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.

The Great Gatsby - Battle of the Eggs

"I lived in the West Egg, the - well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them." p. 9

First of all, I was a little confused as to why they refer to the sections of lands or islands as "eggs". It just seems a bit odd. That aside, I think the difference between the East and West Eggs are hard to miss. The most obvious difference is the contrast between wealth. Those on West Egg are described as "new money"; that is, they just came into money and have not yet made it into the close-knit society of the aristocrats. Those on East Egg have a lot of money and belong to the social group that share that commonality. In short, the East Egg-ers are seen as more sophisticated. However, I believe that that is merely on the surface. They are, as far as I can tell, people who like to lie, party, and get drunk. That does not seem very sophisticated to me. Nick, who lives on West Egg, appears more sophisticated because he does not lie, attends a few parties, and has only been drunk twice, thus making him more sophisticated.

The Great Gatsby - point of view

"I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life." p. 40

I think the point of view of this novel is essential in decoding some of the scenes that unfold. This is because the narrator is an outsider. Because of this, he is able to take a step back and not get tangled up in the crazy scandals of those around him. Nick Carraway being the narrator serves the purpose of having an unbiased character tell the story. He is involved with the other characters, but he is rarely the center of the stories that he tells. They always involve the lives of those around him while he more observes. If any of the other characters told the story, I believe that there would be a strong bias and the reader could be swayed to perceive the events in a different light. At the very beginning, Nick says that he is not judgmental; which helps a great deal in understanding the events rather than one character's one-sided view.

The Great Gatsby - characterization

"'Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,' he told me, 'just remember that all of the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'" p. 6

Nick Carraway initially characterizes himself as someone who does not judge others. However, he also mentions that he has a bit of a higher morale than those around him. I thought that this was just him being boastful, but as I continued to read the story, I realized that this is true. This was first demonstrated when Tom was accused, then later found guilty, of having a lover other than his wife. Another example is Jordan, who admitted to cheating in her first golf match. Nick believes that he is the most honest person she knows. Finally, there is skepticism of just how honest Gatsby is when he is telling Nick of his past, displaying that his history does not really make logical sense. All of this put together gives Nick plenty of reason to be judgmental towards the other characters in the novel. However, the narrator goes with the flow and does not condemn or confront any of the other characters, really, further showing his nonjudgmental behavior that he first characterized himself as being associated with.

Frankenstein - That's It?

"I shall collect my funeral pile, and consume to ashes this miserable frame, that its remains may afford no light to any curious and unhallowed wretch, who would create such another as I have been. I shall die. I shall no longer feel the agonies which now consume me, or be the prey of feelings unsatisfied yet unquenched." p. 166

I was very surprised by the abruptness to which this novel ended. There was this whole build up in the entire novel of exactly why Victor was chasing the creature when Walton found him. I was a bit disappointed in how it turned out. I thought there would be some giant fight or, at the very least, a conflict resolution. No. The creature did not even have a chance to give his apologies to his creator. Victor just died. But before that could happen, he gave instructions to Walton to "thrust your sword into his heart" (p. 155). So, once again, I was expecting a battle between the two, and I was let down. I enjoyed this novel and I was really hoping that there would be some big ending that would either make me say, "Awwwwwwwwww" or drop my jaw to the floor.

Frankenstein - Climax

"And then I thought again of his words - 'I will be with you on your wedding-night.'" p. 123

There were lots of turning points throughout the novel for me as a reader, but I feel like this is the true climax that Shelley was intending. Up until this point, Victor is really in no danger. Yes, he lost a loved one, but basically everyone he loves is still alive and well. However, this all about to change. The creature had finally found what he had been yearning for for all of his existence: love and acceptance. He truly believed that he was going to receive that gift from the second creature that Victor was creating. But when he did indeed not get that present, he was determined to make Victor pay. So now, the creature is hopeless and set on revenge and Victor believes that he is the one that the creature is coming after. After his best friend's death, he decides that he will just have to defend himself and fight the creature. However, he was not the one that needed saving, as Elizabeth was murdered by the creature on his wedding night.

I realize that I just summarized a ton, but the main point of this was that the creature saying that he was going to see Victor once again on his wedding night was the climax of the story.

Frankenstein - motivation

"I shuddered to think that future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at the price, perhaps, of the existence f the whole human race." p. 121

There are many instances that motivation comes up in this story. The motivation behind Victor destroying the female creature was that he came to terms with how selfish he was being. He did not know that was in store for him or the creature. If he were to create another, he believed that, possibly, all hell would break loose. Deciding not to take his chances, he destroyed the second creature.

Because of this act, the first creature is overcome with rage, and most likely extreme disappointment and hurt that he will no longer have a partner, that he vows to kill everyone that Victor loves by saying that he will see him on his wedding night. That was the motivation behind the creature killing Henry as well as Elizabeth.

This was not the first time that the creature had given into his anger and frustration. After he found the journal in his lab coat pocket and after he had been rejected by his "protectors", the creature decides that he is going to hurt the man that put this horrible life into his hands. That is what motivates him to kill William. He believes that William is Victor's son when he hears the boy say "Frankenstein", and ends up strangling the boy to death. All in all, motivation plays a big role in the novel and understanding why characters did the things that they did.

Frankenstein - Didactic

"You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine have been." p. 13

I believe that Frankenstein could be considered a didactic piece of literature for multiple reasons. First, it shows you the dangers of judging a book by its cover. Everyone who encountered the creature looked upon him with horror and disgust. However, he was really like an infant, trying to figure out the world for himself. Because of this, he was left to find things out on his own and was led down a dark path. If Victor had stepped forward and nurtured him like a creator should, then maybe the creature would not have killed everyone that Victor loved and put him through complete misery.

The next lesson that makes this didactic is the importance of not only having knowledge, but wisdom as well. Victor learned this the hard way. Instead of thinking about the implications and consequences of creating a new form of life, he just went right ahead and did it. Of course, he was smart and knowledgeable enough to perform this task, but he truly did not have the wisdom to see what this would really mean. In hindsight, Victor realizes that he should not have done what he did and wants to warn Walton about the dangers as well. He seems the same sort of fire in Walton and knows that he will go down a dark path if he doesn't stop himself soon. So he takes it upon himself to show Walton the wisdom he has acquired in hopes that Walton does not make the same mistakes.

Frankenstein - epithet

"Over him hung a form which I cannot find words to describe: - gigantic in stature, yet oncouth and distorted in its proportions... never did I behold a vision so horrible as his face, and of such loathsome, yet appalling hideousness." p. 163

Whenever Shelley is describing the creature I noticed that she used similar adjective pretty consistently throughout the novel. The epithet she uses is predominantly "gigantic". From the very first introduction of the creature, he is described as having "the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature" (p. 4). The fact that she always characterized him in this way served the purpose to segregate the monster further. By constantly commenting on his size, he is isolated more and is seen as an outcast immediately. I feel as if Shelley did this in order to make the point of how different the creature appeared, thus adding to his overall rejection from humans.

Frankenstein - What an Intelligent 2 Year Old!

"Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed." p. 69

It honestly makes no sense how a creature could be living for two years and already have a better vocabulary than an eighteen year old honor student. Nevertheless, I have to give him props. The monster taught himself everything after Frankenstein showed him no sense of love or compassion as his creator. By observing others, the monster was able to become extremely articulate as well as intelligent enough to devise a plan to win the affection of others. In just two years he was able to become, as far as I could tell, an honorable member of society. He figured out the rights and wrongs and even does good deeds for his neighbors. He puts his own desires aside to help others, which is something that takes years and lots of growth. I don't think this point has any real relevance other than I thought it was a kind of neat point to make. It's almost kind of scary how fast he learned things. Maybe that is because it was a stolen brain that had already made all of those neural connections. But I digress. There is no need to try to make logical sense of fiction books such as this. :)

Frankenstein - What happened to Mel Brooks?!

"Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, and continued a long time traversing my bedchamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep." p. 35

"Young Frankenstein" is a movie that I can recall watching at a very young age that easily put me in stitches. Yet, the thought of a completely crazy scientist (no one can deny that Gene Wilder was insane and just a tad creepy) creating a monster from bodies he obtained after an evening of grave robbing was a big pill for me to swallow as a kid. That one movie framed my entire belief on what this classic tale was all about. However, I could not have been more wrong. The differences between the book and the movie parody are numerous. For starters, the creation scene was much of the basis of the movie while Shelley got it over with early on in the book. Further, there was no evil laugh or lightening striking. Frankenstein in the book was even completely terrified of his creation. Another difference, and probably the biggest disappointment, was there was no Igor. I was really looking forward to him. Frankenstein in the book did his experiments in complete secrecy, whereas in the movie there was Igor, his sidekick servant, and various other people who I forget the names of.

Frankenstein - anecdote

"Do you remember on what occasions Justine Moritz entered our family? Probably you do not; her mother, was a widow with four children, of whom Justine was the third. This girl had always been the favourite of her father; but, through a strange perversity, her mother could not endure her, and after the death of M. Moritz, treated her very ill." p. 41

The excerpt that I have found is from Elizabeth's letter to Frankenstein. She is trying to jog his memory about Justine Moritz. With this brief anecdote, Frankenstein, as well as the reader, is able to learn more about the character of Justine. This is important because Justine plays an extremely important role as the story continues regarding Frankenstein's brother and the monster that he had created nearly two years ago. This is not the only anecdote that I have noticed while reading. Nearly every time a new character is introduced, the writer goes into some detail in order to characterize the character (duh!). For example, when the professors are introduced, a brief explanation is given for each of them. This is helpful in the story because I was able to understand more of where the characters were coming from and then I could begin to comprehend the main characters' reactions to each of the minor characters.

Frankenstein - frame story

"Strange and harrowing must be his story, frightful the storm which embraced the gallant vessel on its course and wrecked it-thus!" p. 14

In the novel, there are many different things going on. One of the biggest literary devices being utilized throughout the book is frame stories. The story starts off as a man (Walton) writing a series of letters to his sister while he is on a voyage. He is relaying the tales of his journey, which prompts him to tell his sister about the man he saw chasing after a monstrous creature. This man is Frankenstein, who begins to tell his tale. So that is one story within a story. In the midst of his storytelling, Frankenstein's story is interrupted with the story of his creation. Now, there is a story within a story within a story. Not to mention there are lots of little stories within each of the characters' narrations. The story can be a bit confusing at times. However, I think all of these frame stories make the story seem more real. I know that when I am telling stories I like to give every detail and all the background information. So all of these back stories really make this book more enjoyable to me as a reader, but can make analyzing a bit more difficult because you have all of these different speakers talking about all different characters and events.

Frankenstein - point of view

"But I consented to listen, and seating myself by the fire which my odious companion had lighted, he thus began his tale.

'It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being: all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct.' " p. 70

Point of view plays an integral role in the way this story is formed. In order to fully grasp what is happening in the plot, the reader must be able to keep up with exactly who's point of view this is all coming from. The quote that I have selected - and the point I am at in the story- is spoken by the monster. That monster is telling his tale to his creator, Frankenstein. Frankenstein is telling all of this to Walton who is relaying it to his sister in a letter. So as the story continues and changes, so do the storytellers. The changing point of view allows the reader to sort of hear all sides of the story. In a way, it makes it more like a movie or a play, where the viewer can see what is happening to all the characters. The changing voice also gives the reader a chance to understand what is occurring in the thoughts of the different characters. Each is going on his own specific journey and it is very interesting to find out how all of the journeys and stories interlock with one another.