Sunday, 25 November 2012

Chapter 2 of Great Gatsby

Chapter two
 

 
As in chapter one there are a lot of emphasis on colour however in this chapter it is mainly about the colour grey. grey is a bleak - dark and scared (area of the town is plain compared to chapter 1)  
 
Grey cars - very mechanical (they are very slow)
Invisible = the place is desolate (valley of ashes) - lower class area - place could be swept away.
Like a ghost town. There is a theme of death at the beginning of the chapter.
Train always stops at the valley of ash for at least a minute (makes it seem like more than it is) again emphasis on the new technology.
 
Their are references to the time - Dr.T.J.Eckleburg and John Rockerfeller
date  a summer Sunday afternoon - summer and Sundays and afternoons are always slow
Ton Buchanan's mistress
  • Their is no hesitation when introducing her - like when introducing Gatsby because their is no mystery  about her and the affair.
  • Why does Nick not care?
  • Myrtle is a very average women - quite plump. Why does Tom risk an affair with her?
  • Is Nick only criticising Myrtle because Tom is having an affair with his relation
Wilson is a cold hard man - only in it for the money

Myrtle is very materialistic - wants a dog
Myrtle likes to pretend that she is rich and upper class when around Tom.
Tom rents out a very expensive apartment on 5th avenue - Nick revues it as small



Tom is sensitive about his name and therefore his wife's - punches Myrtles friend and breaks her nose.

The ending is very disjointed - written in the mind of a drunk man
Begin to question the reliability of the narration as he is drunk (an immoral act )

At the beginning of the book Nick acts like he has very high morals.

Nick creates a lot of judgements in this chapter - judgement on Myrtle
                                                                              judgement on Tom's apartment

 


1 comment:

  1. Yes, the reliability of Nick is brought into question. Do you think that this will affect how you read the rest of the novel?

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