"That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy's but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle like you'd run over a dog and never even stopped his car. " (page 187)
I'm pretty sure that this is the last blog that I will ever do. Before I begin discussing theme, I just want to say that how excited I am about this! I can almost hear the Hallelujiah chorus. (Sigh) Wow! Words cannot express how happy I am! Okay, back to blogging. My understanding of The Great Gatsby is that many people have a dream for their lives. Many people want to live the American dream, and many books are written with people celebrating their own happily ever afters. Honestly, those are the books that I love the most because I enjoy living in an idealistic world filled with happiness, sunshine, and Disney princesses. However, as much as I hate to say this, life is not that way. The Great Gatsby gives us more of a realistic view as to how life really is. Infidelity is common in the American society and marriages fall apart. People are consumed in their egotism and only want to be the best. They want what is best for themselves, but they seldomly care about others. Look at the quote above. This is all about how Myrtle was killed tragically by a car and no one seemed to care. No one showed sympathy; they just all shoved the blame on someone else. I hate that Tom says that Gatsby deserved to die. Honestly, no one deserves to die. Dying should be in God's hands. However, in this novel, everyone has to take fate into their own hands. Even Gatsby just wanted to make a life for himself. Was he living to be charismatic and help the benefit of others, though? No. He brought on this new lifestyle to win over Daisy's affection. He knew that Daisy did not approve of his low status, so he made a name for himself. It is so sad that Daisy only loves him when he is wealthy. What is this world coming to? Money does not win happiness! Love and happiness are so much more than social status. Deceit, betrayal, and greed all lead up to everyone's downfall in this novel, and they all destroy the happily ever after that each character could have.
Monday, April 30, 2012
The Great Gatsby: Betrayal
"He was astounded. His mouth opened a little and he looked at Gatsby and then back at Daisy as if he had just recognized her as someone he knew a long time ago." (page 125)
The irony of this quote simply makes me laugh. Tom is so upset that Daisy would cheat on him. Who is he? Jesus? I don't think so! Why would he be upset when he is doing the same thing to his wife with Myrtle?! This just makes me angry, and honestly, it makes me annoyed. He, a man, is allowed to cheat on his woman whenever he feels it necessary. But his wife is not allowed to cheat on him because she must remain faithful to him. This is ridiculous! Tom is so egotistical it makes me sick. I mean, don't get me wrong, Daisy is not justified in her act at all. She is not exempt from the act of cheating in any way, but Tom needs to wake up and smell the coffee here. He needs to look in the mirror. I guess that he did not realize how hurtful it was to cheat on his wife until she did it to him. No one would have been in this mess at all, though, if Daisy would have remained faithful to Gatsby in the firstplace. If she would have remained faithful to her promise to him, then she would have married Gatsby and Tom would not have cheated on her. However, since she did not remain faithful to Gatsby, it almost gives her a taste of her own medicine when her husband does not remain faithful to her. Obviously, I feel bad for her because waiting for someone can seem hopeless, but still.
The irony of this quote simply makes me laugh. Tom is so upset that Daisy would cheat on him. Who is he? Jesus? I don't think so! Why would he be upset when he is doing the same thing to his wife with Myrtle?! This just makes me angry, and honestly, it makes me annoyed. He, a man, is allowed to cheat on his woman whenever he feels it necessary. But his wife is not allowed to cheat on him because she must remain faithful to him. This is ridiculous! Tom is so egotistical it makes me sick. I mean, don't get me wrong, Daisy is not justified in her act at all. She is not exempt from the act of cheating in any way, but Tom needs to wake up and smell the coffee here. He needs to look in the mirror. I guess that he did not realize how hurtful it was to cheat on his wife until she did it to him. No one would have been in this mess at all, though, if Daisy would have remained faithful to Gatsby in the firstplace. If she would have remained faithful to her promise to him, then she would have married Gatsby and Tom would not have cheated on her. However, since she did not remain faithful to Gatsby, it almost gives her a taste of her own medicine when her husband does not remain faithful to her. Obviously, I feel bad for her because waiting for someone can seem hopeless, but still.
The Great Gatsby: Death
"Myrtle Wilson's body wrapped in a blanket and then in another blanket as though she suffered from a chill in the hot night lay on a work table by the wall and Tom, with his back to us, was bending over it, motionless." (page 146)
I feel like I'm reading Shakespeare here. Everyone is dying. The saying, "Everything happens for a reason" really does relate to this book. Although I was sad about the deaths of Myrtle and Gatsby, it at least allowed the characters to look at themselves and realize that something is not right. Their entire system of being self-absorbed was not making them happy and they needed a slap in the face to get out of their false reality. I also enjoyed the symbolism of death in this book. Not only do the characters die, but some of their hopes and dreams die as well. Tom and Daisy's marriage died due to their infidelity toward each other. Gatsby's past died. Gatsby used to be a man who lived off of nothing and now he is a new man. He made a name for himself. He thought that prosperity would win him happiness. However, I think that this dream died as well. His dream of having Daisy died when she ran off with Tom when Gatsby went to war. Tom's love, Myrtle, tragically died by being hit by a car, and this burst his hopes and dreams of being with her. I almost wonder what would have happened if Tom and Daisy would have gotten a divorce. I know that divorces were not common in this era, but if Tom and Daisy would have broken up, would they have been happy? Would Daisy have been happy with Gatsby or would they just lose love like everyone else? What about Tom and Myrtle? If Myrtle would have lived, and Tom got a divorce, would they be happy together? I almost think not. Because they are all so consumed in materialism, their ability to communicate and show each other affection dwindled away. Love cannot live in this environment. Also, I think that Daisy's name is symbolic and ironic at the same time. The word "daisy" is all about spring and new beginnings. However, Daisy was a cynical character who hurt Gatsby and ruined her new beginning with him by choosing Tom. Tisk tisk.
I feel like I'm reading Shakespeare here. Everyone is dying. The saying, "Everything happens for a reason" really does relate to this book. Although I was sad about the deaths of Myrtle and Gatsby, it at least allowed the characters to look at themselves and realize that something is not right. Their entire system of being self-absorbed was not making them happy and they needed a slap in the face to get out of their false reality. I also enjoyed the symbolism of death in this book. Not only do the characters die, but some of their hopes and dreams die as well. Tom and Daisy's marriage died due to their infidelity toward each other. Gatsby's past died. Gatsby used to be a man who lived off of nothing and now he is a new man. He made a name for himself. He thought that prosperity would win him happiness. However, I think that this dream died as well. His dream of having Daisy died when she ran off with Tom when Gatsby went to war. Tom's love, Myrtle, tragically died by being hit by a car, and this burst his hopes and dreams of being with her. I almost wonder what would have happened if Tom and Daisy would have gotten a divorce. I know that divorces were not common in this era, but if Tom and Daisy would have broken up, would they have been happy? Would Daisy have been happy with Gatsby or would they just lose love like everyone else? What about Tom and Myrtle? If Myrtle would have lived, and Tom got a divorce, would they be happy together? I almost think not. Because they are all so consumed in materialism, their ability to communicate and show each other affection dwindled away. Love cannot live in this environment. Also, I think that Daisy's name is symbolic and ironic at the same time. The word "daisy" is all about spring and new beginnings. However, Daisy was a cynical character who hurt Gatsby and ruined her new beginning with him by choosing Tom. Tisk tisk.
The Great Gatsby: Secrecy
"James Gatz- that was really, or at least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at the beginning of his career- when he saw Dan Cody's yacht drop anchor over the most insiduous flat on Lake Superior." (page 104)
Secrets, secrets are no fun. Secrets, secrets hurt someone. Ain't that the truth for this novel. Sheesh. I seriously wanted to make that my quote to start off this blog, but I knew that I had to stick to the novel. This entire book is centered around secrecy, which leads up to the deceit and the betrayal of all the characters. Let me get this straight: Gatsby's secret is that he used to be poor and that his real name is James Gatz. He goes by a different name in order to live as a different person. To me, it almost seems as if he is living a double life, like Hannah Montana or something. His separate identity allows him to be who he wants to be. Actually, this reminds me of The Devil in the White City. The main character in The Devil in the White City creates a separate identity for himself so that others will never know who he really is. I will post a trailer at the bottom of this blog to showcase more similarities between Gatsby and Holmes. Furthermore, secrecy might tear the characters apart in this book, but secrecy ties their storylines together. Daisy's secret is that she is in love with Gatsby. She also held a secret from Gatsby that she was engaged to Tom when Gatsby was off at war. That's confusing. Tom's secret is that he is having an affair with Myrtle. Holy cow! Everyone has secrets here! I guess, in real life, this holds true as well. I just love the irony of it all, though. On the outside, everyone is put-together, nice, young, and wealthy people. On the inside, they all feel desperate for love and want to be happy. Their material things don't make them happy, so they turn to other things. Every character in this book just keeps wanting more and more, and this greed leads them to selfish lives submersed in secrecy.
The Great Gatsby: Violence
"She never loved you, do you hear? She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. it was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone but me." (page 137)
In the second half of The Great Gatsby we witnessed the violence that is incorporated into the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The author incorporates violence in many ways, but he does it mainly from the syntax and the dialect in which people speak. In the quote above, Gatsby is being violent toward Tom with his words. Sometimes, at least sometimes in this novel, words can be more deceiving than anything. For example, knowledge of deceit and betrayal were what tore the families apart the most. Tom was so offended that Daisy would cheat on him, but he did the same thing to her. The betrayal was violent toward their relationship. Obviously, violence is what leads up to the death of many people in this book, but I am going to go into that in my next blog. The way in which the characters speak to each other is incredibly violent. Most of this rude dialect has to do with jealousy and egotism. In the quote above, Gatsby states that "in her heart she never loved anyone but me." This is what Gatsby has convinced himself of, but he cannot be entirely certain that Daisy did not love Tom at all. Perhaps Daisy said this to Gatsby because she could not look at Tom the same way when he began cheating on her. However, maybe Daisy did love Tom before Tom betrayed her. The violence escalates to the murder of Gatsby and the death of Myrtle. People's anger causes them to not only destroy relationships, but physically destroy human beings as well and lead to their tragic end.
In the second half of The Great Gatsby we witnessed the violence that is incorporated into the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The author incorporates violence in many ways, but he does it mainly from the syntax and the dialect in which people speak. In the quote above, Gatsby is being violent toward Tom with his words. Sometimes, at least sometimes in this novel, words can be more deceiving than anything. For example, knowledge of deceit and betrayal were what tore the families apart the most. Tom was so offended that Daisy would cheat on him, but he did the same thing to her. The betrayal was violent toward their relationship. Obviously, violence is what leads up to the death of many people in this book, but I am going to go into that in my next blog. The way in which the characters speak to each other is incredibly violent. Most of this rude dialect has to do with jealousy and egotism. In the quote above, Gatsby states that "in her heart she never loved anyone but me." This is what Gatsby has convinced himself of, but he cannot be entirely certain that Daisy did not love Tom at all. Perhaps Daisy said this to Gatsby because she could not look at Tom the same way when he began cheating on her. However, maybe Daisy did love Tom before Tom betrayed her. The violence escalates to the murder of Gatsby and the death of Myrtle. People's anger causes them to not only destroy relationships, but physically destroy human beings as well and lead to their tragic end.
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Great Gatsby: Theme (and movie clip from Something Borrowed)
" 'Doesn't her husband object?' 'Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He's so dumb he doens't know he's alive.' " (page 30)
This book is centered around affairs and secrets. People are getting away with these affairs too. Tom is having an affair. Daisy is having an affair with Gatsby. It never ends. The novel is just one big cycle of forced love. It's kind of sad actually. However, I think that it all has something to do with one of the major themes of the book. In life itself, people have dreams. More importantly, many people want to live the American dream. They want to find the person they are meant to be with and have children and live happily ever after. However, the American dream is not always realistic. Infidelity is realistic though. Love fades and people change. This reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Something Borrowed. In this movie, infidelity is everywhere. The characters in the movie just want to be happy, but sometimes one's character can interfere with another person's relationship. Since human's a weak creatures, cheating occurs and people get hurt. If I had to predict how The Great Gatsby was going to end, I would predict it to go something like this movie. Here is a trailer from the movie to give someone a glimpse as to how the book is similar to this movie.
This book is centered around affairs and secrets. People are getting away with these affairs too. Tom is having an affair. Daisy is having an affair with Gatsby. It never ends. The novel is just one big cycle of forced love. It's kind of sad actually. However, I think that it all has something to do with one of the major themes of the book. In life itself, people have dreams. More importantly, many people want to live the American dream. They want to find the person they are meant to be with and have children and live happily ever after. However, the American dream is not always realistic. Infidelity is realistic though. Love fades and people change. This reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Something Borrowed. In this movie, infidelity is everywhere. The characters in the movie just want to be happy, but sometimes one's character can interfere with another person's relationship. Since human's a weak creatures, cheating occurs and people get hurt. If I had to predict how The Great Gatsby was going to end, I would predict it to go something like this movie. Here is a trailer from the movie to give someone a glimpse as to how the book is similar to this movie.
The Great Gatsby: It's Ranting Time
"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it that you may come across four or five times in life" (page 52).
I honestly look forward to this blog every week. I already finished my required three literary analysis blogs, so now I can just rant about my own personal thoughts about the book and speak my mind. I thoroughly enjoy stating my own opinion on things, so I don't object. Okay, thoughts so far.... Where to begin? Where to begin? Let's start with this new set-up of blogster. Um, I don't like it. I logged on to do my blogs and was very confused. It's nice, I guess. But it's all contemporary and makes me feel like I'm typing a blog for NASA or something. It's too futuresque for my taste. Not a fan.
Okay, okay. I should probably get to my ranting about the task at hand. But you have to admit: this new setup is weird. Back to writing my blog. I honestly kind of like this book. I really enjoy books that have been set in the 1920's. It really is interesting and even though it is set in this era, I believe that this book is timeless. Many people throughout time are caught up in material possessions. Honestly, I thought the era that I live in has been the most materialistic. We are constantly tuning out the world with our cell phones, facebooking, tweeting, and the like. We are living in the mindset where we truly care what others think of us. We dress a certain way, we speak a certain way, we act a certain way, etc. Why? Generally, to win the affections of others. Now, I'm being somewhat stereotypical of society because not everyone is like this, but for the most part, society is EXTREMELY materialistic. And it's only getting worse. Why is the world in so much debt? People want more. Houses are getting bigger, cars are getting nicer, and everything is getting more expensive. But nothing is stopping us. Absolutely nothing. This is so similar to the book. Tom and Daisy have an enormous home. Nick feels inadequate because his house is small, but Nick has what he needs. When Nick enters into the lives of Tom and Daisy, he loses sight of who he was. He used to care about what he needed. Now he cares about what he wants. Bleh. These people need to get over themselves and start looking at what truly matters in life. They might have nice things, but they're completely boring underneath their beautiful masks, their lifeless facades.
I honestly look forward to this blog every week. I already finished my required three literary analysis blogs, so now I can just rant about my own personal thoughts about the book and speak my mind. I thoroughly enjoy stating my own opinion on things, so I don't object. Okay, thoughts so far.... Where to begin? Where to begin? Let's start with this new set-up of blogster. Um, I don't like it. I logged on to do my blogs and was very confused. It's nice, I guess. But it's all contemporary and makes me feel like I'm typing a blog for NASA or something. It's too futuresque for my taste. Not a fan.
Okay, okay. I should probably get to my ranting about the task at hand. But you have to admit: this new setup is weird. Back to writing my blog. I honestly kind of like this book. I really enjoy books that have been set in the 1920's. It really is interesting and even though it is set in this era, I believe that this book is timeless. Many people throughout time are caught up in material possessions. Honestly, I thought the era that I live in has been the most materialistic. We are constantly tuning out the world with our cell phones, facebooking, tweeting, and the like. We are living in the mindset where we truly care what others think of us. We dress a certain way, we speak a certain way, we act a certain way, etc. Why? Generally, to win the affections of others. Now, I'm being somewhat stereotypical of society because not everyone is like this, but for the most part, society is EXTREMELY materialistic. And it's only getting worse. Why is the world in so much debt? People want more. Houses are getting bigger, cars are getting nicer, and everything is getting more expensive. But nothing is stopping us. Absolutely nothing. This is so similar to the book. Tom and Daisy have an enormous home. Nick feels inadequate because his house is small, but Nick has what he needs. When Nick enters into the lives of Tom and Daisy, he loses sight of who he was. He used to care about what he needed. Now he cares about what he wants. Bleh. These people need to get over themselves and start looking at what truly matters in life. They might have nice things, but they're completely boring underneath their beautiful masks, their lifeless facades.
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