F, Scott Fitzgerald

F, Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota (Mid West: an area of poor and uneducated people; they are ery !uch the original "!ericans#. $e went to Princeton %ni ersity but dropped out of &ollege 'oining the ar!y in ()(* (the ti!e when %S" +oined the First World War#. $e began writing while in ser ice and also !et and fell in lo e with ,elda Sayre who he !arried in ()-.. "lso in ()-. he published his first no el, This Side of Paradise which !ade hi! and instant literary success and a celebrity. /uring the -.0s he wrote short stories in order to sustain hi!self and his fa!ily between no els. The Beautiful and the Dammed (()--# was not nearly as critically successful as the first. The Vegetable (()-1# was his first (and last# e2cursion into dra!a. The Great Gatsby (()-3# is his !ost brilliant acco!plish!ent. /ifficulties during the late -.0s and early 1.0s as his wife suffered fro! psychiatric proble!s that re4uired hospitalisation and his own financial proble!s (the crisis56he great &rash in "!erica5 the financial depression#. $e did not produce another no el until Tender is the Night in ()17. 8n ()1* he wor9ed for $ollywood to write film scripts. $e paid all his debts and wrote a no el about the fil! industry: The Last Tycoon. $e was co!pleting the first draft of this no el when he died on -( /ece!ber ()7..

THE TWENTIES
The 20th century a ery i!portant period5 the interwar period between the (st and -nd World War. 6he proble! of alcohol: the alcohol was prohibited and there was !uch corruption with alcohol trade. 6he :reat :atsby boo9 is built around this illegal trade (the !ysterious sense of the boo9#. 6his corrupted acti ity corrupted politics too. 6here is a ti!e of a ery ob ious change: the flappers ca!e out The flappers are the new wo!en: they were wo!en were not as the ;ictorian wo!en; they had !ore contact with the social en iron!ent, !en, bars....6hey were !ore open !inded in se2ual !atters 8t is a ti!e of social change, which has been initiated after the ci il War. Wo!en had beco!e i!portant politically and they as9ed for their rights (the right to ote#. Wo!en started to ta9e part in the society. 6here is a ti!e for growth of the !ass !edia. 6he !ass production also increased in this period. 6here is a ti!e in which people want to forget the cruelty of the First World War. 8t is called the happy ages. People wanted to en'oy life after the bloody war. People are loo9ing for answers to e2plain this conflict, this tragic situation. 8t is a fri olity situation. The reaction of people to change <" struggle between progress and nostalgia see!s stri9ingly central to the 6wenties, a decade in which !any "!ericans loo9ed bac9 with yearning to a past age which see!ed si!pler, !orally surer, !ore pastoral, and less troubled= (()>, Introduction to American Studies# <?y the 6wenties, politicians and pulpits had lost credibility: literature, newspapers, and the burgeoning !ass culture of popular !agazines, radio, and the !o ies had to bear his weight of a new 4uest for social and personal !odels. Fitzgerald, @ewes, /reiser and $.@. Menc9en genuinely influenced their a id readers, but when the 4uestions raised see!ed too co!ple2 of the answers too shoc9ing, the wor9 was re'ected. 6his pressure for the easy answer deepened the split between high culture and !ass society.= (-.-, Introduction to American Studies#

<"lthough the tensions and fragmentation of the 6wenties were 9eenly felt, there was, superficially, a political and econo!ic consensus.= (-.7, Introduction to American Studies# (...# 6he Sacco and ;anzetti case pro ed this di ision: these self confessed anarchists were e2ecuted in ()-* after a payroll robbery. Fro! the econo!ical point of iew, <consu!er goods beca!e the foundation stones of the econo!y; !anufacturing grew three ti!es !ore than the population. "d ertising e2penditure grew and this triggered the growth of the !edia. Faith in progress and technology but factory wor9 beca!e e er !ore repetitious and alienating. /ecline in the labour !o e!ent A :rowth of the ser ice sector and educational institutions in particular " growth of the !iddle class was due to the possibility of borrowing !oney fro! ban9s to buy different goods. The !omen social position at that time 6hey were supposed to be se2ual patient, and not acti e ones. 6hey were supposed to beha e as the ;ictorian type of wo!en. <6he se2ual re olution of the 6wenties was supposed to belong to the wo!en; but the first great literary erotic re olution was certainly !ale, and in "!erica at least, it too9 the for! of narcissis! of the e!battled !ale trying to protect hi!self fro! the se2ually aggressi e fe!ale005 the change of wo!en0s situation at that ti!e and their position in the "!erican society

THE "#E$T "$TS%& '()2*+

6he no el presents superficial characters and situation. 6here is a first person narration, and the narrator describes the situation in a ery superficial way. ?ut, deeper, in that superficial situation, there are !any i!portant ideas about how "!ericans beha e. 6he protagonist has a co!ple2 identity: he is in a way part of the social co!!unity, he shares its ideas but on the other hand he see!s to not totally agree with so!e social ideas. 6here is a pyra!idal way of relating infor!ation. Mi2ed initial reception; the o erriding opinion of the re iewers was that Fitzgerald represented the +azz "ge, and that at best, Gatsby was a no el of li!ited scope, with disagreeable or i!!ature characters and a tri ial sub'ect. 6he no el sold poorly although it was praised by 6.S. Bliot, :ertrude Stein and Bdith Wharton. 6he no el follows the tradition of the great "!erican nineteenth5century writers, Mar9 6wain, $enry +a!es and Willia! /ean $owells, who recalled a pre5war world which was lost to the!, while a new world had not yet !ade its outlines clear. 8t depicts a nostalgic feeling of the past ti!e. So!e of the radical changes of the new "!erica included the rise of wealth. Capid change and growth created in !any "!ericans a sense of alienation as the old alues died. &lass boundaries beca!e less strict, especially in big cities li9e Dew Eor9 or &hicago where the Prohibition ga e new life to the underworld. Dew rich people appear: the "nglo5Sa2ons still not being the richest in the society; also the i!!igrants beca!e rich and appreciated people. For e2a!ple the +ewish i!!igrants 6here were new rich people as :atsby who !ade fortune fro! illegal trade. So!e literary influences can be traced: 5Fswald Spengler in The Decline of the West (()(> but ()-G for the Bnglish translation# 56.S. Bliot0s poe! <6he Waste @and= (there is a contrast between banality and historical significance#. The $shes ,"sh is ery i!portant in the story: it gi es the idea of so!ething burnt or destroyed. 5Willa &ather in H0A Lost Lady H0 (()-1#: it presents a si!ilar narrator to our narrator. $e only spea9s about what he sees, li es or thin9s but not about all the character0s thoughts because he doesn0t 9now e erything about the! he is not a third person narrator# 6he philosophy of +ohn /ewey and Willia! +a!es which was concerned with the relation of ethics with literature and the resistance to the te!ptations of a deeply !aterialistic culture; !oral and

intellectual i!pro e!ent; the con ersion of natural energies to worthy purposes. "ccording to these philosophers literature should i!pro e people0s life by !a9ing the! ta9e into account another issues, especially the !oral alues and not the !aterialistic ones. 6hey defend an intellectual i!pro e!ent and not a !aterialistic one. 8n this period !oney is seen as a corrupted ele!ent which doesn0t bring anything good to people as hu!an beings. :atsby is in lo e with /aisy and he tries to i!press her by !a9ing !ore and !ore !oney. $e organizes !any parties in order to bring her and to see her but he doesn0t see! to en'oy these parties. We ha e to 9eep in !ind that they belong to different social classes: in the boo9 the narrator ro!anticizes rich people. :atsby feels through /aisy that rich people ha e a different way of beha ing, they are !ore H0interesting00. :atsby is not an educated person as /aisy is. $e feels inferior to /aisy and he sees her in a higher position. "lso the wor9 presents the idea of /arwin, the fittest succeed. Structure the no el is structured as a series of !ysteries which suggest other !ysteries, ending not with a solution or resolution, but with a passionate !oral co!!entary on what the narrator, Dic9 &arrraway, has !ade of the e ents of a su!!er o er a year before his no el begins. 6he no el is also structured around parties, both big and s!all. Many se4uences of the no el present corrupted actions. 6he characters are presented in a frag!ented and s9etchy way. 6his is i!portant for :atsby because his in ention of a new identity to achie e his drea! is the core of the no el and a !ore naturalistic approach would ha e distracted the reader. :atsby e!bodies the $oratio "lger !yth of success but he is also a ariation of the log5cabin boy who rises to unparalleled wealth and power and also !o es easily between bootleggers, gangsters and corrupted Wall Street ?ro9ers. (6he "!erican /rea!: success through personal effort# 6o! and /aisy are representati es of their world and they are !ore clearly depicted than :atsby or Dic9. 6o! is powerful and corrupt and drifts see9ing elusi e !o!ents of happiness. /aisy is delineated by association and see!s to li e only to !en0s i!ages of her. Fther characters co!prise Myrtle Wilson, :eorge Wilson, +ordan ?a9er (she shares the corruption of the era and offers infor!ation in flashbac9 about /aisy0s ro!ance with :atsby and her !arriage to 6o! ?uchanan#. 6hrough the de elop!ent of Nic- .arra!ay (the narrator, who tells us the story through his 'udge!ents, and he is doing things correctly according to his !oral code#, the no el beco!es a search for !oral order. 6he young !an who prided hi!self on suspending !oral 'udge!ents has by the end pro ided 'udge!ents of :atsby and of the ?uchanans and, abo e all, has defended loyalty and friendship. Important 6he story ends with Dic9 contradicting hi!self: he starts the story by saying that he is not depicting people by the first i!pression, he see!s to be a correct person and he prefers to not 'udge people 'ust by their appearance. 6he story ends with Dic9 pro iding 'udge!ents about the e ents. $e said at the beginning of the no el that he will not do that but finally he does it.

The novel:
.hapter (
!In my younger and more "ulnerable years my father ga"e me some ad"ice that I!"e been turning o"er in my mind e"er since# Whene"er you feel li$e critici%ing any one&! he told me& 'ust remember that all the (eo(le in this )orld ha"en!t had the ad"antages that you!"e had#! *e didn!t say any more but )e!"e al)ays been unusually communicati"e in a reser"ed )ay& and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that# In conse+uence I!m inclined to reser"e all 'udgments& a habit that has o(ened u( many curious natures to me and also made me the "ictim of not a fe) "eteran bores#!!

6he relationship between Dic9 and /aisy is a ery distant one: he tries to a oid e!otions in the no el. Dic9 is a first person narrator, so all the e ents are told fro! Dic90s perception. $e doesn0t 9now e erything about all the character0s thoughts, feelingsI 6he narrator, Dic9 is supposed to be the one who gi es all the infor!ation; but there are !any episodes when this rule is bro9en and we can percei e the oice of the author hi!self. 6he no el is built out around parties: big and s!all one. Dic9 tries to be ob'ecti e, to narrate things and e ents as they are. 6he author wants to write an ob'ecti e no el, so he chooses Dic9, a reliable character, to tell the story through his eyes. Dic9 detached hi!self fro! the facts and the characters; so he doesn0t want to get in ol ed in e!otional relationships. 6here is not passion in his relationships. Dic9 is a reliable narrator, we trust hi!. ?ut at the sa!e ti!e, in a parado2ical way, he gets in ol ed in the e ents, and he is the one passing 'udge!ents in people and gi ing i!pression about people and facts. $e contradicts hi!self, in a way because he does 'udge people. $e tries to ta9e things as they co!e. ?y the e2pressions the author uses he !a9es us the readers to get an i!pression of the characters and the facts as he wants. We ha e a social class ele!ent in this no el. /aisy belongs to a ery high social class, while his cousin, Dic9 is not as rich as her. Dic9 doesn0t trust :atsby, because he is a new rich. :atsby tries to !a9e people to li9e hi!.
,y family ha"e been (rominent& )ell-to-do (eo(le in this middle-)estern city for three generations# The .ar/ree eBoo$s at Planet eBoo$#com ra)ays are something of a clan and )e ha"e a tradition that )e!re descended from the Du$es of Buccleuch& but the actual founder of my line )as my grandfather!s brother )ho came here in fifty-one& sent a substitute to the .i"il War and started the )holesale hard)are business that my father carries on today#

6here is a strong criticis!; he is putting into 4uestion the fact of his fa!ily being aristocrat. 8t is a hint to suggest that social classes ha e always e2isted in "!erica. 8n this paragraph we ha e !uch infor!ation about Dic9, and his bac9ground. $e gi es us all this infor!ation in order to present hi!self as a reliable person. $e gi es us balanced infor!ation about his bac9ground: good and bad ele!ents. We 9now that he participated in the First World War, but we don0t ha e !uch infor!ation about his feeling about the war, and his e2perience. We only 9now that the War changes hi!, and when he goes bac9 ho!e he decided to go west to set up a business. 8n the east is supposed to be !ore educated, with a strong Buropean influence, while in the west people are not so educated and influenced by the Buropean culture. 6he east is influenced in a way by the west.

6he west is growing up 4uic9ly and so!e new alues are co!ing out; the spirit of entrepreneurial s9ills. We also ha e a little description of Dic9:
!*e had changed since his Ne) *a"en years# No) he )as a sturdy& stra) haired man of thirty )ith a rather hard mouth and a su(ercilious manner# T)o shining& arrogant eyes had established dominance o"er his face and ga"e him the a((earance of al)ays leaning aggressi"ely for)ard# Not e"en the effeminate s)an$ of his riding clothes could hide the enormous (o)er of that body0he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the to( lacing and you could see a great (ac$ of muscle shifting )hen his shoulder mo"ed under his thin coat# It )as a body ca(able of enormous le"erage0a cruel body# *is s(ea$ing "oice& a gruff hus$y tenor& added to the im(ression of fractiousness he con"eyed# There )as a touch of (aternal contem(t in it& e"en to)ard (eo(le he li$ed0and there )ere men at Ne) *a"en )ho had hated his guts#!!

8t is not a ery detailed description: he spots out only few i!portant things: his aggressi ely, strengthI$e has a big ego. We also ha e a little description about /aisy: we ha e only the description of her oice: her oice is really nice:
!She laughed again& as if she said something "ery )itty& and held my hand for a moment& loo$ing u( into my face& (romising that there )as no one in the )orld she so much )anted to see# That )as a )ay she had#!!

She is described in a ery positi e way; the contrary to 6o!0s description. She is a passi e character; she does nothing to sa e her !arriage and he doesn0t ha e any reactions to his husband0s affair. We get the i!pression that she is a bit depressed about her life. We learn !any things about /aisy fro! other !en. H0She is pictured by other characters, we ne er see her acting. 8 loo9ed bac9 at !y cousin who began to as9 !e 4uestion in her low, thrilling oice. 8t was the 9ind of oice that the ear follows up and down as if each speech is an arrange!ent of notes that will ne er be played again. $er face was sad and lo ely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate !outhJbut there was an e2cite!ent in her oice that !en who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing co!pulsion, a whispered H@isten,0 a pro!ise that she had done gay, e2citing things 'ust a while since and that there were gay, e2citing things ho ering in the ne2t hour.00 8n this chapter we hear about :atsby. We ha e a slight reference to hi!, but he still in a !ysterious side.
!Sometimes she and ,iss Ba$er tal$ed at once& unobtrusi"ely and )ith a bantering inconse+uence that )as ne"er +uite chatter& that )as as cool as their )hite dresses and their im(ersonal eyes in the absence of all desire# They )ere here0and they acce(ted Tom and me& ma$ing only a (olite (leasant effort to entertain or to be entertained# They $ne) that (resently dinner )ould be o"er and a little later the e"ening too )ould be o"er and casually (ut a)ay# It )as shar(ly different from the West )here an e"ening )as hurried from (hase to (hase to)ard its close in a continually disa((ointed antici(ation or else in sheer ner"ous dread of the moment itself#!!

$ere we ha e the difference between Bast and West culture. 8n the west the dinner is !ore for!al. 6he east dinner is a ery fri olous and superficial one. 6he at!osphere is ery cold and superficial. HEou !a9e !e feel unci ilized, /aisy,0 8 confessed on !y second glass of cor9y but rather i!pressi e claret. H&an0t you tal9 about crops or so!ethingK0 8 !eant nothing in particular by this re!ar9 but it was ta9en up in an une2pected way.
Civilizations going to pieces, broke out Tom violently.

H6his idea is that we0re Dordics. 8 a!, and you are and you are andJJ0 "fter an infinitesi!al hesitation he included /aisy with a slight nod and she win9ed at !e again. HJand we0 e produced all the things that go to !a9e ci ilizationJoh, science and art and all that. /o you seeK0 6here was so!ething pathetic in his concentration as if his co!placency, !ore acute than of old, was not

enough to hi! any !ore. When, al!ost i!!ediately, the telephone rang inside and the butler left the porch /aisy seized upon the !o!entary interruption and leaned toward !e. /o you seeK0 6here was so!ething pathetic in his concentration as if is co!placency, !ore acute than of old, was not enough to hi! any!ore. When, al!ost i!!ediately, the telephone rang inside and the butler left the porch /aisy seized upon the !o!entary interruption and leaned toward !e. H80ll tell you a fa!ily secret,0 she whispered enthusiastically. H8t0s about the butler0s nose. /o you want to hear about the butler0s noseK0 $ere we can see a reference to 6.S. Bliot. 6hey spea9 about ery i!portant issues but /aisy co!es out and draw our attention to what0s the H0butler0s nose00, a ery insignificant ele!ent. We ha e the co!bination of ery i!portant issues as the H0end of the hu!an life00 together with ery banal issues, such as the butler0s nose. /aisy is ery !uch affected about 6o! ha ing an affair. $ere we ha e the reference to the fact that she is aware about his affairs:
It!ll sho) you ho) I!"e gotten to feel about0things# Well& she )as less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I )o$e u( out of the ether )ith an utterly abandoned feeling and as$ed the nurse right a)ay if it )as a boy or a girl# She told me it )as a girl& and so I turned my head a)ay and )e(t# All right&! I said& I!m glad it!s a girl# And I ho(e she!ll be a fool0that!s the best thing a girl can be in this )orld& a beautiful little fool#!!

"t this particular !o!ent she is feeling really depressed, and by !a9ing this co!!ent we can see that she is really sad. She is aware about her husband0s affairs but she does nothing to sol e that, she doesn0t react. ?ecause of his depression, as the no el goes on, she also will ha e an affair with :atsby, she also co!!its adultery. "t this point she doesn0t see! to be ery !uch in lo e with his husband, and we don0t ha e !uch infor!ation about that. 8t is not clear which one /aisy lo es.
!Their interest rather touched me and made them less remotely rich0ne"ertheless& I )as confused and a little disgusted as I dro"e a)ay# It seemed to me that the thing for Daisy to do )as to rush out of the house& child in arms0but a((arently there )ere no such intentions in her head# As for Tom& the fact that he had some )oman in Ne) 1or$! )as really less sur(rising than that he had been de(ressed by a boo$# Something )as ma$ing him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy (hysical egotism no longer nourished his (erem(tory heart#!!

Dic9 feels disgusted about 6o! ha ing an affair, so he decides to lea e his cousin0s house after dinner. $e distrusts e erything; he has an old fashion belie e. "fter that, he sees :atsby who is surrounded by a ro!antic at!osphere. We ha e a ery !uch ro!antic at!osphere in this episode:
!Already it )as dee( summer on roadhouse roofs and in front of )ayside garages& )here ne) red gas-(um(s sat out in (ools of light& and )hen I reached my estate at West 2gg I ran the car under its shed and sat for a )hile on an abandoned grass roller in the yard# The )ind had blo)n off& lea"ing a loud bright night )ith )ings beating in the trees and a (ersistent organ sound as the full bello)s of the earth ble) the frogs full of life# The silhouette of a mo"ing cat )a"ered across the moonlight and turning my head to )atch it I sa) that I )as not alone0fifty feet a)ay a figure had emerged from the shado) of my neighbor!s mansion and )as standing )ith his hands in his (oc$ets regarding the sil"er (e((er of the stars# Something in his leisurely mo"ements and the secure (osition of his feet u(on the la)n suggested that it )as ,r# Gatsby himself& come out to determine )hat share )as his of our local hea"ens#!!

.hapter 2
We ha e the description of the area between Dew &ity and @ong 8sland, which is an area full of ashes. We ha e a ery negati e description of this area. 8t !a9es us thin9 to dirtiness and unhappiness. 6he idea of suffering is behind all this.
!About half )ay bet)een West 2gg and Ne) 1or$ the motor-road hastily 'oins the railroad and runs beside it for a +uarter of a mile& so as to shrin$ a)ay from a certain desolate area of land# This is a "alley of ashes0a fantastic farm )here ashes gro) li$e )heat into ridges and hills and grotes+ue gardens )here ashes ta$e the

forms of houses and chimneys and rising smo$e and finally& )ith a transcendent effort& of men )ho mo"e dimly and already crumbling through the (o)dery air# 3ccasionally a line of grey cars cra)ls along an in"isible trac$& gi"es out a ghastly crea$ and comes to rest& and immediately the ash-grey men s)arm u( )ith leaden s(ades and stir u( an im(enetrable cloud )hich screens their obscure o(erations from your sight# But abo"e the grey land and the s(asms of blea$ dust )hich drift endlessly o"er it& you (ercei"e& after a moment& the eyes of Doctor T# 4# 2c$leburg# The eyes of Doctor T# 4# 2c$leburg are blue and gigantic0their retinas are one yard high# They loo$ out of no face but& instead& from a (air of enormous yello) s(ectacles )hich (ass o"er a none5istent nose# 2"idently some )ild )ag of an oculist set them there to fatten his (ractice in the borough of 6ueens& and then san$ do)n himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and mo"ed a)ay# But his eyes& dimmed a little by many (aintless days under sun and rain& brood on o"er the solemn dum(ing ground#!!

We ha e the reference to the eyes of /octor 6.+. who is super ising all the things. Maybe there is a reference to :od; the eyes can be a reference to :od0s eyes. $e sees all the things but he does nothing. :od is not interfering in hu!an0s affairs. 8t is underlying how in'ustice the society is, and how corrupted it began to be. 8t a criticis! to ancient literature which always presented the good people as being rewarded and the bad ones as being punished by :od. ?ut here we can see that this thing doesn0t happen. 6o! hits his lo er, and here we can see his cruelty and aggressi eness. 6he whole incident is built around /aisy. $is lo er which who! he has an affair is a ery childish wo!an and ery superficial one. ?y this episode the reader is pushed again to disli9e 6o!. 6he !ore we disli9e 6o! the !ore we will li9e :atsby. 6his is strategy used by the author. 6o! is ery good at !anipulating people so we can see his lo er as a icti!. "ll the i!portant !o!entsAfacts happened around the parties, practically in the parties. 6he a!biguity about :atsby0s past is repeated in !any instances. $e has created a new past about hi!self, he lays about his past; he contributes to the !ystery around his persona and his past.

.hapter /
:atsby beco!es fa!ous through the parties he organizes. ;ery i!portant people attend to his parties because they want to H0get drun900 and ha e fun. 6hey are see9ing pleasure: the criticis! to superficiality and fri0olousness 6hings see! to be artificial, as people were attending a treating play. Dothing see!s to be real, e en the boo9s :atsby has, they are real but they were not read by hi!. 6hey stand there 'ust to show off his H0superficial education00. $e is not an educated person. !Dressed u( in )hite flannels I )ent o"er to his la)n a little after se"en and )andered around rather ill-at-ease among s)irls and eddies of (eo(le I didn!t $no)0though here and there )as a face I had noticed on the commuting train# I )as immediately struc$ by the number of young 2nglishmen dotted about7 all )ell dressed& all loo$ing a little hungry and all tal$ing in lo) earnest "oices to solid and (ros(erous Americans# I )as sure that they )ere selling something8 bonds or insurance or automobiles# They )ere& at least& agoni%ingly a)are of the easy money in the "icinity and con"inced that it )as theirs for a fe) )ords in the right $ey!! Bnglish!en were considered ery educated people. they are ery superficial. $ere co!es out the idea that the !ore people you 9now or the !ore friends you ha e, that is a ery good issue because it allows you to ha e !any connections with !any areas and social classes. HHEou0 e dyed your hair since then,0 re!ar9ed +ordan, and 8 started but the girls had !o ed casually on and her re!ar9 was addressed to the pre!ature !oon, produced li9e the supper, no doubt, out of a caterer0s bas9et. With +ordan0s slender golden ar! resting in !ine we descended the steps and

sauntered about the garden. " tray of coc9tails floated at us through the twilight and we sat down at a table with the two girls in yellow and three !en, each one introduced to us as Mr. Mu!ble.00 $ere again we ha e the ele!ent of superficiality: e en the !oon see!s artificial and too perfect to be real. 6he author wants to show the artificial of all things surrounded :atsby. $e wants to show to readers the artificiality of :atsby0s parties. 6he speculations about :atsby persist in this chapter too. $ere we ha e an e2a!ple again: H6here0s so!ething funny about a fellow that0ll do a thing li9e that,0 said the other girl eagerly. H$e doesn0t want any trouble with "nybody.0 HWho doesn0tK0 8 in4uired. H:atsby. So!ebody told !eJJH 6he two girls and +ordan leaned together confidentially. HSo!ebody told !e they thought he 9illed a !an once.0 " thrill passed o er all of us. 6he three Mr. Mu!bles bent forward and listened eagerly. H8 don0t thin9 it0s so !uch 6$"6,0 argued @ucille s9eptically; Hit0s !ore that he was a :er!an spy during the war.0 $ere we ha e superficiality again, and the fa9e past and beha ior of :atsby. $e pretends to be a ery educated person, and to ha e read !any i!portant authors and wor9s. About )hat9! *e )a"ed his hand to)ard the boo$-shel"es# About that# As a matter of fact you needn!t bother to ascertain# I ascertained# They!re real#! The boo$s9! *e nodded# Absolutely real0ha"e (ages and e"erything# I thought they!d be a nice durable cardboard# ,atter of fact& they!re absolutely real# Pages and0*ere: Lemme sho) you#! Ta$ing our s$e(ticism for granted& he rushed to the boo$cases and returned )ith Volume 3ne of the Stoddard Lectures#! See:! he cried trium(hantly# It!s a bona fide (iece of (rinted matter# It fooled me# This fella!s a regular Belasco# Dic9 finally !eets :atsby: here we ha e a ery positi e description of :atsby. 6he author !a9es us see :atsby in a positi e light. !/or a moment he loo$ed at me as if he failed to understand# I!m Gatsby&! he said suddenly# What:! I e5claimed# 3h& I beg your (ardon#! I thought you $ne)& old s(ort# I!m afraid I!m not a "ery good host#! *e smiled understandingly0much more than understandingly!!# /or a )hile I lost sight of 4ordan Ba$er& and then in midsummer I found her again# At first I )as flattered to go (laces )ith her because she )as a golf cham(ion and e"eryone $ne) her name# Then it )as something more# I )asn!t actually in lo"e& but I felt a sort of tender curiosity# The bored haughty face that she turned to the )orld concealed something0most affectations conceal something e"entually& e"en though they don!t in the beginning0and one day I found )hat it )as# When )e )ere on a house (arty together u( in War)ic$& she left a borro)ed car out in the rain )ith the to( do)n& and then lied about it0and suddenly I remembered the story about her that had eluded me that night at Daisy!s# At her first big golf tournament there )as a ro) that nearly reached the ne)s(a(ers0a suggestion that she had mo"ed her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round# The thing a((roached the (ro(ortions of a scandal0then died a)ay# 4ordan Ba$er instincti"ely a"oided cle"er shre)d men and no) I sa) that this )as because she felt safer on a (lane )here any di"ergence from a code )ould be thought im(ossible# She )as incurably dishonest# She )asn!t able to endure being at a disad"antage& and gi"en this un)illingness I su((ose she had begun dealing in subterfuges )hen she )as "ery young in order to $ee( that cool& insolent smile turned to the )orld and yet satisfy the demands of her hard 'aunty body#!! $ere we ha e a piece of criticis! and 'udg!ent of +ordan ?a9er, the girl which who! he has a date. She0s /aisy0s friend. $e reads so!e news about her cheating in her 6ourneau, and he belie es it is true because she lies hi! too. !Su((ose you met somebody 'ust as careless as yourself#! I ho(e I ne"er )ill&! she ans)ered# I hate careless (eo(le# That!s )hy I li$e you#! *er grey& sun-strained eyes stared straight ahead& but

she had deliberately shifted our relations& and for a moment I thought I lo"ed her# But I am slo)thin$ing and full of interior rules that act as bra$es on my desires& and I $ne) that first I had to get myself definitely out of that tangle bac$ home# $ere we learn about Dic90s character, he is a persona with !any rules. $e is not letting hi!self fall in lo e with her. $e is a ery rational person. !2"ery one sus(ects himself of at least one of the cardinal "irtues& and this is mine8 I am one of the fe) honest (eo(le that I ha"e e"er $no)n#!! $e considers hi!self as being the only honest person he has e er 9nown.

.hapter 1
:atsby is really interested in Dic9 because he is the cousin of /aisy. Well& I!m going to tell you something about my life&! he interru(ted# I don!t )ant you to get a )rong idea of me from all these stories you hear#! So he )as a)are of the bi%arre accusations that fla"ored con"ersation in his halls# I!ll tell you God!s truth#! *is right hand suddenly ordered di"ine retribution to stand by# I am the son of some )ealthy (eo(le in the middle-)est0all dead no)# I )as brought u( in America but educated at 35ford because all my ancestors ha"e been educated there for many years# It is a family tradition#! *e loo$ed at me side)ays0and I $ne) )hy 4ordan Ba$er had belie"ed he )as lying# *e hurried the (hrase educated at 35ford&! or s)allo)ed it or cho$ed on it as though it had bothered him before# And )ith this doubt his )hole statement fell to (ieces and I )ondered if there )asn!t something a little sinister about him after all# *is "oice )as solemn as if the memory of that sudden e5tinction of a clan still haunted him# /or a moment I sus(ected that he )as (ulling my leg but a glance at him con"inced me other)ise# After that I li"ed li$e a young ra'ah in all the ca(itals of 2uro(e0Paris& Venice& ;ome0collecting 'e)els& chiefly rubies& hunting big game& (ainting a little& things for myself only& and trying to forget something "ery sad that had ha((ened to me long ago#! $ere we ha e the belief of "!ericans that is you can beco!e a new person, lea e behind the corruption of Burope and your personality and assu!e a new personality: this idea is related to the "!erican drea!. :atsby is described as a ery sinister person, with !any dar9 sides because of his H0!ysterious past00. "t the beginning Dic9 doesn0t belie e hi!, but at the end he changes his !ind, and decides to belie e hi!. 6his is a childish ele!ent of this wor9, this innocence of belie ing all the infor!ation gi en by Dic9. :atsby is a ery childish character, and that !a9es hi! a positi e character. We ha e references of corruption when :atsby0s friend, the +ewish appears. $ere we ha e so!e infor!ation about /aisy0s past: !The largest of the banners and the largest of the la)ns belonged to Daisy /ay!s house# She )as 'ust eighteen& t)o years older than me& and by far the most (o(ular of all the young girls in Louis"ille# She dressed in )hite& and had a little )hite roadster and all day long the tele(hone rang in her house and e5cited young officers from .am( Taylor demanded the (ri"ilege of mono(oli%ing her that night& any)ays& for an hour:! 6his description if gi en by +ordan, and she describe /aisy as a superficial person. We get to 9now that :atsby and /aisy had a relationship, before :atsby went to war. :atsby still be in lo e with her, e en she !arried another !an. $e bought a house in front of her house, 'ust for being near to her. H:atsby bought that house so that /aisy would be 'ust across the bay.0

.hapter *

:atsby !eets /aisy again. :atsby is pretty an2ious because of seeing /aisy again. $e wants to i!press /aisy and win her bac9. $e ta9es her to his house and shows her his house. They!re such beautiful shirts&! she sobbed& her "oice muffled in the thic$ folds# It ma$es me sad because I!"e ne"er seen such0such beautiful shirts before#!! She is ery i!pressed by :atsby and she is !uch in lo e with hi!, as :atsby is. She see!s to be ery e!oti e. She is crying because all the e!otions she has accu!ulated through these years. She is ery i!!ature and we can percei e that through the whole story, !ainly at the end of the story. $ere we ha e the description of :atsby0s feeling for /aisy, described by Dic9. $e idealises her. $ere we ha e nostalgic feelings. $e falls in lo e with an ideal of /aisy, not with the real /aisy. $e atte!pts to bring bac9 the past, and he idealises the past. !As I )ent o"er to say goodbye I sa) that the e5(ression of be)ilderment had come bac$ into Gatsby!s face& as though a faint doubt had occurred to him as to the +uality of his (resent ha((iness# Almost fi"e years: There must ha"e been moments e"en that afternoon )hen Daisy tumbled short of his dreams0not through her o)n fault but because of the colossal "itality of his illusion# It had gone beyond her& beyond e"erything# *e had thro)n himself into it )ith a creati"e (assion& adding to it all the time& dec$ing it out )ith e"ery bright feather that drifted his )ay# No amount of fire or freshness can challenge )hat a man )ill store u( in his ghostly heart#!!

.hapter 2
8n this chapter we learn !ore about the real :atsby. 4ames Gat%0that )as really& or at least legally& his name# *e had changed it at the age of se"enteen and at the s(ecific moment that )itnessed the beginning of his career0)henhe sa) Dan .ody!s yacht dro( anchor o"er the most insidious flat on La$e Su(erior# It )as 4ames Gat% )ho had been loafing along the beach that afternoon in a torn green 'ersey and a (air of can"as (ants& but it )as already 4ay Gatsby )ho borro)ed a ro)-boat& (ulled out to the T<3L3,22 and informed .ody that a )ind might catch him and brea$ him u( in half an hour# DAN .ody is the one )ho !)or$s ! together )ith Gatsby# I su((ose he!d had the name ready for a long time& e"en then# *is (arents )ere shiftless and unsuccessful farm (eo(le0his imagination had ne"er really acce(ted them as his (arents at all# The truth )as that 4ay Gatsby& of West 2gg& Long Island& s(rang from his Platonic conce(tion of himself# *e )as a son of God0a (hrase )hich& if it means anything& means 'ust that0and he must be about *is /ather!s Business& the ser"ice of a "ast& "ulgar and meretricious beauty# So he in"ented 'ust the sort of 4ay Gatsby that a se"enteen-year-old boy )ould be li$ely to in"ent& and to this conce(tion he )as faithful to the end#!! :atsby has a platonic idea of hi!self: he doesn0t percei e reality he only percei es the drea! he wants to achie e. Part of this platonically drea! is !arrying so!ebody li9e /aisy. $ere we can obser e the tension between 6o! and :atsby. 6hey start attac9ing each other in a way. 8n the last big party /aisy doesn0t feel ery co!fortable and :atsby doesn0t understand why because he organizes all that for her: he thin9s that she doesn0t understand that all that is organized for her. !*e )anted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say8 I ne"er lo"ed you#! After she had obliterated three years )ith that sentence they could decide u(on the more (ractical measures to be ta$en# 3ne of them )as that& after she )as free& they )ere to go bac$ to Louis"ille and be married from her house0'ust as if it )ere fi"e years ago# And she doesn!t understand&! he said# She used to be able to understand# We!d sit for hours00 *e bro$e off and began to )al$ u( and do)n a desolate (ath of fruit rinds and discarded fa"ors and crushed flo)ers# I )ouldn!t as$ too much of her&! I "entured# 1ou can!t re(eat the (ast#! .an!t re(eat the (ast9! he cried incredulously# Why of course you can:! *e loo$ed around him )ildly& as if the (ast )ere lur$ing here in the shado)

of his house& 'ust out of reach of his hand# I!m going to fi5 e"erything 'ust the )ay it )as before&! he said& nodding determinedly# She!ll see#!! $ere we can see that :atsby wants to bring bac9 the past, to reli e the past again in the way he wants. $e has in ented a /aisy and that /aisy doesn0t e2ist at all. 6he real /aisy lo es hi!, but she is not such ideal as :atsby tries to belie e and !a9e her be.

.hapter 3
8n this chapter is the last big party. /aisy doesn0t see! to en'oy it and :atsby doesn0t understand that. !Ne5t day Gatsby called me on the (hone# Going a)ay9! I in+uired# No& old s(ort#! I hear you fired all your ser"ants#! I )anted somebody )ho )ouldn!t gossi(# Daisy comes o"er +uite often0in the afternoons#! So the )hole cara"ansary had fallen in li$e a card house at the disa((ro"al in her eyes#!! 6he whole theatre he planned has fallen down because /aisy disappro ed it. "fter that, they decide to go to the Dew Eor9 together. 6heir affair co!es out, and 6o! disco ers the true. 6o! senses it; his instincts tell hi! all the true. 6he at!osphere is ery tense, there is a ery hot day. !She had told him that she lo"ed him& and Tom Buchanan sa)# *e )as astounded# *is mouth o(ened a little and he loo$ed at Gatsby and then bac$ at Daisy as if he had 'ust recogni%ed her as someone he $ne) a long time ago#!! We ha e another reference to /aisy0s oice, her wonderful oice: here we ha e a co!!entary fro! :atsby HShe0s got an indiscreet oice, 8 re!ar9ed. H8t0s full ofI 8 hesitated. $er oice is full of !oney,0 he said suddenly. We ha e a !o!ent when the confrontation between 6o! and :atsby reaches its pic9. We ha e a ery tense situation. What $ind of a ro) are you trying to cause in my house anyho)9! They )ere out in the o(en at last and Gatsby )as content# *e isn!t causing a ro)#! Daisy loo$ed des(erately from one to the other# 1ou!re causing a ro)# Please ha"e a little self control# Self control:! re(eated Tom incredulously# I su((ose the latest thing is to sit bac$ and let ,r# Nobody from No)here ma$e lo"e to your )ife# Well& if that!s the idea you can count me out=# No)adays (eo(le begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and ne5t they!ll thro) e"erything o"erboard and ha"e intermarriage bet)een blac$ and )hite# /lushed )ith his im(assioned gibberish he sa) himself standing alone on the last barrier of ci"ili%ation# We!re all )hite here&! murmured 4ordan# I $no) I!m not "ery (o(ular# I don!t gi"e big (arties# I su((ose you!"e got to ma$e your house into a (igsty in order to ha"e any friends0in the modern )orld# Angry as I )as& as )e all )ere& I )as tem(ted to laugh )hene"er he o(ened his mouth# The transition from libertine to (rig )as so com(lete# I!"e got something to tell 13<& old s(ort& 00! began Gatsby# But Daisy guessed at his intention# Please don!t:! she interru(ted hel(lessly# Please let!s all go home# Why don!t )e all go home9 That!s a good idea#! I got u(# .ome on& Tom# Nobody )ants a drin$#! I )ant to $no) )hat ,r# Gatsby has to tell me# 1our )ife doesn!t lo"e you&! said Gatsby# She!s ne"er lo"ed you# She lo"es me# 1ou must be cra%y:! e5claimed Tom automatically# Gatsby s(rang to his feet& "i"id )ith e5citement# She ne"er lo"ed you& do you hear9! he cried# She only married you because I )as (oor and she )as tired of )aiting for me# It )as a terrible mista$e& but in her heart she ne"er lo"ed anyone e5ce(t me:!!

6o! 9nows the true. 6he Hdeath car0 as the newspapers called it, didn0t stop; it ca!e out of the gathering dar9ness, wa ered tragically for a !o!ent and then disappeared around the ne2t bend. Michaelis wasn0t e en sure of its colorJhe told the first police!an that it was light green. 6he other car, the one going toward Dew Eor9, ca!e to rest a hundred yards beyond, and its dri er hurried bac9 to where Myrtle Wilson, her life iolently e2tinguished, 9nelt in the road and !ingled her thic9, dar9 blood with the dust. 80d be da!ned if 80d go in; 80d had enough of all of the! for one day and suddenly that included +ordan too. She !ust ha e seen so!ething of this in !y e2pression for she turned abruptly away and ran up the porch steps into the house. 8 sat down for a few !inutes with !y head in !y hands, until 8 heard the phone ta9en up inside and the butler0s oice calling a ta2i. 6hen 8 wal9ed slowly down the dri e away fro! the house intending to wait by the gate. $ere we can get to 9now so!e infor!ation about Myrtle0s death. $ere we ha e Dic9 belief about 6o! and /aisy relationship: Dic9 feels that /aisy has chosen 6o! instated of :atsby because they are conspiring together they were ery close one to each other. !They )eren!t ha((y& and neither of them had touched the chic$en or the ale0and yet they )eren!t unha((y either# There )as an unmista$able air of natural intimacy about the (icture and anybody )ould ha"e said that they )ere cons(iring together#00 !She )as the first nice! girl he had e"er $no)n# In "arious unre"ealed ca(acities he had come in contact )ith such (eo(le but al)ays )ith indiscernible barbed )ire bet)een# *e found her e5citingly desirable# *e )ent to her house& at first )ith other officers from .am( Taylor& then alone# It ama%ed him0he had ne"er been in such a beautiful house before# But )hat ga"e it an air of breathless intensity )as that Daisy li"ed there0it )as as casual a thing to her as his tent out at cam( )as to him# There )as a ri(e mystery about it& a hint of bedrooms u(stairs more beautiful and cool than other bedrooms& of gay and radiant acti"ities ta$ing (lace through its corridors and of romances that )ere not musty and laid a)ay already in la"ender but fresh and breathing and redolent of this year!s shining motor cars and of dances )hose flo)ers )ere scarcely )ithered# It e5cited him too that many men had already lo"ed Daisy0it increased her!! $ere we ha e the e2planation of :atsby0s lo e for /aisy. $e was i!pressed by her. 6he final encounter between to! and :atsby happens at the end of this chapter. !They!re a rotten cro)d&! I shouted across the la)n# 1ou!re )orth the )hole damn bunch (ut together# I!"e al)ays been glad I said that# It )as the only com(liment I e"er ga"e him& because I disa((ro"ed of him from beginning to end# /irst he nodded (olitely& and then his face bro$e into that radiant and understanding smile& as if )e!d been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time#!! $e is a ro!antic hero because his incorrupt drea!. $e is a corrupted !an but because of his drea! and his lo e for /aisy he beco!es a hero in the reader0s eyes. B erybody guesses that he was corrupted but at the sa!e ti!e he has described his drea!, the drea! of real his H0ideal /aisy00 and that drea! !a9es hi! a ro!antic hero. 6o! disgusts :atsby. $e is an antihero who has been con erted into a hero because of his real lo e for /aisy. !We ha"e a $ind of 'ournalist account about the end of the no"el and the death of Gatsby8 There )as a faint& barely (erce(tible mo"ement of the )ater as the fresh flo) from one end urged its )ay to)ard the drain at the other# With little ri((les that )ere hardly the shado)s of )a"es& the laden mattress mo"ed irregularly do)n the (ool# A small gust of )ind that scarcely corrugated the surface )as enough to disturb its accidental course )ith its accidental burden# The touch of a cluster of lea"es

re"ol"ed it slo)ly& tracing& li$e the leg of com(ass& a thin red circle in the )ater# It )as after )e started )ith Gatsby to)ard the house that the gardener sa) Wilson!s body a little )ay off in the grass& and the holocaust )as com(lete#!!

The last chapter

8n this chapter Dic9 see!s to be the only friend :atsby has. "t his funeral nobody attends, 'ust Dic9 and his father. "ll people who attended his parties don0t attend his funeral. Dic9 is ery disgusted about the whole thing: this is a criticis! to whole society. We can percei e their i!!aturity. 6he story ends with the co!!ent of Dic9 about /aisy and :atsby: Dic9 pro ides 'udg!ents on 6o! and /aisy: they don0t care about people. :atsby do care about /aisy: we ha e again the idea of the ro!antic hero. !I couldn!t forgi"e him or li$e him but I sa) that )hat he had done )as& to him& entirely 'ustified# It )as all "ery careless and confused# They )ere careless (eo(le& Tom and Daisy0they smashed u( things and creatures and then retreated bac$ into their money or their "ast carelessness or )hate"er it )as that $e(t them together& and let other (eo(le clean u( the mess they had made=#!!

!,ost of the big shore (laces )ere closed no) and there )ere hardly any lights e5ce(t the shado)y& mo"ing glo) of a ferryboat across the Sound# And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt a)ay until gradually I became a)are of the old island here that flo)ered once for Dutch sailors! eyes0a fresh& green breast of the ne) )orld# Its "anished trees& the trees that had made )ay for Gatsby!s house& had once (andered in )his(ers to the last and greatest of all human dreams7 for a transitory enchanted moment man must ha"e held his breath in the (resence of this continent& com(elled into an aesthetic contem(lation he neither understood nor desired& face to face for the last time in history )ith something commensurate to his ca(acity for )onder# And as I sat there brooding on the old& un$no)n )orld& I thought of Gatsby!s )onder )hen he first (ic$ed out the green light at the end of Daisy!s doc$# *e had come a long )ay to this blue la)n and his dream must ha"e seemed so close that he could hardly fail to gras( it# *e did not $no) that it )as already behind him& some)here bac$ in that "ast obscurity beyond the city& )here the dar$ fields of the re(ublic rolled on under the night# Gatsby belie"ed in the green light& the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us# It eluded us then& but that!s no matter0tomorro) )e )ill run faster& stretch out our arms farther=#And one fine morning# So )e beat on& boats against the current& borne bac$ ceaselessly into the (ast#!! 8n this last chapter Dic9 is co!paring :atsby drea!, by loo9ing /aisy green light with the new "!ericans, the first ones that reach "!erica; their drea! of creating a new world and a new e2perience. :atsby0s drea! of creating a new life is co!paring with the first "!ericanHs drea! of creating a new world. $e wants to ha e a new life, a new na!e, a new social class as the first "!ericans wanted.