"Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction — Gatsby, who represented everything for
which I have an unaffected scorn ( nick says he doesn't judge but you should judge Gatsby because he's the most immoral character but he
does because instead of complaining about everything that he has Gatsby is actually getting everything that he didn't have as a child so he
could get the one thing/person he actually wants and that's what nicked admired most).If personality is an unbroken series of
successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life( refers to the
promise of hope and implies Gatsby as part of that ideal), as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten
thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of
the “creative temperament.”— it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other
person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No — Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby( he is poor
becoming rich so he is changing social class which is "wrong" so he is brought down by the higher class which is like being smacked to
the earth by the gods), what foul dust( for or mist that stops him from clearly seeing the green light in the dock which is like daisy marriage
with Tom and Gatsby insecure money) floated in the wake of his dreams( to reach is emerald city at daisy dock) that temporarily closed out my
interest in the abortive sorrows and short‐winded elations of men."
Literary elements:
- Gatsby was staring and stretching his arms out to the green light at the end of Daisy's dock.
Fitzgerald opens his novel by introducing Nick Carraway, the story's narrator. Nick has, by his own admission, come "back from the East last autumn," bittered by his experiences there. The reader knows immediately that the story has already taken place and that Nick is telling it to us through the filter of time. He is distanced from the events at hand and is recounting them by way of memory. It is imperative that readers trust him, then, because time can distort memories, and the reception to the story hinges largely on his impartiality and good judgment.
As a means of establishing faith in the narrator, Fitzgerald carefully develops Nick and positions him both within and without the dramatic situation, creating a dynamic and powerful effect. From the very beginning, even before learning about Gatsby, "the man who gives his name to this book," Fitzgerald gives details about Nick. In his "younger and more vulnerable years" (suggesting he is older and wiser now), his father gave him advice that he has carried with him ever since: "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one . . . just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." The implications are strong: Nick comes from at least a middle class family that values a sense of moral justice. In this was, the reader is encouraged to trust Nick and to believe in his impartiality and good judgment; a biased narrator will make the narrative reactionary, not honest, so stressing his good judgment is crucial.Nick's reservation of judgment about people is carefully calculated ("snobbish," as he even says) and even Nick, the rational narrator, can be pushed too far. His tolerance has a limit, and it is the challenge to this limit that forms the basis of the book at hand.
Vocabulary:
- creative temperament- a person's ability to adapt and change persona to suit the situation
Questions:
- Why did Nick say Gatsby turned out okay if things were preying upon him and he had foul dust floated in the wake of his dream?
- Why does Nick claim he reserves judgement but still judges people silently?
- Why does Gatsby represent everything for which Nick has an unaffected scorn?
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Great Gatsby." , by F. Scott Fitzgerald: chapter1.web.10 nov. 2014.
"The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Summary and Analysis Chapter 1." The Great Gatsby: Summary & Analysis Chapter 1. Web. 11 Nov. 2014
.
which I have an unaffected scorn ( nick says he doesn't judge but you should judge Gatsby because he's the most immoral character but he
does because instead of complaining about everything that he has Gatsby is actually getting everything that he didn't have as a child so he
could get the one thing/person he actually wants and that's what nicked admired most).If personality is an unbroken series of
successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life( refers to the
promise of hope and implies Gatsby as part of that ideal), as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten
thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of
the “creative temperament.”— it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other
person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No — Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby( he is poor
becoming rich so he is changing social class which is "wrong" so he is brought down by the higher class which is like being smacked to
the earth by the gods), what foul dust( for or mist that stops him from clearly seeing the green light in the dock which is like daisy marriage
with Tom and Gatsby insecure money) floated in the wake of his dreams( to reach is emerald city at daisy dock) that temporarily closed out my
interest in the abortive sorrows and short‐winded elations of men."
Literary elements:
- Gatsby was staring and stretching his arms out to the green light at the end of Daisy's dock.
- This foreshadows Gatsby's later meeting with Daisy.
- A mind is given the human abilities to detect and attach itself to something.
Fitzgerald opens his novel by introducing Nick Carraway, the story's narrator. Nick has, by his own admission, come "back from the East last autumn," bittered by his experiences there. The reader knows immediately that the story has already taken place and that Nick is telling it to us through the filter of time. He is distanced from the events at hand and is recounting them by way of memory. It is imperative that readers trust him, then, because time can distort memories, and the reception to the story hinges largely on his impartiality and good judgment.
As a means of establishing faith in the narrator, Fitzgerald carefully develops Nick and positions him both within and without the dramatic situation, creating a dynamic and powerful effect. From the very beginning, even before learning about Gatsby, "the man who gives his name to this book," Fitzgerald gives details about Nick. In his "younger and more vulnerable years" (suggesting he is older and wiser now), his father gave him advice that he has carried with him ever since: "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one . . . just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." The implications are strong: Nick comes from at least a middle class family that values a sense of moral justice. In this was, the reader is encouraged to trust Nick and to believe in his impartiality and good judgment; a biased narrator will make the narrative reactionary, not honest, so stressing his good judgment is crucial.Nick's reservation of judgment about people is carefully calculated ("snobbish," as he even says) and even Nick, the rational narrator, can be pushed too far. His tolerance has a limit, and it is the challenge to this limit that forms the basis of the book at hand.
Vocabulary:
- creative temperament- a person's ability to adapt and change persona to suit the situation
Questions:
- Why did Nick say Gatsby turned out okay if things were preying upon him and he had foul dust floated in the wake of his dream?
- Why does Nick claim he reserves judgement but still judges people silently?
- Why does Gatsby represent everything for which Nick has an unaffected scorn?
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Great Gatsby." , by F. Scott Fitzgerald: chapter1.web.10 nov. 2014.
"The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Summary and Analysis Chapter 1." The Great Gatsby: Summary & Analysis Chapter 1. Web. 11 Nov. 2014
.