The Great Gatsby - The Ending

"So we beat on, boats against the current, home back ceaselessly into the past." p. 189

I feel like this book started out really well. It had a great plot with interesting characters. However, as it continued, I had a hard time investing myself in the novel. As the story unfolded, it became more apparent that Fitzgerald was not the most descriptive author in my opinion. He barely went into detail about anything that seemed important. And once I got to the second half of the book, it seemed as if he was speeding through the writing in order to get to the end. The whole killing the mistress seemed way out of left field to me and I just didn't really enjoy the flow of the book. Perhaps the most frustrating part of this was the narrator. Nick was a character in the story but he didn't really pass many judgments or comments on the happenings in the story. He merely just told them how they happened with little commentary. Needless to say I was not a fan of the way Fitzgerald utilized the first person point of view.

The Great Gatsby - Gatsby has a father?

"It was a photograph of the house, cracked in the corners and dirty with many hands... He had shown it so often that I think it was more real to him now than the house itself." p. 180

I think that Gatsby's dad serves as a sharp contrast to all of the other characters in the book. Unlike the others, he was not "new money" or "old money". He was not selfish or deceiving. He was not careless and cheating. Even after his son had deserted him, he still had genuine love and admiration for Gatsby after all of these years. As the quote above demonstrates, Gatsby's father was not concerned with material possessions. The picture that his son had sent back to him of the house stood for so much more than an image of his wealth. Instead, his father saw it as a benchmark for his son's success. Instead of seeing the lavish extravagance of the house, he saw the hard work that Gatsby had done in order to obtain it. That is what made him proud. It wasn't how much Gatsby had, but how far he had come. This is sharply contrasted with all of the other characters in the book. For example, Daisy only loved Gatsby for what he had and what she could offer him; not what he had done to get to where she was. I really admire his father for not being like Daisy and he is easily my favorite character in the book.

The Great Gatsby - Shallowness

"I tried to think about Gatsby then for a moment, but he was already too far away, and I could only remember, without resentment, that Daisy hadn't sent a message or a flower." p. 176

This is a perfect example of how the characters in this book were shallow, self-centered, stereotypical rich aristocrats (Can you tell that I don't like them very much?). I will first start off by criticizing Daisy, for whom the quote is about. Why did she not go to the funeral? He died! Because of HER! Ah, frustration. She claimed to be so in love with him and dedicated quite some time to being with him. However, when he died as a result of her actions, she couldn't be bothered to merely write a letter of condolence or send flowers for the grave, let alone show up to the poor guy's burial. She had what she wanted in Tom and could care less about her former love. Next, Gatsby was also incredibly shallow. He had countless parties with all of these "friends", but never took the time to actually get to know these people. That's why no one showed up at his funeral. He just used all of these people in order to get closer to Daisy. He dedicated his whole life to this quest and never even got her in the end. And the only reason he "loved" her in the first place was because she had lots of money and social status. Thus, his shallowness consumed his life and led to his death. 

The Great Gatsby - Dramatic Irony

"It all happened in a minute but it seemed to me that she wanted to speak to us, thought we were somebody she knew. Well, first Daisy tuned away from the woman toward the other car, and she she lost her nerve and turned back. The second my hand reached the wheel I felt the shock- it must have killed her instantly." p. 151

This part of the book is the perfect example of dramatic irony. Mrs. Wilson, thinking that the car was being driven by Tom, attempted to stop the vehicle to talk to her lover, most likely about her being required to leave with Mr. Wilson because he found out she was cheating on him. Maybe she was warning him that Mr. Wilson was going to kill him. However, this will never be known because she didn't make it that far (and I can't say that I'm sorry about that fact). The ironic part is that Tom's mistress was killed by Tom's wife. How's that for a twist? It was apparent early on in the book that Daisy was upset by the fact that Tom was cheating on her, but she seemed to do little about it. So it was a coincidence that she indirectly took action as soon as she decided that she wanted to stay with Tom and not with her own lover, Gatsby.

The Great Gatsby - Theme (Amuurika!)

"He stretched out his hand desperately as if to snatch only a wisp of air, to save a fragment of the spot that she had made lovely for him. But it was all going by too fast now for his blurred eyes and he knew that he had lost that part of it, the freshest and the best, forever." p. 161

A major theme of this novel is giving up all one has to live the American dream. Gatsby is a perfect example of this. He started out as a poor man with very little. He decided that he wanted more from life, so he moved out and tried various jobs in order to obtain riches. Meeting Daisy solidified this desire. She symbolized the American dream. She had wealth and social status, so it's a no-brainer that Gatsby instantly coveted her (or, more like. a life like her's). After going to war, he swore to make his dream of Daisy a reality. He worked hard and became wealthy; a step required if he was going to get Daisy to love him. However, once he had Daisy within reach, she slipped away swiftly as Tom proved himself superior to Gatsby at dinner. It was then apparent that Daisy was extremely self-centered and careless, for she did not truly love Gatsby for himself, but only for the status that he exuded. When that status was put in danger, her "love" shriveled back up and she crawled back to stable Tom. Oftentimes, this often happens to those who seek the American dream like Gatsby. Once they attain it or are close to attaining it, the dream vanishes and leaves them with nothing. In Gatsby's case, it left him with death. What a sad ending.

The Great Gatsby - Tom and Daisy

"...but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for he had found difficult to forget; a singing compulsion, a whispered "Listen", a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour." p. 14

I think there is a big difference between the characters of Tom and Daisy. Tom is characterized as being "a sturdy, straw haired man of 30 with a rather hard mouth and supercilious manner... appearance of always leaning aggressively forward" (p. 11). He is cheating on his wife, Daisy, with Myrtle Wilson. That didn't make much sense to me, because she is described as not being very attractive, while Daisy is nearing perfection in Nick's eyes. She is characterized as being "sad and lovely, [with] bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth" (p.13). She also semi cheats on her spouse, but in a different way. She had been in love with Gatsby prior to her marriage to Tom, whereas Tom is just escaping his marriage just because. Daisy seems to be a calm personality that would not hurt anyone whereas Tom seems to have little regard for the feelings of others (he must know that Daisy knows that he is cheating on her...).

The Great Gatsby - Gatsby Needs Some Friends

"You're sure you want me to come?" "Absolutely, old sport." p. 95

Gatsby is an interesting character. He frequently uses the phrase, "old sport", which to me, indicates some sort of friendship. However, Gatsby strikes me as a character who has little to no friends. While he is at his party, he stands on a balcony overlooking his guests and watching others have a good time. Nick sees him standing in his yard with his arms outstretched to a dock across the water. Later, we find out that he is doing that towards Daisy. I think all of this shows how lonely Gatsby is. I do see him receiving the friendship he needs with Nick and I hope things work out between him and Daisy because I pretty much hate Tom.