25
November
2008
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – last page, last sentence
This sentence brought up some discussion in class and when i stated my opinion about it, it was contradicted by another student. I hope that in this blog i am able to explain my opinion and defend my interpretation of the this quote.
The first part of this sentence may seem optimistic, “so we beat on.” It shows that although this summer was full of questions and drama, people are able to continue their lives and still push to reach the “green light” or the “American dream.” Fitzgerald knows it will not be easy and thus “boats against the current” suggests that the dream will not just be given out, like we saw with the other characters in this book. However the last part of the sentence puts a melancholy outlook onto the expression. “Borne ceaselessly into the past.” The characters (that have lived through the current events) are able to move on from what happened to the Wilson’s and Gatsby, however maybe too soon. Characters such as Tom and Daisy have proved to not care about others feelings and will mess things up, leaving the ruins for other people. Tom certainly has forgotten Gatsby as he did not value his life. Gatsby’s one friend, the man who threw the baseball game, could not attend the funeral because he was afraid of what people would say and another man could not go because he was going to be on a picnic. People of West and East egg have no souls to mourn over a loss that occurred brutally. This has a negative outlook on how these people will continue their lives and brings up the question of how many more times events like these will occur.
The characters are receding back into the past. A time when nothing was said and everything just swept under the carpet. It was a time when Daisy was miserable in a life that she believed she was too smart and aware for. It was a time when Tom would go off, have affairs and there was nothing Daisy could or would do. It was a time without parties, without a social life that brought people together. And with the great depression approaching, it was the last glimpse of hope for many of the people. It is impossible to go back into the past. We saw this with Gatsby as he wanted to re-create the past during a time when Daisy loved him. We saw this with Wilson as he attempted to fulfill a dream of Myrtles when they first got married, before Tom may have entered the picture. So when Fitzgerald writes, “borne ceaselessly into the past” it will not be the same past in any way. Although they try not to be affected, it is impossible to erase Gatsby from their memory, and it is impossible for Tom to forget what Daisy said that night in the hotel room.
The characters in the Great Gatsby were miserable before Nick came. And now with the events that took place behind them, there is even more to be hurt about. So when a classmate said that the last sentence was optimistic, that perhaps the inhabitants of West and East egg were going to be able to continue on toward their dreams, i ask, how are they going to move forward toward this dream if they were not able to express their feelings before all these problems occurred. Tom and Daisy and Jordan will not be able to move toward their dream as they must move forward in order to do so. Instead they are receding, going back into their old habits of being rich and doing nothing.
That is why i think the last sentence of the Great Gatsby is fearful for the lives ahead of the remaining characters, as Fitzgerald and Nick alike know that nothing will ever change.
Posted: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
19
November
2008
Yet another example of trying to achieve perfection, or something better in your life was shown with the Wilson couple. As we know Myrtle Wilson is Tom’s women on the side and her husband, ”Wilson” does some business with Tom. This realationship has been going on for some time without Wilson even knowing it. When Tom went over to Wilson’s to get some gas he learned of the Wilson’s plan to move West on Myrtle’s request. “She’s been talking about it for ten years…And now she’s going whether she wants to or not. I’m going to get her away.” (pg 123). Wilson goes on to say that he learned of something a few days ago, perhaps an affair. However it does not seem to be the affair between Tom and Myrtle as Wilson seems just as friendly with Tom as he always is and has been. Does Myrtle have yet another man? Could it be that the two women in Tom’s life were not really his, Daisy who is having a fling with Gatsby and Myrtle who is neither faithful to her husband or Tom? Here is where the first relationship breaks. Tom who believes he must have a women on the side to keep him happy and to keep reaching for something more now realizes that the women he thought he had is not loyal to him. On the way back from NY there is a big fuss around the Wilson house as Myrtle has been killed in a hit and run. To Tom Myrtle is already dead. However Wilson sees all of his planning and hopes for a different future of starting over gone. Pleasing Myrtle and giving her what she needs and wants is Wilson’s green light. However now she is dead and Wilson is left with the guilt of a miserable wife who hated her life so much she in response slept around and foolishly run into the road getting herself killed. Both Tom and Wilson have crushed dreams now…and they are not the only ones as a result of this chapter.
While in NY a whole lot of stuff went down. Tom called Gatsby out who in turn called out Daisy about never loving Tom at all. This surprised Tom, pleased Gatsby, and made Nick and Jordan utterly uncomfortable. However there was a twist. Tom turned the tables on Gatsby, threatening him with something from his past. What that is we do not know however Nick did give us some in sitethat he could have murdered a man. This gave Daisy second thoughts about her perfect plans of running away with Gatsby as her worry free future soon smacked her in the face as her “mistress” is a murderer. Daisy’s green light, or her doubloon, was a life of wealth (which she will have with Tom or Gatsby) and love (which only Gatsby can provide). She is so close to having both however, like all great goals in American literature, it is just out of her reach. Gatsby’s dream of living with Daisy is also ruined as he realizes that he did not have all of Daisy’s heart all the time. Gatsby had the perfect vision of Daisy however it was shattered in the fiasco that occurred in NY.
“‘Oh, you want too much!’ she cried to Gatsby. ‘I love you now-isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past…I did love him once-but I loved you too.’”
“‘You loved me too?’ he repeated.”
“‘Even that’s a lie,’ said Tom savagely. ‘She didn’t know you were alive. Why-there’re things between Daisy and me that you’ll never know, things that neither of us can ever forget.’”
“The words seemed to bite physically into Gatsby.” (pg. 132)
Gatsby needs to face that he and Daisy had a few months together, but Tom and Daisy have been through a marriage, a child, and about five years together. That is something Gatsby can never get back and something he can never take away from Daisy. It means that Daisy will not be able to leave Tom because although she had an affair with Gatsby, she had a life with Tom and nothing can beat that now.
Posted: Connections, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
17
November
2008
There are many different symbols or emotions in The Great Gatsby that represent the “American dream” or what the character is longing to have that is just out of reach. We saw this symbolism in Moby Dick as the doubloon reminded everybody to stay on task and hopefully they would be rewarded with the white whale, or depending on the beholder, going home to see their family or making a lot of money with the rich oil to sell back home. For Ahab, the doubloon along with his peg leg, his scars, and memory, all drive him toward his dream of catching Moby Dick. However he is trying to obtain the unobtainable. He is trying to catch the most deadly and fiercest whale in all of the seas. Gatsby is doing the same thing. He knew that Daisy was living across the river from him and just like Ahab, made certain moves in order to become closer to the prize. Ahab sailed through many seas while Gatsby had extravagant parties to lure her in. “He began asking people casually if they knew her, and I was the first one he found.” (pg. 79) The green light shows Gatsby that Daisy is still there and still close by. He remembers all the good times in the past and is trying to relive the past and not make the same mistake of letting Daisy go. When Ahab first encountered the Moby Dick he much would have rathered kill him then and there. By sailing after the whale Ahab was trying to relive the past and change the outcome. This is what Gatsby is doing too. He is showing off to Daisy, trying to woo her back into his arms just like it was 5 years ago. Gatsby is trying to relive the past and change the outcome so that it benefits himself, thus obtaining yet another precious jewel. “‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can! ….I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before,’ he said , nodding determinedly. ‘She’ll see.’” (pg. 110)
The perfect future is not possible. There will always be other elements going in and out of your life no matter how hard you try to stay perfect. There are so many times people have wanted to take back something they said or re-do a relationship, or even a test a school. However what Fitzgerald and Melville are trying to tell us, the American society, is that it is impossible to go back and recreate something that once was. People spend too much of their lives wondering what could have happened or what we should have done differently. However we need to accept the past and go on and live with the decisions we made. If we always second guess our actions then we will end up like Ahab or Gatsby. Two men in positions of great power that could do so much with their lives, waisting it away by longing for something in the past. Ahab and Gatsby outwardly seem happy. Ahab has the nice young life and baby to get back to and is excellent at his trade. Gatsby has all the riches in the world and is a likable man who must have many friends. However inwardly they are both struggling with the emotions they keep from the past instead of enjoying the life they made for themselves.
Posted: Connections, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
14
November
2008
This blog entry cannot be summed up in one quote found in the chapter. Instead it is about a larger topic, the topic of loyalty and what it means for Gatsby and Daisy to still have a connection after so many years (5 years that November to be exact). Although many of the actions taken by Gatsby can be seen as “sketchy” such as noticing that there is a green lamp outside Daisy’s house, it is really demonstrating how strong Gatsby’s love for Daisy is. There have been numerous movies and plays written about a man who goes off to war and his lover marries someone else in the meantime. This is what has happened to Gatsby however he cannot give up his young love, he wants the fairy tale ending and wants Daisy to come back to him. The outcome of this relationship will be decided on whether or not Daisy can work up the courage to leave Tom and live with Gatsby. Gatsby’s loyalty and desire is there, the question is: does Daisy feel the same way?
We the reader sees such a difference in Gatsby when he meets Daisy. At first I was a bit confused by what really happened was Gatsby was love stricken (love stricken moose:)) He became nervous, scared, and did not know what to say or what to do. Although Gatsby is never as pompous as Tom, he does act like a well educated man who thinks about all of his words and subtly knows he is better than most of the people he meets. However when he meets Daisy this rich well educated man is lost as Nick describes him of acting like a little boy. Latter on Gatsby gets his swagger back as he shows his house around to Daisy. Daisy also looses her cool as a pretty young lady. She begins crying at his success and perhaps realized that if she waited out for a few more years, all of Gatsby’s riches could be hers too.
Although in class we already listened to the song that was played in this chapter, I feel like it makes its appearance in the book at a very awkward moment. One would expect a slow, soft song to make the mood romantic for Gatsby and Daisy. However this upbeat song somehow does the same effect for the new ”??couple??” Seeing as I am writing this blog in school I cannot put up a link to The Love Nest or the other song in this chapter, however I suggest listing to it in order to understand the mood of the time.
Posted: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
13
November
2008
“A week after I left Santa Barbara Tom ran into a wagon on the Ventura road one night, and ripped a front wheel off his car. The girl who was with him go into the papers, too, because her arm was broken-she was one of the chambermaids in the Santa Barbara Hotel.” (pg. 77)
As Jordan describes the back story of both Gatsby and Daisy, she gives up some information about the marriage between Tom and Daisy and how it has been suffering for years. This quote gives one account right after their honeymoon where Tom was caught out with a maid from their last hotel. Right before the wedding Daisy was having doubts as she got drunk for the first time. However she went through with the marriage and is now regretting it after she sees different actions from her husband. Perhaps Jordan is telling all this to Nick because he wants him to feel bad for Daisy and invite Gatsby over so they can reunite. Gatsby has been working on this for years as he purposely bought a house near by. This shows what kind of person Gatsby is. He is okay with being involved in scandal as he wants to be with a married women, however he tries to do it quietly, respectfully, and has a good reason for wanting to find her again. I hope the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby evolves and Tom gets kicked to the side.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl ~~ Gatsby tries to “butter up” to Nick and get him to like him by taking him into the city for a lavish lunch. Gatsby wants Nick to like him so that he will invite Daisy over. For the past month Gatsby and Nick have been doing things together and now it is apparent it was just to get to Daisy.
Posted: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
10
November
2008
“Every one 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.” pg. 59
This quote has meaning to it as in all aspects of Nick’s life, all the new people he has met, and all the people he socializes with at the Gatsby party, there is not a purely honest man around. Tom is cheating on Daisy with a women in the city. That women is also cheating on her own husband in order to be with Tom. The people at the party find themselves in a fight as one girl explains that the women singing a beautiful song is crying because “She had fight with a man who says he’s her husband” (pg.51). Then all around Nick women start having fights with their husbands. Nick is not sure what to believe about Gatsby as he has heard many different and strange rumors about his wealthy neighbor that seems to be nothing but friendly so far. And lastly, the girl perhaps Nick considered the most innocent and pure is also unfaithful, Jordan. Nick remembers that the first time he heard of Jordan was when the news paper published a scandal that was going on. Nick realizes she is dishonest and not trust worthy which will either break his hart or make him more intrigued.
On page 45 Nick and Jordan venture into the library where they find a drunk guest. The man is crazy about all the REAL books in the library and the one he takes out as an example was Stoddard’s Lectures. I was curious and found that the books are a travel guide into different countries. This party and the life Nick is living his year on West Egg is like going into a different world that is ruled by wealth, mistrust, and gossip. http://www.oldmapsbooks.com/Book_Pages/B25xx/B2583stoddard.htm
Posted: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
7
November
2008
” You see,” cried Catherine triumphantly. She lowered her voice again. “It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce.” “Daisy was not a Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the elaborateness of the lie.” pg 33 (Catherine talking to Nick)
When Tom brings Nick to the apartment, he meets the mistress in New York, Myrtle, as well as other friends, the McKee’s. They get drink whiskey and smoke in the apartment and Catherine gets to talking about the relationship between her sister and Tom. She says that neither Tom or Myrtle like their spouses however they cannot divorce because Daisy is a Catholic. Nick realizes this is a lie but does not say anything. He wonders about Tom’s reason for this lie. Perhaps Tom still has faith in his marriage and really does love Daisy but needs to find other fun in the City like he has now with Myrtle. Another reason to think that Tom still wants to be with Daisy is that when Myrtle starts talking about Tom’s wife, Tom hits her in the nose, creating a great mess. This feeling that comes from somewhere in Tom is what is bringing Tom back home everyday instead of staying in the City.
Mistresses in another town has become a very popular topic of discussion involving the elite class today. For some reason they think that although they are closely watched, they can get away with cheating on their wives for years. Just like Tom, who is considered the “elite” class in his time, different political officials are finding new ways to enjoy them selves that end up biting them in the a** as time goes on. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/10/america/10york.php ~ in the picture that goes with this article we see the wife of Eliot Spitzer standing next to her unloyal husband. The fact that the wife is supposed to stay with the husband and just turn a blind eye is unfair and is what Daisy is going through. She knows there is a women in the City her husband is with, however she cannot say too much and must stay quiet like a “proper” women is supposed to.
Posted: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
6
November
2008
This chapter introduces us to the characters. Nick is the main character who lives in New York. He is cousins with Daisy who is married to Tom. Miss Baker was at Nick and Daisy’s house however she does not live there.
“All right,’ I said, ‘I’m glad its 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.” ~pg. 17 (Daisy talking to Nick on the porch about her daughter)
This quote comes from Daisy as she is telling him how she changed so much. She is not happy in her marriage to Tom as they have been moving around restlessly from one really rich town to another (according to Nick). She realizes why she cannot just sit back in a life that should be easy for her the rest of her life “Sophisticated-God, I’m sophisticated!” (pg. 17). This tells us a lot about the life Daisy and all the other people she is acquainted with live. The women marry the men and are supposed to blindly follow them, raise the children, and be quite and content with life. However Daisy cannot do this. She wants to go out into the world and experience things. She realizes that she has been able to travel all over the world and has anything she wants, however she has not done it on her own terms, but always a step behind her husband. Daisy wants more in life and the rest of the book will probably follow her story of finding that excitement (such as living in New York as Nick does).
On page 13 Tom begins talking about a book he read and the ideas that come with it. “This fellow has worked out the whole thing. It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things.” Daisy adds in by saying ” We’ve got to beath them down.” Tom believs they are the nordic race that should succede while the others stay behind in the shadows. As we know, only two days ago Barack Obama defied Tom’s ideas by reaching the highest position in the United States, President. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/04/AR2008110404508.html
Posted: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
