1. The Great Gatsby is told, and ostensibly written, by Nick Carraway. Everything we are given is filtered through him. At several points in these first chapters, Nick evaluates and makes claims about himself, attempting to establish his credibility as a narrator. Point out one or two of these moments and then discuss whether or not these self-evaluative claims hold up. Use specific examples in your answer.
2. In any work of fiction, there are circles of understanding: what the author knows, what the characters know, and what the reader knows. At times the author finds ways to align his or her circle with the reader's while leaving the characters outside the circle. This is a kind of dramatic irony. Are there times when Fitzgerald is able to reveal things to us as readers that the characters themselves do not understand? What, where, and how? What, for example, does Fitzgerald reveal to us through Nick's descriptions of other characters?
3. Choose one character and talk about his or her motivation(s). What, for example, are Tom's motivations for his affair with Myrtle, or her motivations for an affair with him? etc. Choose any character, but don't just guess. Ground your discussion in specific examples.
4. Respond to Nick's initial description of Gatsby (below). Does this reveal more about Gatsby or about Nick? Explain.
[Gatsby's smile] faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey. (48)
Thank you. See you on Thursday.
At the end of the third chapter in Gatsby, Nick Carroway claims he is one of the few honest men he knows. I beg to differ. In the first chapter, Nick introduces us to his cousin Daisy, her husband Tom Buchanan and their guest Jordan Baker (a famous woman golfer). In the next chapter he goes on to describe an event where Tom introduces him to his mistress and allows him to join them in an intimate party, at an apartment he shares with her in the city. Though initially he is a little uncomfortable with the idea, he not only joins them, but participates in the festivities. Nick tells us who he is in the beginning, making sure we understand he is from the upper classes. As Nick encounters new people, he gives a glimpse of who they are from where he sits on the hierarchy of men. It is clear, his background serves as the standard from which he judges others. Mr. Wilson is poor, therefore it is less relevant if his wife is cheating on him. His cousin and her husband are rich, richer than his family, therefore above the judgments of the common man. He rationalizes each of the characters he comes in contact with according to the standard of his class.
ReplyDeleteIf you were to take the literal definition of honesty, it would be uprightness of character or action. Synonyms include honor and integrity. Though he seems to have been forthcoming with information, can we really trust him, is he really an honest man?
When Nick meets Gatsby for the first time he is quite embarrassed that he didn't know that it was him. Gatsby--from Nick's perspective--wholeheartedly understands, and we read a in depth description of how Gatsby just looks at Nick and in those few short moments understands him in an "irresistible prejudice" within his favor. I think that this paragraph doesn't reveal Gatsby's nature, but delves more into Nick's inner self.
ReplyDeleteHe has learned not to judge or criticize the world because he desires for everyone to see him as he would like to be in his best self--which he clearly realizes in the moment he meets Gatsby. I think he also tends to take notice of all his acquaintances by how they are living in this vast external world and in this moment, Nick see's past that. Nick also realizes that he wants to be understood upon the fundamentals of values, and believe that he can have a lasting impression for being a good person. Even though Gatsby is the one to be initiating this situation, I think this is a set-up in that moment for Nick to realize some things about himself.
Nick has been a very pleasant character thus far in the book. He's been more on the quiet side verbally, but internally has a lot going on. An observation I've been able to make about Nick is the interest and love he seems to have for himself. In the first couple of pages, Nick talks about the advice his dad gave him and how he took it very seriously. He talks of his tolerance for other people. After describing how great his tolerance is, he admits that it has limits, no matter what circumstances one has come from.
ReplyDeleteThe only man Nick doesn't need to practice tolerance for is Gatsby. Gatsby is basically perfect in Nick's eyes. This is very interesting because through the reading there are some similarities between Gatsby and Nick. One example is both of their services in the war. My initial insight on Nick is that he is tolerant only of himself, and because Gatsby is in many ways himself, he is also tolerant of Gatsby.
After Nick's first visit to the Buchanan's, he sees the image of Gatsby alone in his yard, seemingly searching, or reaching out for something. He seemed to be quivering. When Nick turned and looked again, he was gone and Nick was once again alone. This might be a stretch but it seemed to me that Nick was having a self searching moment, digging deeply, but not sure for what. But after seeing only glimpses of his inner self and trying to understand what he was reaching for, he found himself alone(blinded).
In accordance to what others have said, I, too, believe the narrator to see a reflection of himself in Gatsby. Nick’s perspectives on the world, including his paradigm of himself, are all vaguely unrealistic, perhaps even immature in the most pleasant of ways. He never burrows too deeply into a matter, preferring to let it remain as it was, much like Gatsby’s smile as it passes over a crowd of party-goers.
ReplyDeleteJust as the description states, Nick, in his idealistic personality, understands no further than what is desired, believes in himself as he pleases, and is constantly asserting, to both himself and others, that the impression he leaves is him at his best. It’s no wonder, then, that Nick’s hypercritical views of the world pass over the beloved Gatsby, leaving him unscathed by the narrator’s judgments, for he is an (almost) perfect mirror-image.
On that note, perhaps it is not fair to say that the passage is a revelation about one character more than another; for, how is it possible to differentiate between two characters so strikingly similar? The reference text tells just as much about Nick as he does about Gatsby.
Nick in the first chapter of the book revealed that his dad gave him advice about passing judgement on others. Throuhout the first three chapters, it is obvious that Nick has taken this advice seriously as he brushes of the affair that is going on between Tom and Myrtle. he tolerates it When he is at Gastsby's party, however, Nick does not think twice about Gatsby having faults. He is a is perfect man according to Nick. This is a reflection of how Nick views himself. He makes it clear that he is upper class and he thinks he as few faults. The discription of Gatsby is a reflection of Nick.
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