read. I probably would never have picked up on all the symbolism and hidden meanings within the story if others had not pointed them out to me. During the in-class discussions, I started to piece together certain aspects of what I had read with the ideas that the class brought up. I can definitely see how symbolism can bring any story to life.

I know that we are not supposed to repeat quotations, but I would really like to use one also mentioned by Scott. I chose a line stated by Nick… “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…”

I especially like the quote I have chosen because it is so true in the story. Tom has an affair with Myrtle, who ends up being killed by Daisy, or supposed to be Daisy. After all that Tom put Mr. Wilson through, although George really had no idea for the most part, he sealed the deal with the life-ending car crash. Daisy is not off the hook either. She led Gatsby on for so long even though she probably had no intention of ever getting back together with him. Gatsby’s whole life revolved around her and he would do anything to please her. Gatsby ended up losing his life because of Tom and Daisy together in a round-about way. And then there was Nick, left to deal with everything. The “mess” that was created by Tom and Daisy, along with Myrtle and Gatsby, was left for himto clean up. Nick could not rely solely on money as the Buchanans could. Once they had enough of their present lives, they packed up and left. Nick not only lost friends, but he basically lost the people he lived for for so long.

The carelessness of Tom and Daisy can be seen throughout the story. Neither one feels a sense of guilt while having affairs outside of their marriage. They really have no compassionate emotions for anyone. They are good at putting on false façades, but that is about it. If Daisy could leave Gatsby once, she could definitely leave him again for good.

There were many quotes to choose from in the novel, but I just felt that this one really explained the characters and personalities of Tom and Daisy. The whole idea set the tone for the story and helped me as a reader to understand who Tom and Daisy really were.
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Ryan DetschJanuary 29, 2012 at 1:17 PM
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Ryan DetschJanuary 29, 2012 at 1:17 PM
Quotes in a piece of literature can have a plethora of deeper meanings to the characters, plot, and storyline. When used expertly, they can provide a twist on how the characters feel. As humans, we may say one thing but mean something completely difference. Humans, by nature, lie and deceive. As critical readers, we must be skeptic of what they say and use the context clues to aid us on our quest for the truth. The accusations made by the characters, such as the owl-eyed man display a feeling of pity towards other characters. With this, the reader can acutely understand the feelings and emotions of a certain character, such as Jay Gatsby.

At the protagonist’s poorly attended funeral, much about the characters of the book is reveled. We see that characters like Daisy and Tom are ready to skip town and avoid all altercations. Meyer Wolfsheim, although one of Gatsby’s better friends, doesn’t want anything to do with the situation. These characters exhibit sort of a sense of apathy towards this important man. One of the characters that attends his services is the owl-eyed man. His whereabouts are unknown but he apparently cared enough to pay his respects to the thrower of all those wilds parties that he attended. His opinion of Gatsby is shrewd while he says “the poor son-of-a-bitch”. On the surface it looks as if he feels apologetic towards the deceased gentleman. Everything seemed to going against Gatsby towards the end of his life, so it only seems right that he deserves this harsh title.

Obviously Gatsby wasn’t materialistically poor. He had everything that he could want in terms of possessions. His extreme wealth provided for everything except for that one thing that he so desperately wants; Daisy Buchanan. He was indeed poor. He was poor of love and satisfaction. Clothes, parties, and riches can only go so far. Love is what completes us. Love is often considered to be one of the most powerful weapons. In Gatsby’s case, love, or lack thereof, was the weapon of his destruction. Which emotional riches, he can thrive and live happily. The scarcity of love in his life, especially from Daisy is what ultimately broke him.

They owl-eyed man represented the commoner of the time. He was someone who knew Gatsby but didn’t know him exceptionally well. His comment shows what the common population was thinking. They felt bad from him. As the reader, we see another opinion of his life. We can agree with him realizing that his life was never truly ‘great’. On the other hand, we can disagree and realize that he did this to himself through his wealth and loss of sanity for the current, ongoing time of his life. Which do you choose? Was Jay Gatsby really a “poor son-of-a-bitch”?
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LinneaJanuary 29, 2012 at 3:23 PM
“They had forgotten me but Daisy glanced up and held out her hand; Gatsby didn’t know me now at all.” Ch. 5, page 102.

This was spoken by Nick, after the first meeting of Gatsby and Daisy. I think that this is a great quote to show the caring side of Daisy, and the selfish side of Gatsby. For five years Gatsby has been trying to meet Daisy again, and never forgiving himself for not being there for her. This may be all well and good, but he takes it to the level of selfishness. He almost seduces Nick into becoming his friend, inviting him to the parties, and taking him yachting. He offers a steady job to Nick. Gatsby doesn’t even tell Nick his story; he gets Jordan Baker to tell it for him. He can’t even stoop to that level. He then asks the ultimate favor - asking Daisy to his house and letting Gatsby come over too. During the meeting, Gatsby totally ignores Nick, and does not include him in the conversation. We are not even told if Nick is thanked by Gatsby, for all that he has put him through. Gatsby ties Nick up in his emotional roller coaster, and all Nick gets is the cold shoulder.
Daisy, on the other hand, at least tries to show Nick some thanks. She looks at Nick and tries to be kind to him. Though this could be part of her upper class upbringing, engaging everyone in the conversation.
This also gives an indication of no one coming to his funeral. Nick notices Gatsby’s selfishness, and so does everyone else. Nick tries and tries to get people to come, but some even say he got what he deserved.
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Alex CoppoloJanuary 29, 2012 at 5:47 PM
Dear Linnea, I almost have to say that I disagree with your saying that Daisy was showing her caring side. If you look at some of the above quote, you will see that she is described as careless. This is also evidence when, if you read further, she and Gatsby thoroughly ignore Nick for the rest of the day. They are aware of his presence but rudely make little attempt to include him. They simply will not let him go because he is their comfort blanket, someone they can trust in if all else fails. Daisy may, as you said, simply be showing some of her upper class grace. She was probably used to such situations, unlike Gatsby who is flustered and beyond all sense of his usual upper-class-aura. I also think that it may have been possible that they were stuck reminiscing and their minds had travelled back to their first encounter. Because Nick was her cousin (also giving her reason to address him), Daisy would have known him at that point. But Gatsby, having been a new acquaintance, would have no knowledge of him. I once again believe it really just shows the difference between their characters. The dignified, calm, rational, and mockingly caring Daisy (old money) can handle the situation well. The panicking, flustered, sweating, oblivious Gatsby (old money) is simply ignorant of all his surroundings.
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Ryan DetschJanuary 29, 2012 at 5:48 PM
Linnea,

I find this quote to be interesting but I feel it has little relevance to the story. The dominating characteristics of these characters is opposite as to what the quotes says or at least their inner qualities. Daisy is rich and not concerned with the life of anyone of lower class than she is. She does this simply to get Nick to like her. I consider Daisy to be superficial and manipulative. All she cares about is her esteemed social status and her lavish lifestyle not a peon such as Nick.

Gatsby, on the other hand, truly cares about Nick but his actions just don't always show it. He invites him to parties that he would not normally be invited to. Gatsby is good to Nick regardless of what he says. What someone says and what someone means are two completely different things. There are too many outside forces that affects someone's speech. Nick and Gatsby were friends and that was especially strange considering how much less money Nick possessed than Gatsby. In conclusion, I feel this quote is implemented to make the reader to judge the character of Gatsby and Daisy. Through skepticism and investigating we can find that their true feelings are nothing like the quote.
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MauraJanuary 29, 2012 at 5:59 PM
“So he invited just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end” (pg.98 in the book without the yellow stripe). This quote shows that Gatsby’s life was too good to be true. He had to reinvent himself from the average, poor James Gatz to the exciting, fortunate Jay Gatsby. He became a man that was so alluring he himself could not bear to be separated from Gatsby. As said in the quote above Gatsby was the type of man “a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent.” This meaning the character of Gatsby is almost childish. I am sorry to any students in this class who are offended by this statement, but I believe we are all still children at this age, though we have more responsibilities we are still immature to the world. If one were to come up with their ideal future self typically it would end up being completely different from what they actually become in the future. In some cases this is for the better and in other cases it is for the worse. Then the statement “to this conception he was faithful to the end.” This proves that Gatsby was ignorant to the world around him living in his fantasy world where he and Daisy were destined to marry where nothing could stand between their love. Also, this gives a sense of foreshadowing “faithful to the end” meaning his murder. He was ignorant to the world where Daisy could not be his and refused to believe she actually loved Tom, forever up until his death which was even for the protection of Daisy.
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MariaJanuary 29, 2012 at 7:05 PM
I chose the quote "I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited - they went there." From chapter 3, page 45 or page 41 if you have the book without the preface. I chose this quote because it illustrates one of the major themes of the book. A prominent theme in this book is the theme of lies and deceit. When you think of this theme the first thing that probably comes to mind is the lies intertwined in the relationships between Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Myrtle. When I really thought about the theme, this quote stood out to me because it portrays more than just a lie between two or three people. People went to his parties as his guests, but they really were not even invited. This quote shows the lies of an entire society. They weren’t really friends and they wouldn’t have even known if Gatsby was gone, which was made obvious at the end of the book when no one attended his funeral.

The parties were a big façade on Gatsby’s part, but also on all of the people that showed up. He had parties, not because he wanted to have a good time or have friends over, but to impress Daisy. At the same time, the people that attended the parties did not go because they were invited or friends with Gatsby, but to keep up their image and have a good time with his riches. I think that this quote gets across a good point that there was no genuine care between the rich people.

I like the point that Sophie brought up in class on Friday that Fitzgerald may have been trying to say something with the fact that all the rich people in the story weren’t really happy or pleased with their lives. I think that this quote supports that because no one is really close to each other, the only reason they are all there is because they are united by the fact that they all have money. Money can’t buy happiness and that is very evident in this novel. All the people that went to the parties and the host (Gatsby) had money, but they weren’t truly happy because they went to these parties as a means to boost their social status. They all had ulterior motives that were to benefited themselves in some way. Gatsby's whole life was fabricated to win back the girl of his past and of his dreams.
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MitchellJanuary 29, 2012 at 8:21 PM
Dear Maria,
I really like the quote you chose because as you are reading the book it is not really a sentence that will jump out at you. This quote at first seems like just another little idea in the head of the narrator. But once have finished reading the book and we are analyzing the theme behind the story this line makes a major impact. Just as you said this quote encompasses the theme of lies and fronts. When we realize that most of the people at Gatsby's were probably not invited leads us to believe that none of them are really there to enjoy the company of a friend. Rather they are there to enjoy the money of a wealthy man. They hear of a party at the "Great Gatsby's" house and they flock for the thrill of a fun night, not to see the host. If the narrator wouldn't have made this point we would maybe believe that these people were his friends, but we would only think this until we are brought to the funeral where nobody shows up besides servants and Nick, just as you mentioned in your blog. I think you covered all of the points to be made about this quote in this blog very well. I think that Gatsby's parties were a lie in more than one way. They were a lie to Gatsby because many people acted like his friends by coming to his house. Though, they were also a lie from Gatsby to Daisy because Gatsby was trying to act like this was the lifestyle he lived and enjoyed. When really he was just trying to put on a front to draw her attention to him. Good blog and great quote!
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MitchellJanuary 29, 2012 at 8:55 PM
“You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.” This is a quote from the dialogue between Gatsby and Daisy on page 121 of the book. This quote struck me as very strange because in the beginning of the story it seemed as though the green light was what Gatsby was longing for. The green light was his constant vision of Daisy and the life he so painfully wanted, he would see the light and know Diasy’s presence was there. She was so close, but yet much to far for Gatsby to reach. What struck me as strange was that Gatsby had Daisy right here in front of him with her arm wrapped around his and he brings up the infamous green light. The opportunity that he has longed for for so long has arrived and he refers back to the light that had before been a symbol of exactly what he could not have.
The paragraph continues to say that “he seemed absorbed in what he had just said.” And also “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever.” Now we musn’t forget that these ideas are as much of a guess by the narrator as they are by the reader because Nick who is telling the story does not really know everything that Gatsby is thinking. Now that we can look back and really think about what this quote means, why do you think that Gatsby would bring up the green light again. Do you think he brought it up and really thought that the significance of it had vanished forever? Or do you think that he referred back to the light because he knows in the back of his head that he and Daisy will never really be together? I think that Gatsby was so blinded by his love that he brought up the light across the bay because he was having a difficult time realizing that Daisy was acutally right here in front of him, so he went back to what his image of Daisy had been for so long. The green light was always used to represent the dream that Gatsby could never reach. In this particular quote is it used to represent that Gatsby has finally reached the dream?
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AnonymousJanuary 30, 2012 at 4:43 AM
I have the yellow stripe book, so any references are I believe six pages ahead of the regular book if you are looking them up.
“No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart” pg. 101.
This line is thought by Nick during the reunion of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchannan after the rain begins to lighten up and they are at Gatsby’s house in his room. Five years ago, Jay Gatsby saw Daisy for the last time before he went to war. When he came back, she had gotten married, and moved to East Egg with her husband Tom. When Gatsby found out where Daisy lived, he moved into a gorgeous mansion in West Egg across the lake from Tom and Daisy’s house in East Egg. Gatsby had lavish parties in which many guests showed up, even if not invited. He was a social highlight, and his past was unknown to those around him. Jay Gatsby lived as a mystery to those around him. Some thought he was a murderer, others believed he was a German spy (pg. 48). With all of these rumors circulating around, no one knew the truth of Jay Gatsby, and how he was just a green light away from his true love. With all of the rumors circulating around Gatsby it really did keep his life fresh. Always new gossip and ideas and new clothes coming from England really kept Gatsby at his “freshness”, nothing ever stayed the same; lies and rumors built up. Is it possible, that in an attempt to keep his life a mystery, that Jay Gatsby made these rumors up about himself? He was caught lying about how long he attended Oxford and how he lived in the Midwest. Also, this freshness may be an attempt to keep anyone from knowing that Gatsby one had relations with Daisy. If people knew that Gatsby was living so close, they may find him to be strange.
We know by Gatsby’s actions how much of a fire he has for Daisy. One of the first things he did after the war was he moved across from Daisy, in a place where every night he can stare across the lake at her house. Next, he “wooed” Daisy’s cousin, and his neighbor into arranging a meeting with Daisy to reunite them. He offered to have his grass cut and took him out to lunch. The entire process that Gatsby went through to finally reunite with Daisy after five years should take a lot of “fire” and drive in Gatsby’s heart to truly want Daisy back.
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AnonymousJanuary 30, 2012 at 4:45 AM
I believe that this line can be used as a precursor for following events. Many times, fate keeps people from giving them what they want. In Gatsby’s case, everything that he has done still was not enough to win Daisy over completely. Gatsby is filling his lonely heart with the drive to win Daisy back. When in reality, he needs to accept the fact that he needs to move on. If he would have moved on and met someone at the lavish parties that he used to cover up his life, maybe he would not have been wrongly killed in an attempt to get his love back.
This phrase is one I enjoy immensely. It conclusion, it is saying that no amount of any man’s drive, along with that man surrounding themselves with new things has a chance against all of the pain, sorrow, and loneliness in a mans heat.

Responses:

Taylor,
I would like to start off saying that I really enjoyed your quote and how you related the foreshadowing with the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg. I find this line to be very true, and a good statement that can be used in daily lives so people remember they may fool someone, but they’re not fooling everyone, especially God. After reading your quote I thought about the line “and I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”. This line is extremely ironic in the story, the woman Daisy wants her daughter to be is the woman her husband’s mistress IS. Myrtle is being called a fool in your quote by her husband and being criticized for cheating. This is really what Daisy wants her daughter to be like? This mom has high expectations.

Laura,
You have some very good points in your blog; however, I disagree with when you said how no one can be honest in this world. I believe everyone has a chance at being honest, and a truly honest person can have this cardinal virtue and live it out in their life to the fullest and be the exact opposite of practically every character in this story. I almost wrote my blog on the same quote and the idea of referring back to the very first line came to mind to me as well! As far as the debate between if Nick is a reliable narrator or not, I personally feel he is a reliable narrator. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Nick never really did judge anyone, he knew them prior, and according to information “in the book” many of his judgments, such as Tom’s cheating, are something to be judged. Cheating is wrong. Also how many times people say Gatsby is put on a pedestal by Nick, I find it not to be true. Gatsby works hard for everything that he does, and that is a good quality for admiration.
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