"Unhappy man! Do you share my madness? Have you drunk also of the intoxicating draught? Hear me,- let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your lips!" pg. 12--parallelism to vicc
I thought this sudden utterance from Victor spoke volumes about the parallelism that is very much illustrated in victor and Walton. They both have sisters that they are very close too...some closer than others. Well, okay Victor's "sister" isn't really his sister they are more like lovers and Elizabeth is adopted. ALso I found this quote especially fitting because of the fact that Victor can clearly see the trait of obsessiveness that has taken root in Walton. The fact that Victor can so easily see this and wants to save him from it speaks volumes of their parallel lives. I do not think it is of any coincidence that Mary shelley first introduced a character so likened to Victor Frankenstein who's last name is the title of this book.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The ending
"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but thats not matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... and one fine morning- So we beat on, boats agains the current, borne back ceaselessly in to the past." pg. 121
At first this conclusion in which the boats are a metaphor for humans being stuck in the part confused me. I did not understand the relevance of the boats and the currents. This is until I saw that the broader message of the book is that Gatsby's behavior is the epitome of human behavior. We learn from mistakes, yes, but we seem to get stuck in what has happened to us. We may see ourselves as moving forward in the future but we may just really be moving backward. It is sad way to end the book but it is also uplifting to know that life goes on. Yes a tragedy occurred but we learn and just try our best against the current which pushes against us everyday. The current of our mistakes of the past that haunt and beat us everyday. Luckily somedays the wind is to our backs and so our sails are able to catch wind and ride off into the sunset. If only that were true everyday of one's life!!!!
At first this conclusion in which the boats are a metaphor for humans being stuck in the part confused me. I did not understand the relevance of the boats and the currents. This is until I saw that the broader message of the book is that Gatsby's behavior is the epitome of human behavior. We learn from mistakes, yes, but we seem to get stuck in what has happened to us. We may see ourselves as moving forward in the future but we may just really be moving backward. It is sad way to end the book but it is also uplifting to know that life goes on. Yes a tragedy occurred but we learn and just try our best against the current which pushes against us everyday. The current of our mistakes of the past that haunt and beat us everyday. Luckily somedays the wind is to our backs and so our sails are able to catch wind and ride off into the sunset. If only that were true everyday of one's life!!!!
The saddest funeral
"'I couldn't get to the house,' he remarked.
'Neither could anybody else.'
'Go on!' He started. 'Why, my God! They used to go there by the hundreds.'" pg. 117
I found this particularly depressing. The only other mourner that comes is the man usually found drunk in the library at Gatsby's parties. It is a sad thing to see that there is only three people in the attendance of your funeral. Does that mean that Gatsby was not a good man or that the people he surrounded himself were people who were selfish and cared not for him? I feel as though it reflects the personality of the society in which Daisy and Tom are apart of. They are of money and therefore have no other cares or comprehensions of the struggles others go through so cannot not really empathize with people. Nor do they look beyond their own, immediate needs. These needs being to have a pleasurably and comfortable life. Gatsby fulfilled this need for the people he invited to his parties so he could gain an in into the beautiful world of the rich. The world in which Daisy is apart of and in the end it did not give him much good because the people that seemed useful never cared for him in the end.
'Neither could anybody else.'
'Go on!' He started. 'Why, my God! They used to go there by the hundreds.'" pg. 117
I found this particularly depressing. The only other mourner that comes is the man usually found drunk in the library at Gatsby's parties. It is a sad thing to see that there is only three people in the attendance of your funeral. Does that mean that Gatsby was not a good man or that the people he surrounded himself were people who were selfish and cared not for him? I feel as though it reflects the personality of the society in which Daisy and Tom are apart of. They are of money and therefore have no other cares or comprehensions of the struggles others go through so cannot not really empathize with people. Nor do they look beyond their own, immediate needs. These needs being to have a pleasurably and comfortable life. Gatsby fulfilled this need for the people he invited to his parties so he could gain an in into the beautiful world of the rich. The world in which Daisy is apart of and in the end it did not give him much good because the people that seemed useful never cared for him in the end.
metaphors for the beautiful Daisy
"She had caught a cold, and it made her voice huskier and more charming than ever, and Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and reserves of the freshness of many clothes, and of daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud about the hot struggles of the poor." pg 100
It seems that Gatsby fell in love with Daisy because of the way she lived and how she was untouched by all things ugly.. aka poverty. This metaphor about Daisy gleaming like silver exemplifies how Gatsby sees Daisy, as someone pure. This is funny because she has really gone through a lot in her life so one would think she is wizened by her experiences. Yet at the end of the story and throughout I feel as though she is a teenager. She is in a fantasy world. How is she so untouched that she still seems naive and not in anyway tarnished by hardship. She faces a husband who is unfaithful and had a baby. Although this child is mentioned and describe twice throughout the course of the story. It seems that her money is what saved Daisy from all things that could make her life in anyway uncomfortable to painful.
It seems that Gatsby fell in love with Daisy because of the way she lived and how she was untouched by all things ugly.. aka poverty. This metaphor about Daisy gleaming like silver exemplifies how Gatsby sees Daisy, as someone pure. This is funny because she has really gone through a lot in her life so one would think she is wizened by her experiences. Yet at the end of the story and throughout I feel as though she is a teenager. She is in a fantasy world. How is she so untouched that she still seems naive and not in anyway tarnished by hardship. She faces a husband who is unfaithful and had a baby. Although this child is mentioned and describe twice throughout the course of the story. It seems that her money is what saved Daisy from all things that could make her life in anyway uncomfortable to painful.
Internal conflicts and discoveries for the menfolk
"He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock made him physically sick. i stared at him and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before- and it occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well." pg. 82
What a shocker men finding out that their women have lives of their own and are not always consumed by their men! It seems that even though this internal conflict is really just about the realization that their women are not always so accessible and stable really shakes the men. Tom does not get physically sick like Wilson but he is upset that is perfect little world is about to shatter. Shatter because of Gatsby and because Myrtle is so unhappy with her husband she wishes to leave. ALso i found this conflict kind of nice especially for Tom. I disliked him from the beginning when he had a phone call with his mistress in the middle of a lunch where his wife was present and where it was obvious who he was talking to. It almost felt like a little wake up call for Tom that he is not so perfect that his perfect little wife will just stay with him and be totally in love with him. Although I wished throughout the whole book that Gatsby and Daisy end up together!
What a shocker men finding out that their women have lives of their own and are not always consumed by their men! It seems that even though this internal conflict is really just about the realization that their women are not always so accessible and stable really shakes the men. Tom does not get physically sick like Wilson but he is upset that is perfect little world is about to shatter. Shatter because of Gatsby and because Myrtle is so unhappy with her husband she wishes to leave. ALso i found this conflict kind of nice especially for Tom. I disliked him from the beginning when he had a phone call with his mistress in the middle of a lunch where his wife was present and where it was obvious who he was talking to. It almost felt like a little wake up call for Tom that he is not so perfect that his perfect little wife will just stay with him and be totally in love with him. Although I wished throughout the whole book that Gatsby and Daisy end up together!
paradoxing it up!!
"For awhile these reveries provided an outlet for hi imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy's wing." pg 65
Whatt Fairys in Gatsby?? This flowery language is kind of my thing! Anyways, I really liked this paradox because it helped clarify to me the need for Gatsby to be this person that he obviously works so hard to keep up for Daisy. That person is a rich, sophisticated working man with a pretty fly pink suit. When Fitzgerald begins to really delve into the mind of Gatsby the reader learns of his belief that everything will work out in his favor because it must, because he worked so hard to obtain his goal. His goal being Daisy and the unreality that he sees in what is really happening or the reality is that he will steal Daisy away from Tom. He will steal her away because they have always loved each other. But I seem to have seen from the beggining that Daisy is incapable of deep love or if she is will never risk going for it because she loves her money and everything that she already knows. She will not step outside her little box.
Whatt Fairys in Gatsby?? This flowery language is kind of my thing! Anyways, I really liked this paradox because it helped clarify to me the need for Gatsby to be this person that he obviously works so hard to keep up for Daisy. That person is a rich, sophisticated working man with a pretty fly pink suit. When Fitzgerald begins to really delve into the mind of Gatsby the reader learns of his belief that everything will work out in his favor because it must, because he worked so hard to obtain his goal. His goal being Daisy and the unreality that he sees in what is really happening or the reality is that he will steal Daisy away from Tom. He will steal her away because they have always loved each other. But I seem to have seen from the beggining that Daisy is incapable of deep love or if she is will never risk going for it because she loves her money and everything that she already knows. She will not step outside her little box.
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