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

Jealous Much?

Jealous much?

Jealousy is an emotional reaction; so by its very nature it has a reason. Jealousy is a normal response to a perceived threat. Getting jealous is not necessarily bad. Problems arise and your behaviors get out of control when your jealousy gets unmanageable.

The Great Gatsby brings about a type of jealousy brought on by imagined or misperceived events. For example: Gatsby, although has quite a bit of money, is sought as a man of crime to people who haven’t much as seen his face. Irrational jealousy is not healthy at all. It is based on non-realistic paranoia and insecurity. People suffering from an irrational jealousy rely mostly on their feelings that something is wrong when there are no real signs that these feelings are genuine.

On the other hand, Myrtle and Tom have every right to be jealous. Myrtle, because she has to sit and watch Tom shift between a married and ‘un-married’ life: One- because he is not satisfied with Daisy; and Two: Tom doesn’t very much find Myrtle anymore fulfilling than Daisy was. He becomes even more depressed, coming to find out, that Daisy is no saint herself and has been having an affair with Gatsby.

However, without any shown belief of their jealousy, irrationally jealous individuals often sink in to a depression based on paranoia. They are convinced that they are right to be jealous even when the evidence does not quite support their beliefs. It will eventually be very difficult to show them the truth.

http://teenadvice.about.com/od/loveanddating/a/jealousy.htm

Mafia/Gangster

The 1920’s was the most legendary era in gangster history. The mafias are not only a secret organization but also a criminal gang. They have numerous political and economical controls in society. They carried guns everywhere they went and always beware of the enemies. They became a vast criminal oriented society. The mafias grew stronger and larger every single day. They also started to expand in gambling, bootlegging, and prostitution in order to earn more money and became wealthy. They had influences many American people to followed them. Members of the unified organization were required to take an initiation oath which included five basic principles.

1. A code of silence - Never to "rat out" any mafia member. Never to divulge any mafia secrets, even if they were threatened by torture or death.
2. Complete obedience to the boss - Obey the boss's orders, no matter what.
3. Assistance - To provide any necessary assistance to any other respected or befriended mafia faction.
4. Vengeance - Any attacks on family members must be avenged. "An attack on one is an attack on all."
5. Avoid contact with the authorities.

The mafias in the United States first became active in the New York City, gradually progressing from small neighborhood operations in poor Italian ghettos to citywide and eventually international activities. Their reputations have become entrenched in American popular culture, and have been portrayed in movies, TV shows, books and video games. In The Great Gatsby, I believe Jay Gatsby was suspected of being a mafia or relate to the mafias and gangster because he was wealthy and had a friend who was a gambler. For our English class we haven’t finish reading the book yet, so let’s see whether if Jay Gatsby is one of the mafias and doing illegal business or he’s a good and truthful person.

Source: http://www.rotteneggsx.com/r3/show/se/159624.html

Unrequited Love

Unrequited Love:

(Noun) Love that is not given mutually.

http://www.allwords.com/word-unrequited+love.html

   Jay Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy is where the novel starts to come alive. The story of their relationship exists only in prospect before Gatsby starts to move toward a dream that no one else can quite understand. The plot begins to shift its focus to the tensions between Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship as they actualize themselves. After Gatsby’s history with Daisy is revealed, a meeting between the two becomes incapable of being avoided, and it is obvious that the theme of the past’s significance to the future is called forth in this chapter. As the plot thickens its ideas of love and the American dream, it becomes clearer and clearer that Gatsby’s emotions are out of sync with the passage of time. Nervousness about the present and how Daisy’s attitude toward Gatsby, may have caused him to knock over Nick’s clock, symbolizing the clumsiness of his attempt to stop time and retrieve the past.

   Before the meeting, Daisy displays her usual sarcastic humor; when Nick invites her to tea and asks her not to bring Tom, she responds,

“Who is ‘Tom’?”

Yet, seeing Gatsby strips her of her bitterly ironic self. Gatsby forgets to play the role of the Oxford-educated socialite and shows to be a love-struck and awkward young man at his purest and most revealing state. Daisy’s emotions get the better of her when she is moved to sincerity by the passion Gatsby feels for her. When she goes to Gatsby’s house, she is overwhelmed with tears of joy at his success and sobs upon his piles of expensive English shirts.

   Nick’s arrangement of the meeting brings his practice of tolerance almost to a level of guilt, just as he had tolerantly observed Tom’s secret affair with Myrtle, so he eases the begging of what seems to be an affair for Daisy as well, aware of helping her wreck a meaningless marriage. However, Nick’s actions may be at least partially justified by the intense and sincere love that Gatsby and Daisy clearly feel for each other, a love that Nick sees to be absent from Daisy’s relationship with Tom.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/section5.rhtml