Dan Cody

Dan Cody is a wealthy copper mogul, a man whom Gatsby met while working at the Lake Superior. Dan Cody owned the yacht, gave James Gatz a name of Jay Gatsby, and made Gatsby as his personal assistant. Gatsby’s chance meeting with Dan Cody started a vast change in Gatsby’s life. They traveled to the Barbary Coast and the West Indies where Gatsby fell in love with the rich and luxurious lifestyle of Dan Cody.
 

Cody was a heavy drinker where Gatsby had to look after him. Gatsby learned lesson not too drink too much and convinced himself not to become a drinker like Dan Cody. Dan Cody’s excessive drinking made Gatsby drink little. This is one of the influences that Gatsby gained from Dan Cody.

When Dan Cody died, he left the inherited money for Gatsby $25,000. Gatsby wasn’t be able to claim it because the malicious intervention of Dan Cody’s mistress, Ella Kaye, who took all of the money away. Gatsby didn’t feel angry but he felt sorry for Dan Cody that many young women took advantages from him.

Dan Cody has influenced Gatsby in many ways and Gatsby always showed his respect to Dan Cody. It was when Gatsby dreamed to be successful and wealthy just like Dan Cody. Gatsby has the portrait of Dan Cody hanged on his wall in his mansion. It was there to remind him of the future he will achieve.

Source:http://www.fcps.edu/westspringfieldhs/academic/english/1project/99gg/99gg2/charlis2.htm

The Green Light

Got green?

The end to the first chapter brings to our knowledge the first symbol in this book : that mysterious ‘green light‘. In our first mentions of the light, we see Gatsby reaching out for it, almost worshipping it. Later, we find out that this green light is at the end of Daisy's dock, and symbolizes Gatsby's dream and the hope for the future. Green is the color of promise, hope, and renewal. Gatsby's dream of a future with Daisy has been shown physically in the novel by her green light.

Fitzgerald compares Gatsby's green light by saying that it is the "green breast of the new world" which compares Gatsby's dream of uncovering Daisy true self, just as the explorer's discovery of America and the promise of a new continent. Gatsby's dream is tarnished by his materialistic unrealism. The end of the novel brings about lustful decay, when Gatsby's dream dies because of the careless and superficial minds of Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby himself.

The green light on Daisy’s doc that Gatsby gazes full of yearning from his own house across the water represents the unaccomplished dream. But the green light also represents the foggy future that is forever hard to comprehend, as Nick claims in the last page of the novel, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the great future that year by year leave right before us.”

http://www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/symbolism-imagery.html

https://www.msu.edu/~millettf/gatsby.html

The Men of Gatsby

The three main men characters in The Great Gatsby are Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, and Tom Buchanan. Jay Gatsby is very wealthy man. All of his money comes from investing in illegal businesses with Wolfsheim. Jay is a bootlegger but he never tells anyone about it. He also lies about his career and his businesses to everyone. He wants to be rich because he knows that Daisy Buchanan would return to him and love him like before. He says it is possible to renew the past and that he will do anything to get Daisy back. Jay is romantic and ideal. Jay meets with Daisy after five years apart and treats her as his lover. Jay always finds news about Daisy all the time and he keeps all of her pictures. He never falls in love with other women. He only has Daisy in his heart and nothing could change his mind after all. For Myrtle’s death, Jay is not the killer because Daisy is the one who drives Jay’s car and kills Myrtle. But Jay sacrifices himself for Daisy by taking all the blame that he kills Myrtle and days after Jay is dead because Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, kills Jay in the pool. Jay dies for his love and gets nothing in return. I would call this a tragic love.

Nick Carraway is very quiet and reserve man. He always shows respectful to other people around him. He admires Jay Gatsby and it seems like he’s the one who takes care of Jay’s funeral. He always stays at the funeral and he also try to contact Jay’s family, relatives, and friends and invite them to come. Nick is being taught by his father not to judge other people because the other people might not have the advantages that he has. Nick knows what he’s doing. He never takes chances to be rich like Jay Gatsby because he rejects Jay’s invitation in doing businesses. Nick wants to do what he wants to and he didn’t want to depend on other people. He wants be independent and earn more money by himself in doing bond business that he believes he will be successful in. I love the way Nick breaks up with Jordan where he didn’t stick to her but he just walks away and move on.

Tom Buchanan is a muscular man. He always plays sports like polo. He’s graduated from Yale University and be a football star there. He shows disrespect to other people and looks down on them. Sometimes he also makes fun of others where he thinks that he’s the best and no one could beat him. Tom has an affair with Myrtle yet he still loves Daisy. Tom is an arrogant and aggressive person. He punches Myrtle in her nose. Tom is wealthy from his inheritance. He should be ashamed that he never makes his own money. He lives a wealthy life on his parent’s money. He only cares about himself and that’s all he could do. Tom is definitely greedy and selfish person.

Source: https://www.msu.edu/~millettf/gatsby.html

The Women of Gatsby

Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson are very similar yet different in many ways. They represent a materialistic world of major importance that reflects one of many characteristics of the American Dream.

Daisy is, no doubt, Gatsby’s dream because she represents perfection, wealth, sophistication, and grace in his eyes. Underlying her skin deep charm, however, is a character of even deeper proportions. Matter of fact, she has proven herself to be shallow, careless, and superficial when she dumps Gatsby for Tom and lets Gatsby take the rap for killing Myrtle; she also fails to attend Gatsby’s funeral, showing just how irresponsible she is as well.

Tom Buchanan’s mistress, Myrtle, believes in wealth and luxury as well as being a forward-looking character; continuously looking to improve her living circumstances.

Both women together have been entitled to Tom’s rough treatment and also have similar personalities and principles. They both have an obvious love for money and are faced with the same marital dilemma, being partially satisfied with the person of whom they are married to. However, they differ greatly; from Myrtle, knowing exactly what she wants in life; to Daisy, no quite sure, and otherwise deeply confused, on which path she ought to choose.

Effectively, Daisy and Myrtle show just how the women of the 1920s seemed to be reflected; from wealth and power, to materialistic love affairs.

http://www.enpferney.org/StudentSite/Two%20Women%20Daisy%20and%20Myrtle%20myessa%20topic%2016.doc

East Egg vs. West Egg

One of the most important themes of The Great Gatsby is the division among people into classes. There is East Egg, the most fashionable side of Long Island where Tom and Daisy lives in. It’s more refined and represents the Old Money people. They always have their money from what they inherited. From what I’ve read, Tom didn’t invest in any business at all. He just lived his life like a prince and always played polo sports. Daisy married with Tom because Tom was rich and she lived a wealthy life. Daisy didn’t really cared about her daughter either. She was dramatic and a dreamer.

On the other side of Long Island lived the New Money people in the West Egg. It’s less fashionable side and most people who live there don’t have any real standing, even they have money in their hand. People in West Egg also try to pursue their dreams and wanted to be successful in everything they want. Gatsby has his luxurious humongous mansion. He’s not fully happy for what he has because something is still missing which is Daisy. He wanted to be rich so Daisy would return to him and be like before, so he get involve in bootlegging. Nick also lived in West Egg where he tried to do bond business. But when Gatsby suggested him another job, he refused to accept it. Instead he said that he got full of customers, and declined Gatsby.

For those people who live in East Egg, they live on what already provided for them. But for those people who live in West Egg, they have to struggle to achieve their dreams and work hard for what they want. According to me, I rather live in the West Egg because I don’t want to live wealthy life on my parent’s money. I want to be rich from doing my own things and be independent. I don’t want to depend on anyone or bring any problem to anyone. What do you think? Do you want to live in West Egg or East Egg?

Source: http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/grgatsb.html

Selfish People

Fitzgerald shows the 1920s as an era of decreasing social and moral values by its overwhelming feelings of distrust, greed, and hollow pursuit of pleasure. The reckless parties, with wild jazz music, that Gatsby throws every Saturday night, result ultimately in the corruption of the American dream, as the uncontrollable desire for money and pleasure exceed higher morals.

The rise of the stock market, post-war, led to a sudden increase in the national wealth and a newfound materialism. As people began to spend and consume at levels unheard-of. The American dream in the 1920s is ruined by the unworthiness of its object—money and pleasure. For example: The Buchanan’s prove themselves as careless, inconsiderate, and selfish people who are so used to money’s ability to ease their minds, that they never worry about hurting others.

Daisy relies on her status and wealth, rather than friends and family, to get her through tough times. Nick has even observed when she lets other people clean up the mess she makes after playing with people’s hearts. Myrtle also shows her materialistic personality when she decorates the apartment that Tom bought for her with furniture entirely too large for it. The quest for wealth and power, along with the moral decay of a time period can bring out the best or worst in people.

http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2006/4/11/21342/9814

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/themes.html

The Great Gatsby Film Version

There are many film versions of The Great Gatsby, but let’s talk about the version that we watched in our English class. This third film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 novel was one of the most hyped movies of the summer of 1974. It was scripted by Francis Ford Coppola, who puts costume design and art direction above the intricacies of character. It's certainly a handsome try, and perhaps no movie could capture The Great Gatsby in its entirety.

Robert Redford stars as self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby, who uses his vast fortune to buy his way into Long Island society. He’s an interesting cast of Gatsby. Most of all, Gatsby wants to win back the love of socialite Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow), now married to Tom Buchanan (Bruce Dern). Calmly observing the passing parade is Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston), Gatsby's best friend, who narrates the film. Sam Waterston is perfect as the narrator.

   

 

This film obviously won two Oscars awards for best costume design and best original music score. The film reflects novel and makes the stories more alive. Some people like the other versions better and some like this version better. Some also said that they like the novel better than the film version because it didn’t reflects deep thought of each character like in the novel where it expresses imagery and deep feelings. So what do you think? Did u like the novel better or the film better?

Source:http://www.fandango.com/thegreatgatsby_v20669/summary