While travelling together, Gatsby tells Nick the story of his family history. After hearing the story, Nick responds in a very questioning and rather sarcastic manner, as if he does not believe anything Gatsby had said. He seems to find Gatsby’s story almost comical in a way. After Gatsby says that he lived around the world, Nick “with an effort…managed to restrain [his] incredulous laughter.” (Fitzgerald, Chapter 4)
In his head, Nick seems to be mocking Gatsby’s story, for he mentions that Gatsby’s phrases were so worn out and “threadbare” that it paints nothing other than the image of a “turbaned character”. After Gatsby shows Nick his medal, Nick was surprised that it had an “authentic look”. Nick only believes Gatsby’s story after he’s seen the photograph from Oxford and the medal.
Looking at this through a Marxist lens, it can be seen why this is significant to the story. Using Karl Marx’s class struggle theory, Gatsby can be seen as the Proletariat, or working class. And Nick, as he is Daisy’s cousin, can be seen as the Bourgeoisie, the dominant class. Class struggle can be seen when Nick does not believe Gatsby and Gatsby brings artifacts as proof to show Nick knowing he will not believe him. Nick, being Bourgeoisie, realizes that Gatsby is only trying to impress him, which seems to be quite comical to him.
Gatsby’s hard attempt to convince Nick can be seen as class struggle Gatsby is facing trying to climb up the social ladder. It is highly significant because the theme of the novel is based on the “American Dream”, the class struggle faced by people like Gatsby chasing and trying to achieve that dream and people like Tom and Daisy who can be seen as the Bourgeoisie, recklessly and selfishly living their lives, not caring for others struggling around them.
What Fitzgerald is trying to say here is that the American dream doesn't exist. The founding fathers envisioned America as a meritocracy where anybody with sufficient ambition and strength of character could achieve success. Gatsby is the ideal American: determined, ambitious, faithful and well spoken. Yet he is forced to corrupt himself by getting involved in crime and by leading a lavish lifestyle in order to move up the ladder. American society in the 1920s wasn't really about merit, but about lineage and status.
Ariel, i agree with you mostly, but i don't think that Gatsby represents someone who fits in the american dream. Even he hasn't reached it. That's part of the problem. The american dream is not only to work at getting rich but being part of high society. That secret world that Daisy and Tom belong to is what Gatsby is still striving for. Because it's impossible to reach, and even there it's not enough, the american dream is a myth because people cannot be sated. The dream life cannot possibly exist.
Question 5 Eyes continue to appear as a pattern of imagery, a motif, used to convey a message. Explain the symbolism of the eyes in the novel.
Answer The eyes in the novel are represented through the big billboard with the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. They stand for god’s eyes and symbolise that god is always watching over them. Wilson says to Michealis “I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God” and also he adds “God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God” (Pg159) this shows that Wilson believed in god and knew that he was always watching. Right after this conversation Michaelis looks with shock at the eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleburg watching over them, this portrays that the eyes see everything which happens in the novel. Also, the billboard is located in the Valley of Ashes and is described as being blue, which stands for hope, meaning there is some hope in midst of the grey and dull valley of ashes. Also to go from East Egg to New York or West Egg the characters always had to cross the valley of ashes, where - the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg are located, this suggests that they were always watching over the characters in the novel, they knew that Daisy killed Myrtle and they knew that Wilson’s wife was cheating on him.
Labels
Myrtle Daisy Setting Valley of Ashes Wilson Dr. T. J. Eckleburg
While I was reading your post, I noticed that you only mentioned the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg. I would've been of greater help if there were more examples, seeing as the question states that they continue to appear.
I agree with Vandana that further examples would provide a more comprehensive and in depth understanding of the symbolism behind the eyes throughout the novel.
Discuss Gatsby’s funeral using a Feminist, Marxist, and Psychoanalytic lens.
Reading Gatsby’s funeral using a Marxist lens reveals historical materialism. This category of the lens is revealed when Mr. Gatz, Gatsby’s father, shows Nick the schedule that was once written by Gatsby when he was young. The schedule Gatsby wrote determines that Gatsby was disciplined and organized , also he was determined with every thing he did, even as a young child.
Class struggle is also noticed at Gatsby’s funeral. Gatsby is not rich but he is considered wealthy. At his funeral , people who are rich do not show up. For example - Tom and Daisy. Neither did people who attended his parties. They only came to dance, drink and have fun , other than that , they were no friends of Gatsby. Meyer Wolfsheim , partner of Gatsby in the bond business, did not show up . Even though Mr.Wolfshiem , knew Gatsby for a long time he did not attend his funeral. His excuses was not to get involved in his death. Wolfsheim was a rich man, but he ignored his partner’s death . One could connect , due to Gatsby not being rich but wealthy, he is actually considered lower class since his family background was lower class. Therefore, people like Tom, Daisy , Mr.Wolfsheim , did not show up because they were all categorized as the higher class. Overall, it is remarkable how values toward other people change according to the social class. When was money more valuable than a person’s death?
Reading Gatsby’s funeral through a Feminist lens , it is noticed that patriarchy is presented due to no women attending Gatsby’s funeral. Even the woman Gatsby loved did not attend. Even though Gatsby did not accidentally kill anyone , unlike Daisy, Gatsby did not want any one to know that is was Daisy . This reveals the category of, the need for masculine protection , where every women needs her man to protect her. In this context , Gatsby was protecting Daisy from the crime that she had convicted.
Examining Gatsby’s funeral through a Psychoanalytic lens , the collective unconscious is revealed in the text. Gatsby was murdered by Mr. Wilson , because he though Gatsby ran over his wife, Mrs. Wilson, with a car. The reader is aware that it was daisy , the lady who is so innocent and sweet but. she mirrors the archetypal figure of the destroying angel. Even though Daisy character is recognized as a sweet, angel type women, the author uses this archetypical figure to mask the truth about daisy to the society. No one would ever believe that Daisy killed Mrs. Wilson , due to her innocence and sweet appearance.
Hi Karishma! Yikes.. that funeral seems hard to analyse. Anywho, this doesn't have anything to do with a specific lens but I think it's good that you pointed out the fact that Gatsby never admitted the fact to anyone (except Nick) that Daisy was the one who killed Myrtle. It shows that Gatsby wanted to protect Daisy... But it also shows that he was selfish in wanting to protect himself. He didn't want to admit to himself that Daisy was not perfect and had flaws because she IS A NOMRAL PERSON AND EVERY NORMAL PERSON MAKES MISTAKES.. haha see what i did there..
Question: Nick Carraway says, "Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope (2)." What does he mean? What does this reveal about his character and how might this be significant to the novel?
Reserving judgement means holding back one's opinion on a subject— refraining from judging a person or an object at first glance. "Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope" could mean that keeping your thoughts to yourself comes with the hope that everything would come together in the end. We think what Nick is basically saying is to do nothing and hope for the best.
This quote reveals a significant part of Nick's character. In the novel, Nick is roped into multiple situations that give him the chance to do something, or, at least, speak out but he chooses to execute neither action. This proves that Nick is the type to stand back and watch a scene in silence. He is someone who keeps his thoughts to himself and would rather not get too involved with anything. An example would be Gatsby and the rumors circulating around the man. Nicks remains quiet even as hears negative things about his neighbour and, most importantly, doesn't judge the other male before they get the chance to meet. Another example is when Nick finds out about Tom's mistress. As expected, he doesn't say anything, letting the others deal with their own problems instead.
This quote is important as we later find out that reserving judgement and hoping for the best is not the best way to deal with the happenings in the novel.
To me, this quote says that we repress our beliefs about someone if these beliefs are not what we want them to be. This way, we are always hoping that the best would come out of someone eventually.
Oh yay.. we all think that this quote means something different! I feel as though the quote states that reserving judgement is something which is impossible. People will forever judge each other and that is unavoidable. This may reveal the fact that Nick's p.o.v. may be distorted through the narration of the story as he judges people based on his own feelings. This sense of judgement is signigicant to the story as those from different social classes judge each other consistently which has only encouraged Gatsby to climb the social ladder.
I agree with amy. Though Nick is saying he believes this he is clearly not even able to practice this himself. He judges people constantly, even the way which he describes things are sarcastic and snobby. I feel that he's saying if people could reserve judgement it would be a better world but we cant.
Question 2: Discuss and explain the irony revealed in the purchase of the dog.
The irony in the purchase of the dog is connected to Myrtle’s marriage life. When Myrtle wants to buy a dog, she wants a strong dog and hence, she asks for a police dog. The god seller did not have a police dog so he offers her an Airedale. An Airedale in contrast to the police dog is not as strong and cannot protect Myrtle as she had hoped for. However the seller persuades Myrtle into buying the dog by telling her that an Airedale will satisfy her needs. This even is similar to Myrtle’s life. She believed that Mr. Wilson was the right man for her as she thought he was a gentleman and possessed the wealth. She made a quick decision and got married to him. However it was after that she discovers that he was not a wealthy man and did not possess any of the qualities she expected. The purchase of the dog is also ironic because during the purchase, Myrtle really wants the dog. She buys it and brings it home, and initially, takes good care of it. She says “I’ve got to get. A massage and a wave, and a collar for the dog […]” (36). However, afterwards, there are no indications of the dog in the text. The purchase of the dog represents the consumerism of a society where everyone buys without any true intentions and at the end, everything is disposed.
haha 'god seller'.. i think you meant dog seller ^_^ Anywho good job on the analysis! I would also like to mention the fact that they speak about the sex of the dog when Myrtle asks what gender it is and Tom's like 'it's a bitch'... which really ends the dialogue for that section of the book. I feel that Tom's remark shows the lack of respect that he has towards women as he uses such a derogatory term which is laced with explicitly rude and demeaning connotation. Tom's disrespect that he has for women allows him to cheat on Daisy and have a meaningless affair with Myrtle. Thus, feminism is a strong motif in the book. (Patriarchy in relationships, idolization of Daisy regarded upon as an angel and the recklessness of female drivers) This also demonstrates that during this time period, women were still considered unequal towards men.
While travelling together, Gatsby tells Nick the story of his family history. After hearing the story, Nick responds in a very questioning and rather sarcastic manner, as if he does not believe anything Gatsby had said. He seems to find Gatsby’s story almost comical in a way. After Gatsby says that he lived around the world, Nick “with an effort…managed to restrain [his] incredulous laughter.” (Fitzgerald, Chapter 4)
ReplyDeleteIn his head, Nick seems to be mocking Gatsby’s story, for he mentions that Gatsby’s phrases were so worn out and “threadbare” that it paints nothing other than the image of a “turbaned character”. After Gatsby shows Nick his medal, Nick was surprised that it had an “authentic look”. Nick only believes Gatsby’s story after he’s seen the photograph from Oxford and the medal.
Looking at this through a Marxist lens, it can be seen why this is significant to the story. Using Karl Marx’s class struggle theory, Gatsby can be seen as the Proletariat, or working class. And Nick, as he is Daisy’s cousin, can be seen as the Bourgeoisie, the dominant class. Class struggle can be seen when Nick does not believe Gatsby and Gatsby brings artifacts as proof to show Nick knowing he will not believe him. Nick, being Bourgeoisie, realizes that Gatsby is only trying to impress him, which seems to be quite comical to him.
Gatsby’s hard attempt to convince Nick can be seen as class struggle Gatsby is facing trying to climb up the social ladder. It is highly significant because the theme of the novel is based on the “American Dream”, the class struggle faced by people like Gatsby chasing and trying to achieve that dream and people like Tom and Daisy who can be seen as the Bourgeoisie, recklessly and selfishly living their lives, not caring for others struggling around them.
This is not formatted properly. Please refer to the main page for review, then edit this comment. Thank you.
DeleteWhat Fitzgerald is trying to say here is that the American dream doesn't exist. The founding fathers envisioned America as a meritocracy where anybody with sufficient ambition and strength of character could achieve success. Gatsby is the ideal American: determined, ambitious, faithful and well spoken. Yet he is forced to corrupt himself by getting involved in crime and by leading a lavish lifestyle in order to move up the ladder. American society in the 1920s wasn't really about merit, but about lineage and status.
DeleteAriel, i agree with you mostly, but i don't think that Gatsby represents someone who fits in the american dream. Even he hasn't reached it. That's part of the problem. The american dream is not only to work at getting rich but being part of high society. That secret world that Daisy and Tom belong to is what Gatsby is still striving for. Because it's impossible to reach, and even there it's not enough, the american dream is a myth because people cannot be sated. The dream life cannot possibly exist.
DeleteQuestion 5
ReplyDeleteEyes continue to appear as a pattern of imagery, a motif, used to convey a message. Explain the symbolism of the eyes in the novel.
Answer
The eyes in the novel are represented through the big billboard with the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. They stand for god’s eyes and symbolise that god is always watching over them. Wilson says to Michealis “I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God” and also he adds “God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God” (Pg159) this shows that Wilson believed in god and knew that he was always watching. Right after this conversation Michaelis looks with shock at the eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleburg watching over them, this portrays that the eyes see everything which happens in the novel. Also, the billboard is located in the Valley of Ashes and is described as being blue, which stands for hope, meaning there is some hope in midst of the grey and dull valley of ashes. Also to go from East Egg to New York or West Egg the characters always had to cross the valley of ashes, where - the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg are located, this suggests that they were always watching over the characters in the novel, they knew that Daisy killed Myrtle and they knew that Wilson’s wife was cheating on him.
Labels
Myrtle
Daisy
Setting
Valley of Ashes
Wilson
Dr. T. J. Eckleburg
Thank you for formatting properly! please note however that wilson and dr tjEckleburg were not options for labels.
DeleteALSO you missed some labels such as those for COLOUR. please make sure you check that.
DeleteWhile I was reading your post, I noticed that you only mentioned the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg. I would've been of greater help if there were more examples, seeing as the question states that they continue to appear.
DeleteI agree with Vandana that further examples would provide a more comprehensive and in depth understanding of the symbolism behind the eyes throughout the novel.
DeleteChapter 9
ReplyDeleteQuestion 6
Discuss Gatsby’s funeral using a Feminist, Marxist, and Psychoanalytic lens.
Reading Gatsby’s funeral using a Marxist lens reveals historical materialism. This category of the lens is revealed when Mr. Gatz, Gatsby’s father, shows Nick the schedule that was once written by Gatsby when he was young. The schedule Gatsby wrote determines that Gatsby was disciplined and organized , also he was determined with every thing he did, even as a young child.
Class struggle is also noticed at Gatsby’s funeral. Gatsby is not rich but he is considered wealthy. At his funeral , people who are rich do not show up. For example - Tom and Daisy. Neither did people who attended his parties. They only came to dance, drink and have fun , other than that , they were no friends of Gatsby. Meyer Wolfsheim , partner of Gatsby in the bond business, did not show up . Even though Mr.Wolfshiem , knew Gatsby for a long time he did not attend his funeral. His excuses was not to get involved in his death. Wolfsheim was a rich man, but he ignored his partner’s death . One could connect , due to Gatsby not being rich but wealthy, he is actually considered lower class since his family background was lower class. Therefore, people like Tom, Daisy , Mr.Wolfsheim , did not show up because they were all categorized as the higher class. Overall, it is remarkable how values toward other people change according to the social class. When was money more valuable than a person’s death?
Reading Gatsby’s funeral through a Feminist lens , it is noticed that patriarchy is presented due to no women attending Gatsby’s funeral. Even the woman Gatsby loved did not attend. Even though Gatsby did not accidentally kill anyone , unlike Daisy, Gatsby did not want any one to know that is was Daisy . This reveals the category of, the need for masculine protection , where every women needs her man to protect her. In this context , Gatsby was protecting Daisy from the crime that she had convicted.
Examining Gatsby’s funeral through a Psychoanalytic lens , the collective unconscious is revealed in the text. Gatsby was murdered by Mr. Wilson , because he though Gatsby ran over his wife, Mrs. Wilson, with a car. The reader is aware that it was daisy , the lady who is so innocent and sweet but. she mirrors the archetypal figure of the destroying angel. Even though Daisy character is recognized as a sweet, angel type women, the author uses this archetypical figure to mask the truth about daisy to the society. No one would ever believe that Daisy killed Mrs. Wilson , due to her innocence and sweet appearance.
Labels
Myrtle
Daisy
Gatsby
Wilson
Thank you for formatting properly! please note however that Wilson is not an option for labels.
DeleteHi Karishma! Yikes.. that funeral seems hard to analyse. Anywho, this doesn't have anything to do with a specific lens but I think it's good that you pointed out the fact that Gatsby never admitted the fact to anyone (except Nick) that Daisy was the one who killed Myrtle. It shows that Gatsby wanted to protect Daisy... But it also shows that he was selfish in wanting to protect himself. He didn't want to admit to himself that Daisy was not perfect and had flaws because she IS A NOMRAL PERSON AND EVERY NORMAL PERSON MAKES MISTAKES.. haha see what i did there..
DeleteGroup 4 - Question 1
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Nick Carraway says, "Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope (2)." What does he mean? What does this reveal about his character and how might this be significant to the novel?
Reserving judgement means holding back one's opinion on a subject— refraining from judging a person or an object at first glance. "Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope" could mean that keeping your thoughts to yourself comes with the hope that everything would come together in the end. We think what Nick is basically saying is to do nothing and hope for the best.
This quote reveals a significant part of Nick's character. In the novel, Nick is roped into multiple situations that give him the chance to do something, or, at least, speak out but he chooses to execute neither action. This proves that Nick is the type to stand back and watch a scene in silence. He is someone who keeps his thoughts to himself and would rather not get too involved with anything. An example would be Gatsby and the rumors circulating around the man. Nicks remains quiet even as hears negative things about his neighbour and, most importantly, doesn't judge the other male before they get the chance to meet. Another example is when Nick finds out about Tom's mistress. As expected, he doesn't say anything, letting the others deal with their own problems instead.
This quote is important as we later find out that reserving judgement and hoping for the best is not the best way to deal with the happenings in the novel.
Labels:
Gatsby, Nick, Tom
To me, this quote says that we repress our beliefs about someone if these beliefs are not what we want them to be. This way, we are always hoping that the best would come out of someone eventually.
DeleteOh yay.. we all think that this quote means something different! I feel as though the quote states that reserving judgement is something which is impossible. People will forever judge each other and that is unavoidable. This may reveal the fact that Nick's p.o.v. may be distorted through the narration of the story as he judges people based on his own feelings. This sense of judgement is signigicant to the story as those from different social classes judge each other consistently which has only encouraged Gatsby to climb the social ladder.
DeleteI agree with amy. Though Nick is saying he believes this he is clearly not even able to practice this himself. He judges people constantly, even the way which he describes things are sarcastic and snobby. I feel that he's saying if people could reserve judgement it would be a better world but we cant.
DeleteQuestion 2: Discuss and explain the irony revealed in the purchase of the dog.
ReplyDeleteThe irony in the purchase of the dog is connected to Myrtle’s marriage life. When Myrtle wants to buy a dog, she wants a strong dog and hence, she asks for a police dog. The god seller did not have a police dog so he offers her an Airedale. An Airedale in contrast to the police dog is not as strong and cannot protect Myrtle as she had hoped for. However the seller persuades Myrtle into buying the dog by telling her that an Airedale will satisfy her needs. This even is similar to Myrtle’s life. She believed that Mr. Wilson was the right man for her as she thought he was a gentleman and possessed the wealth. She made a quick decision and got married to him. However it was after that she discovers that he was not a wealthy man and did not possess any of the qualities she expected.
The purchase of the dog is also ironic because during the purchase, Myrtle really wants the dog. She buys it and brings it home, and initially, takes good care of it. She says “I’ve got to get. A massage and a wave, and a collar for the dog […]” (36). However, afterwards, there are no indications of the dog in the text. The purchase of the dog represents the consumerism of a society where everyone buys without any true intentions and at the end, everything is disposed.
Labels:
Myrtle
haha 'god seller'.. i think you meant dog seller ^_^ Anywho good job on the analysis! I would also like to mention the fact that they speak about the sex of the dog when Myrtle asks what gender it is and Tom's like 'it's a bitch'... which really ends the dialogue for that section of the book. I feel that Tom's remark shows the lack of respect that he has towards women as he uses such a derogatory term which is laced with explicitly rude and demeaning connotation. Tom's disrespect that he has for women allows him to cheat on Daisy and have a meaningless affair with Myrtle. Thus, feminism is a strong motif in the book. (Patriarchy in relationships, idolization of Daisy regarded upon as an angel and the recklessness of female drivers) This also demonstrates that during this time period, women were still considered unequal towards men.
Deleteoh my god! I didn't even catch the parallels between Myrtle's marriage and the dog!!
Delete