Monday, 17 December 2012

Chapter 9 of Great Gatsby

Nick tries to get in touch with Daisy - who had fled with Tom.
He then tries to find family members for Gatsby or for someone to pay their respects but he finds no one.

Nick gets a call - intended for Gatsby - find out he was involved in something suspicious

Gatsby's father than turns up - father is very proud (doesn't know about the dodgey business Gatsby got all his money from)

A guy phones up knowing that Gatsby is dead asking for a pair of shoes - nick rightly hangs up on him.

we learn how Gatsby was always trying to improve himself - idea that he was always wanting to do well for himself.

Weather - day of the family - rainy days

at the funeral - owl eyes turns up. (agrees with Nick about how terrible it is that tons of people go to Gatsby's party but  none to his funeral)

he concludes that all of the characters in the book were all from the West and therefore could not conform to the ways of the East.
          - Nick decided to go home to the East.

Before the end he meets Jordon who accuses him of being "dishonest" after all.

Nick’s cryptic response? "I’m thirty. I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it Honor." He then remarks that he’s "half in love with her" and "tremendously sorry" when he leaves.


Some time later he runs into Tom Buchanan.
Tom reveals that he is the one who told Mr. Wilson that the car belonged to Gatsby.
Nick can’t bring himself to utter the truth – that Daisy was the one driving. He doesn’t even know anymore whom to believe.


  • Nick realises that Tom and Daisy were "careless people," people who made messes and then left others to clean them up.

  • He thinks of what the island must have looked like years ago to the first sailors that came to "the new world."
  • Chapter 8 of Greatt Gatsby

    Time = Next morning

    Nick tells Gatsby that he should leave until Myrtles death is forgotten - Gatsby refuses because he believes that him and Daisy still have a future.

    learn more about Gatsby's past:
    • Daisy was the first "nice" girl Gatsby had ever known or met. His initial plan was to get some backseat action, but then he accidentally fell in love. It happens.
    • In the war, Gatsby did well for himself. He tried to get home as soon as the war was over but he was sent to Oxford.
    • Meanwhile, Daisy got tired of waiting for him and married Tom.

    One of Gatsby's servants announces that they are going to have the pool drained.

    As he leaves Nick says "They’re a rotten crowd ... You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together."
    BUT Nick reminds us that he "disapproved" of Gatsby "from beginning to end."

    Nick phones Jordon and there relationship goes from courting to "complicated"

    Brought back to the present of Myrtles death
    •  Wilson, in the midst of his grieving, revealed that he had recently started to suspect his wife of having an affair. He had found an expensive dog collar in her room and huge bruises on her face one day.
    • Wilson came to the sudden conclusion that whoever was driving the car was the same man having an affair with his wife.
    • Hear all of this from Nick who wasn't there (imagination/Michaelis/reports)
    Wilson works out that the yellow car belongs to Gatsby
    Gatsby is in the pool

    Nick hears shots fired
    Nick finds Gatsby and Wilson's bodies
    the finding of Gatsby's body is very descriptive - not like the rest of the main event that happen.

    Friday, 14 December 2012

    Chapter 7 of Great Gatsby

     

    Time = next Saturday
    Gatsby has locked himself into his house and fired all of his servants - makes you think something bad has happened.
    Find out that Daisy has been coming round Gatsby's house (something fishy going on there)

    Weather = hottest day ever

    Nick goes round to Daisy and Tom's house
    • Tom is talking to his mistress on the phone - Nick tries to pretend it isn't her but everyone knows its her. Is he ashamed because he knows and he hasn't said anything.
    • Daisy and Jordon wearing white again (symbol of purity)
    • Gatsby is there
    • Daisy sends Tom into the other room to make a drink and kisses him, declaring that she loves him.
    Daisy's daughter is brought in. Gatsby does not like this.

    "What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon? and the day after that, and the next thirty years" - Daisy

    Daisy says "you always look so cool." - everyone knows she just admitted to loving Gatsby

    They then decide to go into town.
    While everyone is getting ready, Nick and Gatsby are alone to discuss Daisy’s voice, which Gatsby decides is "full of money." Nick agrees.
         - shows the extent of Gatsby's desire to be rich and how much he associates money with Daisy

    Daisy and Gatsby go in the Buchanans’ car (blue) and Tom drives Gatsby’s car (yellow) with Nick and Jordan as passengers.
    Tom realises two things: First, his wife is having an affair with Gatsby. Second, Jordan and Nick know about the whole thing.


    They stop for gas at Wilson's gas station
    Myrtle see's Tom with Gatsby's car and Jordon - she thinks Jordon is his wife, thinks Tom is driving
                                                                                   the yellow car.
    Wilson, who now knows about his wife’s affair but doesn’t know it’s with Tom, reveals that he needs money because he and his wife are going to move out West.
  • Tom realises he’s losing control – of his wife and of his mistress.


  • They end up at a suite in the Plaza hotel in an attempt to cool off.
    Tensions increases between Gatsby and Tom. Tom accuses him of lying about his being an Oxford man.
    - find out he was but only for a few months
    Tom finally confronts then about the affair.
    Gatsby tells Tom that "Daisy never loved you."
    Tom says that she does love him, and that in fact he loves her too (very fake - does he really love her just saying it)

    have an argument and Daisy admits that she did at one point love Tom but not anymore.
    Gatsby then insists to Tom that Daisy is leaving him.
    Tom reveals that Gatsby is a bootlegger but Gatsby gets excited and tries to deny it.


    Daisy begs to go, and they head home with Daisy and Gatsby together in Gatsby’s car.
  • Nick realises it is his birthday – he is thirty. ( what an odd thing to remember and comment on.

  •  Nick narrates, "So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight." - very sinister and could be foreshadowing Myrtles death

  • Tom, Jordan, and Nick stop at the Wilson’s place again because their is a crowd gathered
  •  - obvious something bad has happened

  • Michaelis, Wilson’s neighbour, reveals that Myrtle came running out when she saw a yellow car. The car struck and killed her, and then sped off without stopping.
  • It is obvious to Nick and company that the car was Gatsby’s.
  • Tom converses with a policeman at the scene of the crime about how the guilty car is YELLOW, but his own car is BLUE. makes sure her gets Gatsby in trouble and at the same time save his own back

  • As they drive away, Tom starts to cry - sad (did he actually love Myrtle?)


  • When they get back to Tom's house Nick finds Gatsby waiting outside there house in a bush ( not odd at all) says he is there to make sure Tom doesn’t get violent with Daisy.

  • Gatsby reveals that Daisy was driving the car when it struck Myrtle – but says he will say he did it so as not to get Daisy in trouble.

  • Nick sneaks round to the back of the house and sees Tom and Daisy together - very intimate it is obvious the two have reconciled
  • leaves Gatsby "watching over nothing."

  • Thursday, 6 December 2012

    Chapter 6 of Great Gatsby

    We learn the real background of Gatsby,
    • Real name is James Gatz - changed his name, Why? hiding, because it sound foreign, prefers it?
    • Comes from a poor family
    • worked on a ship - 'got himself started' - well travelled
    • oxford - well educated?

    At the party (Gatsby invites Daisy and Tom) he drops names this makes him seem important and makes Tom awkward.
    Know that Gatsby really wants to impress Daisy
    Becomes clear that Daisy is not enjoying the party at all.
    Gatsby upset, very childlike. "she didn't like it" whinny - Nick is left to comfort him.

    Gatsby's love for Daisy is very unrealistic and sad because he is living in the past, to Daisy there relationship may of just been a fling however to him it was serious, life binding.

    Gatsby throughout the novel is labelled as a classic stereotype romantic hero.

    Tom and Daisy are outcasts at this party
    Get the idea that Tom and Gatsby are in a game (snakes and ladders?) of power.

    Chapter 5 of Great Gatsby

    The first sentence in this chapter is "when i came home to West Egg that night i was afraid for a moment that my house was on fire" - this sets the mood for the chapter, build up of tension.

    This is the chapter were we first see Gatsby as a weak character.
    • has hands in pockets a very childlike posture,
    • upset,
    • defencive.
    Clock is knocked over and Gatsby catches it - idea of psychically stopping time, waiting for an
    appropriate time with Daisy, time moving slowly.          

    
    Daisy is very happy "erratic smile" - talks to Gatsby very matter of fact (awkward)
    Very descriptive about Gatsby's house - does he have all these possessions purely because of Daisy?

    Lyrics - all about the rich getting richer and the poor get - children. (juxta position to the rest of the chapter) - Gatsby does not have any children, could this be significant?

    Romantic imagery - makes the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby obvious.


    Weather is very important - raining than sunny (juxta position)
    "crying stromally" - Daisy sense of loss - freedom, Gatsby, she could of been with him now...
    Raining - shirts are a rainbow (colours of the rainbow) - the shirts show Gatsby's character and you're opinion of him.
    A Storm is broken emotionally