Be prepared to read a very long post! I know that we only read two chapters so far, but I’ve found a lot of things to discuss. Plus, if you’ve read any of my other posts/comments you know that I write long, rambling, and confusing things. 
To start I’d like to talk about a few things on the first page. One thing in particular is the very first quotation in the novel. The quote is, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” I think this is quite obvious to figure out – hold your tongue. But that’s not why I’m bringing it up. Instead I’d like to talk about how this relates to Fitzgerald’s introduction to the narrator, Nick Carraway. There are significant parts to this quote. The first issue it brings up is Nick’s moral values. He has always been taught not to judge which makes him very different from the rest of the characters in the book. For example, Tom blatantly states that he is a racist in the first chapter when he says, “It’s up to us who are the dominant race to watch out or these other races will have control of things.” (He’s speaking about the book The Rise of the Colored Empire which I find particularly funny.) These moral values of Nick leads the reader to trust what he says and therefore makes him a reliable narrator. This one quote gave us all that insight into Nick. Can you find any other deep and/or revealing quotes in the text? Explain how they give us insight to Nick’s world.
The whole rest of my post is going to talk about Fitzgerald’s unique writing style. This is probably what makes the book the most interesting for me. One of the techniques Fitzgerald used is foreshadowing in the first chapter. He writes, “…it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.” This leads me to believe that Gatsby is in danger by someone or something. What are your opinions about this? Does anyone have specific predictions?
Another intriguing item found in the novel was that the book itself is supposedly being written by Nick. Here’s the quote: “Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book…” Usually books are being told as if they are actually happening or being remembered, not the narrator writing a story about it. Now why would Fitzgerald chose to have Nick writing down his experiences with Gatsby? And Nick’s not even a writer – he’s in the “bond business”. What do you think about this odd choice of perspective?
One thing that was very prominent in Fitzgerald’s writing is his use of oxymorons. There are so many of them, both obviously placed and hidden subtly. Here are some examples:
Pg. 1: He didn’t say any more but we’ve always been unusually communicative in a reserved way and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that.
Pg. 10 – 11: And so it happened that on a warm windy evening I drove over to East Egg to see two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all.
Pg. 20: Among the broken fragments of the last five minutes at table I remember the candles being lit again, pointlessly, and I was conscious of wanting to look squarely at everyone and yet to avoid all eyes.
Pg. 23: I knew now why her face was familiar – its pleasing contemptuous expression had looked out at me from many rotogravure pictures of the sporting life at Asheville and Hot Springs and Palm Beach.
Pg. 40: I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.
And those are just a few examples! Why do you think that Fitzgerald uses so many oxymorons in his writing? How does he use this technique via the characters?
And yes, there is still more. As well as using oxymorons, Fitzgerald also likes to use ironic phrases/descriptions. Here’s one for you: “So Tom Buchanan and his girl and I went up together to New York – or not quite together, for Mrs. Wilson sat discreetly in another car. Tom deferred that much to the sensibilities of those East Eggers who might be on our train.” How is this section ironic? How does Fitzgerald use irony when describing the characters?
This is the last part, I promise. The thing I’d like to discuss is how Fitzgerald introduces each character. When Nick is telling the reader about a new person he has met he tends to lean towards describing the physical traits rather than their personality. But in a way, the properties being described give the reader an insight into what the character is really like. I know how the two correlate. Do you? Choose one character and explain how the physical attributes describe their personality as well.
Recap:
- Can you find any deep and/or revealing quotes in the text? Explain how they give us insight to Nick’s world.
- What are your opinions about Fitzgerald’s foreshadowing on pages 6 and 7? Do you have any ideas about what will happen to Gatsby?
- Why would Fitzgerald chose to have Nick writing down his experiences with Gatsby? What do you think about this odd choice of perspective?
- Why do you think that Fitzgerald uses so many oxymorons in his writing?
- How does Fitzgerald use opposites via the characters? (How are the characters opposites?) Name a set of characters and explain how they are completely contradictory.
- How is the quote about Nick, Tom, and Mrs. Wilson on the train ironic?
- How does Fitzgerald use irony when describing the characters?
- How do the physical characteristics of the characters seem to correlate to their personality? Choose one character and explain how the physical attributes describe their personality as well.
Wow, that was long! You guys just love having me in your group, don’t you?
Have fun!
Erin B.
P.S. – I think this blog deserves a little extra credit. Don’t you?