The Great Gatsby Chapter Six Summary Nick reveals
The Great Gatsby Chapter Six
Summary � Nick reveals more about Gatsby’s, his humble origins and his time with Dan Cody. � The Buchanans attend one of Gatsby’s parties. � The growing tension between Tom and Gatsby is evident.
Gatsby’s Past � Original name was James Gatz (changed to Jay Gatsby when 17) � Came fro North Dakota (midway between the East and West coasts of America) � As Dan Cody’s assistant, Gatsby sailed around America three times.
Gatsby as Magician � Transforms himself form a humble Midwestern boy to an East Coast celebrity. � Transforms Daisy, within his own imagination, from a Southern girl to an ideal of radiant life and beauty. � The phrase ‘The Great Gatsby’ suggests the showmanship of stage magicians, who practise an art of illusion and use such names to advertise their performances.
Dan Cody � Gatsby’s mentor � Transformed himself into a millionaire � Used by Fitzgerald to deflate idealised version of pioneer life. �
Gatsby � “The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. ” � This illuminate Gatsby’s creation of his own identity. � Plato’s philosophy stresses the illusory nature of the world we know through our senses. � Gatsby, caught up in property and money, is still driven by desire for something beyond physical possessions.
Wonder � In Gatsby’s eyes the city streets become trees, transformed into a green world by means of imagination and intense feeling: � “he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder. ’ (p 96) � The image of the nurturing breast is important: it is echoed in the ‘fresh green breast of the new world’, but in-between there is the mutilated breast of Myrtle Wilson. Through metaphor, Fitzgerald contrasts a visionary reality with a brutal, material reality.
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