Characterisation Gatsby Daisy Tom Nick Style Theme American

Characterisation Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick Style Theme American Upper Class, Importance of Time and the Past Structure Turning Point, End Symbolism Weather, Gatsby CHAPTER SEVEN

CHARACTERISATION GATSBY

CHARACTERISATION GATSBY § “His career as Trimalchio was over” Trimalchio was a vulgar social upstart, therefore this description has negative connotations §Task § Discuss why the description of a “vulgar upstart” might be an appropriate one for Gatsby.

CHARACTERISATION GATSBY “They’re some people Wolfshiem wanted to do something for” - this again adds doubt in our minds about Gatsby’s judgement and wisdom. Wolfshiem is a shady character. What does it suggest about Gatsby that he is prepared to surround himself by people like this?

CHARACTERISATION GATSBY It is in this chapter that Gatsby’s fortune is revealed as illegally acquired “I found out what your drug stores were. ’ He turned to us and spoke rapidly. ‘He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of sidestreet drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. . . I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him. ”

CHARACTERISATION GATSBY “He spoke as if Daisy’s reaction was the only thing that mattered” Again, this conveys another negative aspect to Gatsby’s characterisation. He is only worried about Daisy. “Of course I’ll say I was” – shows how much he is in love with Daisy. He is prepared to take the blame for Myrtle’s death

CHARACTERISATION NICK Again this chapter calls into question Nick’s reliability as a narrator. Discuss the way in which the following quote is significant in arousing the reader’s suspicions regarding his reliability: “ I had one of those renewals of complete faith in him that I’d experienced before”

CHARACTERISATION DAISY

CHARACTERISATION DAISY This chapter again conveys reinforces our impression of her being non-maternal Discuss the way in which the following quote reveals this: “The child, relinquished by the nurse, rushed across the room and rooted shyly into her mother’s dress”

CHARACTERISATION DAISY Consider the following quote. In what way does it convey negative connotations regarding Daisy’s characterisation: “That’s because your mother wanted to show you off”

CHARACTERISATION DAISY “That’s because your mother wanted to show you off” “Daisy sat back upon the couch. The nurse took a step forward and held out her hand. . ”Good-bye, sweetheart!” Her daughter’s “reluctant backward glance” suggests she would like to stay with her mother. However, Daisy simply dismisses her and does not even refer to her by her name. This again adds to our negative impression of Daisy.

CHARACTERISATION DAISY “Her voice is full of money, ” he said suddenly Gatsby’s description of Daisy again adds to our negative connotations. This description once again suggests a materialistic nature and a lack of emotion and spirit – she is meretricious/vacuous/lacks vision. Daisy’s negative portrayal continues when Gatsby’s past is revealed: “ With every word she was drawing further and further into herself” It is further reinforced at the end of the chapter- “I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight – watching over nothing” Daisy has chosen to ignore the fact that Gatsby is prepared to take the blame for Myrtle’s death and has decided to stay with Tom

CHARACTERISATION DAISY Task Brainstorm the reasons why Daisy has decided to stay with Tom What impression does her decision to stay with Tom make on the reader?

CHARACTERISATION – TOM

CHARACTERISATION TOM “Your wife does, ” exclaimed Tom, startled”. Tom has just heard that his lover is leaving him. In addition, his wife is having an affair. His world has crashed around him in one afternoon Discuss - why the reader feels very little sympathy for Tom

CHARACTERISATION TOM “I’ll be damned if I see how you got within a mile of her unless you brought the groceries to the back door” This is a clear example of class distinction. Tom tries to assert his superiority over Gatsby and emphasises how unsuitable a suitor he is for Daisy

CHARACTERISATION TOM Tom’s hypocrisy shines through in the following quote: “And what’s more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” This is totally hypocritical of Tom. He has no qualms about his extra marital affairs, but feels a victim when Daisy’s affair is revealed

SYMBOLISM - HOT WEATHER § “The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest of the summer” In this chapter, the hot weather reflects the climax of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship §“In this heat every extra gesture was an affront to the common store of life” The oppressive heat adds to the uncomfortable atmosphere and contributes to what happens in the chapter – not just Myrtle’s accident, but also the confrontation between Tom and Gatsby The fiery and intense sun symbolises Tom’s fiery confrontation with Gatsby §“I hadn’t gone twenty yards when I heard my name and Gatsby stepped from between two bushes into the path” This signifies the reality of Gatsby’s love for Daisy. After the accident (at the end of Chapter 7) She is not concerned about him, but he is still keeping

STRUCTURE/ STYLE One of the most important moments in the chapter is when Tom becomes certain of Gatsby and Daisy’s feelings for each other – “She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. His mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy”

IMPORTANCE OF TIME AND THE PAST One of the most important moments in the chapter is when Tom becomes certain of Gatsby and Daisy’s feelings for each other – “She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. His mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy” The climax of the novel occurs with the line, “But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself” This is the climax , the most critical part of the novel as it is now clear that Gatsby has lost Daisy for good. Gatsby’s obsession with having a “blissful past” continue into the present makes him want Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved him. However, Tom reminding Daisy of their past, is clever. “You loved me too? ” he repeated. He is using their personal history to remind Daisy that she had feelings for him. BY CONTROLLING THE PAST, TOM ERADICATES GATSBY’S VISION OF THE FUTURE. This is reinforced by Tom’s words “I think he realises that his presumptuous little flirtation is over” Here, Tom undermines Gatsby and Daisy’s supposed relationship entirely. He feels secure enough to send Daisy back to East Egg with Gatsby. This

STRUCTURE/STYLE The ending of the chapter with Gatsby hiding in the bushes clearly parallels Gatsby pining for Daisy at the end of Chapter One. In Chapter One he was optimistic about their future, but now he has made it past the green light onto the lawn of Daisy’s house. However, now his dream is gone for ever as Daisy and Tom have reconciled their differences – “His hand had fallen upon and covered her own”

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Chapter Eight Characterisation Theme Symbolism Gatsby, Nick American Dream

Characterisation - Gatsby

Characterisation - Gatsby § He was attracted to Daisy because of her wealth and privilege and he idolised both wealth and Daisy – the two are intertwined in his mind. § When he enters her house as a poor soldier, he knows he has no real right to be there.

Characterisation - Gatsby “I don’t think she ever loved him, ’ Gatsby turned around from a window and looked at me challengingly. ‘You must remember…she was very excited this afternoon. ” Gatsby is not prepared to admit that he has lost Daisy as it is to him like losing his entire world. He continually refuses to accept that his dream is dead.

Characterisation - Gatsby Discussion: How does the reader feel about Gatsby’s inability to accept the truth? Is this denial a negative or positive aspect of his character? What does this denial ultimately bring about?

Characterisation - Nick “They’re a rotten crowd…You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together. ’ I’ve always been glad I said that … because I disapproved of him from beginning to end. ” Discussion: Is this true? Why does Nick say this? Is Gatsby ‘worth the whole damn bunch put together’? What quality is it that makes him different?

THEME – The American Dream Gatsby is a symbol for America in the 1920 s. The American Dream has, in the pursuit of happiness, degenerated into a quest for mere wealth. Gatsby’s powerful dream of happiness with Daisy has become the motivation for lavish excess and criminal activities. Task: Consider all of the characters in the novel. For each one note down how they symbolise different elements of the American Dream.

THEME – The American Dream Task: Consider all of the characters in the novel. For each one note down how they symbolise different elements of the American Dream.

SYMBOLISM – ‘Grail’ “…but now he found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail. ” A Grail is a sacred object of a quest undertaken by a loyal and devoted knight. Gatsby has been transformed into a chivalric hero – a knight. His shinning armour is his ‘beautiful shirts’, his horse is an expensive car. Discussion: Do you think that Gatsby could rescue Daisy and take her to a better life?

SYMBOLISM - Weather “The night had made a sharp difference in the weather and there was an autumn flavour in the air. ” The ‘fire’ has gone out of Gatsby’s life with Daisy’s decision to remain with Tom. This is symbolised by the cooling weather and autumn slowly creeping in.

SYMBOLISM – The swimming pool ‘I’ve never used that pool all summer? ’ In some ways Gatsby is clinging on to the hope that Daisy will love him the way she used to symbolised by his insistence on swimming in the pool as though it were still summer. Important – both his downfall in Chapter 7 and his death in this chapter result from his stark refusal to accept what he cannot control – the passage of time

SYMBOLISM – Eyes of Dr T J Eckleburg “but you can’t fool God!. . . Doctor T. J. Eckleburg …God sees everything, ’ repeated Wilson. ” George takes this to be the all seeing eyes of God. He mistakenly believes that Myrtle’s lover must have been her killer and must be punished by “God”.

SYMBOLISM – Eyes of Dr T J Eckleburg BUT remember that these eyes are blind – they are the advert for an opticians. The connection between these eyes and ‘God’ exists only in Wilson’s grief stricken mind. Discussion – How important has been the idea of eyes/seeing within the novel?

SYMBOLISM – The rose “He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is …” The rose has been a symbol of beauty for centuries, but Nick says that they are not inherently beautiful and people only view them as beautiful because they choose to.

SYMBOLISM – The rose Daisy is grotesque in the same way. Gatsby has made her beautiful and the object of his dream but in reality she is an idle, bored and rich young woman with no moral strength or loyalties. Discussion: How does the reader now feel about Daisy? Consider that she has abandoned Gatsby in his hour of need.

SYMBOLISM - Holocaust “…gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete” Indicates the wholesale destruction of Gatsby’s life, of his dream and his love for Daisy. Also indicates the destruction of Wilson’s life, his dream and of his world.

THE GREAT GATSBY CHAPTER 9

SETTING – MID-WEST SYMBOLISM CHARACTERISATION – DAISY, NICK, GATSBY’S FATHER THEMES – AMERICAN UPPER CLASSES, AMERICAN DREAM

CHARACTERISATION DAISY The novel ends with a negative impression of Daisy. Nick tells us how he “called up Daisy half an hour after we found him, called her instinctively and without hesitation. But she and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them. ” She has simply dealt with everything by forgetting it and moving away. This is even more shocking when we understand that Gatsby was killed because of her She has no loyalty to Gatsby again displaying her shallowness. The fact that she doesn’t even send a ‘message or a flower’ suggests she wants to forget her involvement with Gatsby and move on with her life. This emphasises that she is shallow, weak and careless.

CHAPTER 9 CHARACTERISATION NICK Nick picks up the pieces after Gatsby’s death. “I found myself on Gatsby’s side, and alone. ” Nick has entered into isolation here. He empathises with Gatsby and further isolates himself from East Coast society. This is a further reflection of his identification with Gatsby.

CHARACTERISATION: NICK By the end of the novel the reader should understand why Nick thinks Gatsby “turned out all right at the end”. In his eyes, Gatsby embodied an ability to dream and escape his past. This dream was possibly (ultimately) impossible but Nick cherishes and values it nonetheless. Nick is the writer and he wants his words to define Gatsby. By the end of the novel he is much more outspoken with his criticisms. He may be tolerant of people in public, but on paper he is harsh and critical. The ending of the novel therefore inverts the very beginning of the text as Nick clearly judges people. He describes Tom and Daisy as ‘careless people’ because of the way they ‘smashed up things and creatures and retreated back into their money’.

NICK – A RELIABLE NARRATOR? By the end of the novel he is much more outspoken with his criticisms. He may be tolerant of people in public, but on paper he is harsh and critical. The ending of the novel therefore inverts the very beginning of the text as Nick clearly judges people. He describes Tom and Daisy as ‘careless people’ because of the way they ‘smashed up things and creatures and retreated back into their money’.

CHARACTERISATION GATSBY “Look here, old sport, you’ve got to get somebody for me. You’ve got to try hard. I can’t go through this alone. ” Gatsby is isolated, not only in death, but even at his own parties where he was a lost and detached onlooker. Discuss: Why was Gatsby never accepted? What does this reveal about the other characters in the novel?

CHARACTERISATION: “He GATSBY took off his glasses and wiped them again, outside and in. ‘The poor son-of-a-bitch, ’ he said” We feel sympathy for Gatsby too, deserted by acquaintances and (more importantly) Daisy.

CHARACTERISATION: GATSBY “He took off his glasses and wiped them again, outside and in. ‘The poor son-of-a-bitch, ’ he said” We feel sympathy for Gatsby too, deserted by acquaintances and (more importantly) Daisy. Gatsby built himself up from nothing to a position of relative wealth and power. He could therefore be seen to have achieved the American Dream, but the poor attendance at his funeral highlights the hollowness and the emotional cost of his version of the American Dream.

CHARACTERISATION – GATSBY’S FATHER Henry C Gatz is a figure of sympathy rather than admiration “His eyes leaked continuously” “He was on the point of collapse” Nick does not shatter the old man’s illusion of his son “That’s true” Gatsby’s father keeps talking about the picture of Gatsby’s house In a parallel with his son the picture “was more real to him than the house itself” He is infatuated by an illusion. He is so taken in by the grand display of Gatsby’s wealth that he doesn’t realise his son didn’t achieve his dream.

THEME – SHALLOWNESS OF THE AMERICAN UPPER CLASSES “What I called up about was a pair of shoes I left there. ” Shows lack of morals and the shallowness of the upper classes. Klipspringer was Gatsby’s lodger but would rather attend a picnic. He is not even phoning up to offer commiserations but to enquire about a pair of shoes. “Nobody came” This illustrates the SHALLOWNESS OF THE AMERICAN UPPER CLASSES. They attended his parties and abused his hospitality but have deserted him when he is no longer of any use.

SETTING – THE MIDWEST “That’s my Middle West. . . ” The Mid-West has been seen to be boring compared to the excitement of the East But the East is just glittering on the surface It lacks the moral centre of the Mid-West This moral depravity dooms the characters in the novel to failure

SETTING In the final chapter Nick concludes that this has been ‘the story of the West’ because all the main characters are from the West and ‘possessed some deficiency’. Nick’s view of East and West changes throughout the novel. After Gatsby’s death the East coast becomes ‘haunted’ and ‘distorted’ for him.

NICK’S VIEW OF THE EAST A place that lacks morals. Host to a series of ‘gleaming, dazzling parties’ that suggest a glittering surface, but very little underneath.

GATSBY FAILS TO ACHIEVE THE AMERICAN DREAM – WHY? Some suggestions may be: 1. He is a criminal 2. He can never gain acceptance into the American aristocracy. 3. His new identity is an act 4. His dream was unattainable (why? ) All of these question the idea of America as a place where all things are possible if one tries enough. The American dream is the potential for unlimited advancement, regardless of where they come from or how poor their background is Gatsby’s failure suggests it is impossible to disown one’s past so completely

The American dream is the potential for unlimited advancement, regardless of where they come from or how poor their background is Gatsby’s failure suggests it is impossible to disown one’s past so completely

SYMBOLISM “He knew he had a big future in front of him. And ever since he made a success he was very generous with me. ” Ironic – in his father’s mind Gatsby had achieved the American dream His father has no understanding of the intricacies of American society and the fact that his son would never be accepted.

“That’s my Middle West” Nick thinks of America as a place with distinct regions with different values Each area has come to symbolise different values Discuss: What values are symbolised by the Mid-West, East, West within the novel?

SYMBOLISM SETTING “I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all – Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners …” Throughout history the West has been seen as a land of promise, possibility, a symbol of American ideals But Tom and Daisy, like other members of the upper classes have betrayed American ideals by having a rigid class structure that excludes newcomers from its upper classes.

SYMBOLISM – GATSBY’S HOUSE “Gatsby’s house was still and empty when I left” The party is over in both the literal and metaphorical sense.

SYMBOLISM - GATSBY “…and perhaps he made a story about it all of his own. ” Even in death Gatsby remains the focus of gossip and speculation. Discuss – do you think that Gatsby deserved to be the centre of such gossip?

SYMBOLISM – GATSBY’S HOUSE “…I went over and looked at that huge incoherent failure of a house once more. ” It is like a sign of material success, but like its owner it is flawed. “…word, scrawled by some boy” In the corrupt America of the 1920 s childhood is not even a time of innocence.

SETTING “…I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes…” Nick imagines what it must have looked like to the first explorers Seeing that America was once a goal for dreamers just as Daisy was for Gatsby.

“Gatsby believed in the green light…” Nick pictures the green land of America as the green light shining from Daisy’s dock. When America was founded it tried to distance itself from the traditional class system, but the novel shows that the class structure still exists. Gatsby can’t escape his PAST as he fails to overcome the class barrier. He believes that Gatsby had failed to realise that his dreams had already ended and that his dream was unattainable as it was rooted in the past. His goals had become hollow and empty.

“…tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further … And one fine morning – So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. ” Symbolises that the return to paradise is an ideal not a reality, but GATSBY represents humanity’s endless capacity for hope. The image of the boats in the ‘ceaseless tide’ captures the mix of futility and hope. Discuss: is this an optimistic or pessimistic end to the novel?