gatsby

'oh you want too much...i love you now- isnt that enough? i cant help whats in the past.

At this point, Gatsby is desperate to hold on to his chance to be with Daisy, so he feels the need to take an extreme measure. He wants certain confirmation of where he stands with Daisy. And, importantly, Gatsby also wants to be able to erase the possibility that she ever loved anyone but him, which stems from Gatsby's desire to go back in time and relive the past. Daisy loved Gatsby first, but circumstances prevented her from following that dream. In time, she acquiesced to societal expectations and accepted Tom as her husband. She has a past with Gatsby; he was her first passionate brush with love. Even so, she has a life with Tom: a life filled with leisure, acceptance and the love of a darling daughter. She has everything she ever wanted - except for her long-lost love. Comes now Gatsby, back from the past, to rekindle the forbidden flame. It awakens with Daisy a delicious, swirling intoxicant she had not relished since their parting, and she is torn between the life she leads and the renewed passion she craves.

'certainly not for a common swindler who'd have to steal the ring he put on her finger!' C7

By referring to Daisy as just something you put a ring on, Tom implies that she is just another possession that he owns and can control. He refuses to let her have any say in the matter, which gives his view on women, in that the men decide what they should do, while they just sit there and be "fools". Also when referring to the ring, he implies that because he spent so much money on her with the ring and the pearls ($350,000), she should be happy and that money can buy you happiness. He acheives his goals in life and obtains the American Dream through buying his way through life. ironic- Although Tom is married to Daisy, he hardly shows any love or affection for her until there is a chance that she may be stolen from him. Even with a child, Tom is still having an affair, which is a relationship that he puts more effort into. Tom does not truly love Daisy, he is bored of their relationship, but as soon as someone comes by to steal his toy, he immediately begins to care for it, just because it is his and he cannot stand to lose. This also relates to his superiority complex, that he is greater than everyone else and things deserve to be his.

'her voice is full of money' C7

Daisy's voice is like the American Dream which lures and beckons males to achieve it at any cost. By saying Daisy's voice is full of money is ironic in two ways. First, Fitzgerald is suggesting that Daisy's language is that of the rich in America: Daisy speaks for rich women (housewives). The irony, of course, is that she doesn't say much. She is full of gossip, pettiness, and frivolity. She calls herself and her daughter, all women in fact, "hopeless little fools." Secondly, Daisy's voice attracts money. She has two men competing over her, and she bounces from party to party in mansions in East Egg, West Egg, New York City. So, Fitzgerald is suggesting that women are not prized for their voices at all; rather, they are status symbols like cars, shown off by men to show other men that they've achieved wealth in America. money and indiscretion are both present in her voice and are therefore linked. Her indiscretion is a factor of her money. Nick himself is thought to be careful by Jordan, so it is not something he is likely to approve of. By the end Daisy and Tom and by extension rich people like them are seen by Nick as not just indiscreet but irresponsible, their wealth literally allowing them to get away with murder, to escape any responsibility for Gatsby's death. Nick comments 'They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness'. Here money and carelessness are synonymous and Nick is sickened by the sort of behaviour that wealth allows; Daisy and her voice was an earlier image of this.

Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor. C8

First, silver is a precious metal. It is not as expensive as gold, but it is not exactly cheap and it is a luxury item. The use of this metal in regard to the simile lets us know that Daisy is rich. Of course, we already knew that. The more interesting part is the bit about being safe and above the struggles of the poor. This shows that Daisy's money is able to solve a lot of problems for her...it keeps her safe from many of the difficulties of survival that most people have to go through. Because she is "silver" and not some other base metal she also has the ability to remain proud above the unwashed "masses" of poor people. Most people in poverty have no chance of buying things made out of silver. Daisy stands apart from the crowds (or separates herself from it.)

golden girl

Fitzgerald introduces Daisy Buchanan as the "golden girl" in the novel. She is magnetic and alluring to the men around her—her beauty truly reinforces her status and reputation of wealth (Fitzgerald). Her name, "Daisy", compares her to that of a flower with "a gold center and white petals", thus portraying her radiant beauty and presenting her as the "princess dressed in white" (Weshoven). The symbolic meaning behind her name shows that she is valued for her beauty. To further enhance the physical appearance of Daisy, Fitzgerald associates her with "the color white, which is the color she always wears" in order to imply that she is someone "insubstantial" and "ethereal."

'compressed heat into sound' 'portentous chords of mendelssohn's wedding march'

Fitzgerald's reference to Mendelssohn's wedding march is a deliberate form of both dramatic and situational irony at this particular point in the novel. Dramatic irony occurs when the reader is aware of something that a character or characters do not know. At this juncture, the reader is mindful of the fact that Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan are having an affair. Tom, Daisy's husband, is suspicious but has no definite proof. Situational irony lies in the fact that the circumstances, conditions, and actions of the characters indicate the opposite of what one expects. In this situation, the reader also knows that some confrontation is about to occur, since Nick alludes to it at the beginning of the chapter. A confrontation is the last thing one would expect at a wedding. The situational irony also lies in the fact that weddings typically indicate the beginning of something good for the couple involved. They have made a commitment to each other, but Daisy and Tom, although married, have strayed from their vows. Tom has had all sorts of affairs, and now Daisy is also committing adultery, which is not good at all. Fitzgerald could have used a reference to Richard Wagner's similarly famous "Here Comes the Bride," but he decided to use Mendelssohn's composition because not only is it used for weddings, but it is also sometimes played as the recessional in church services. The recessional is usually the hymn that ends the service. On another level, therefore, the composition ironically signifies not only the beginning of a new association (for the couple downstairs) but also the end of another. It signifies the end of Gatsby's dream on this occasion.

'she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete' C6

From the moment Gatsby kisses Daisy, the permanent binding took place for Gatsby, and "the incarnation was complete." Gatsby's whole life changes and whatever he is pursuing after, whether it is purely Daisy herself, or Daisy's wealth and high social status, Gatsby is more than determined to acquire it, as the whole novel is about his desperate pursuit to get it back.

'i dont think he had ever really believed in its exsistence before' C7

Gatsby and Daisy have been so wrapped up in their own relationship and their own happiness they have not even taken the child into consideration. his provides more evidence that Gatsby has constructed a fantasy world for himself and Daisy that has shut out the reality of how situations change as time passes. He wishes to turn the clock back to five years ago and believes he can do so. He wants, through a sheer act of will, to step into a prior existence and start over. As the hot afternoon unfolds, however, he will be presented with obstacles to his goal. Pammy is simply the first. Daisy seems to have gone out of her way to make sure Pammy is presented to Gatsby and to demonstrate that she loves the child. Daisy explains to her daughter, "your mother wanted to show you off." Daisy also says "come to your own mother that loves you," calls Pammy "blessed precious" twice and calls her "you dream, you. You absolute little dream." Calling Pammy "blessed precious" twice, while cloying, communicates Daisy's love of the child. Calling her a "dream" twice is especially telling, showing that there is more than one dream to consider: Gatsby might have his dream, but Daisy also has hers, and that includes her child.

'the invisible cloak of his uniform might slip from his shoulders' C8

Gatsby is aware that his army uniform is the only thing that gives him, a 'penniless young man', access to the beautiful daughter of a wealthy family. He evidently has not outgrown this insecurity: he thinks now that his fabulous wealth is the only thing that might lure Daisy back, when in fact it pushes her further away. Like many soldiers throughout history, Gatsby uses his imminent deployment overseas as a way of persuading his reluctant lover to accept his advances. That he 'took' her 'ravenously and unscrupulously' suggests a frenzied assignation devoid of romance. The tragic irony is that while Gatsby is now ready to be a scrupulous (moral) lover for Daisy, he lives so unscrupulously that Daisy cannot love him.

'the sun shone again' 'he literally glowed' 'well-being radiated' 'there were twinkle bells of sunshine in the room, he smiled like a weather man, like an ecstastic patron of recurrent light' C5

Gatsby repeats to Daisy that it has stopped raining; it is as if he is reporting and declaring that the sun is shining (it has stopped raining) and metaphorically that the general atmosphere of the room and the situation are glowing with light, happiness, and relief. As a weather man brings the good news of pleasant weather, Gatsby delivers the good news of he and Daisy's reunion by repeating that it has stopped raining. The sun is literally shining outside and for Gatsby, emotionally/metaphorically speaking, his whole being is shining because he's finally with Daisy again.

'he was running down like an overwound clock' C5

Gatsby was embarrassed of his deeply rooted love for Daisy, but he was also overjoyed and filled with wonder. He had wanted this for so long and he couldn't help but think about the time he lost, which leads to the next piece of significance. Mr.Gatsby was compared to an overwound clock, which refers to time. Gatsby strongly refused to accept the time that had passed. He was desperate to reverse the past events in order to keep his relationship with Daisy to be as good as it was five years ago. This displays imagery because the clock directly correlates with the idea of passing time.

"I'm going to drain the pool today, Mr. Gatsby. Leaves'll start falling pretty soon, and then there's always trouble with the pipes." "Don't do it to-day." Gatsby answered. He turned to me apologetically. "You know, old sport, I've never used that pool all summer?" C8

Gatsby's pool represents all of his dreams. He wanted to use the pool one last time before it gets drain, so leaves would not get into the pipes. That represents he still has the desire for luxury and still had the dream of achieving it. The drainage of the pool represents Gatsby's entire dream of luxury diminishing. When Gatsby says he had not used the pool all summer, it means he never realized his dream. When he gets murdered in the pool, it represents that he was trapped because of his dreams.

'they're such beautiful shirts' 'it makes me sad because ive never seen such-such beautiful shirts before' C5

Gatsby's shirts symbolically represent his superficial nature and emphasis on appearance. Both Gatsby and Daisy value external appearances over substance and character throughout the novel. Gatsby's arrogant display of wealth and Daisy's overreaction to the expensive shirts reveal their true character and emphasis on material wealth. Similar to Jay Gatsby, the clothes represent his attractive exterior, which covers a corrupted, troubled soul. Like Gatsby's extravagant lifestyle, the shirts are simply for show and worn to impress others. Unfortunately, Gatsby's focus on material wealth will never equate to a meaningful relationship or true happiness. Like Gatsby's expensive shirts, which will deteriorate in time, his superficial relationship with Daisy will eventually end.

'it had gone beyond her, beyond everything.' C5

Gatsby's transformation from poor farm boy to rich socialite is dramatic. He has spent all of his time, since the war, making himself a new persona. His illusions are colossal because they are only loosely based in reality and therefore are more fantastic than reality can be. Gatsby's vision of Daisy, over those post-war years, had continued to increase into an impossible ideal. Although he seemed happy when he was reunited with her, he had a slight bit of doubt. Not to mention, she was still married and she could not possibly live up to that princess on a pedestal that Gatsby had created in his mind. This is not an indictment of making yourself better or wanting to follow a dream. It is an indictment about idealization, particularly when it comes to human relationships. It is also an indictment of the American dream which, like Gatsby's own illusion, is potentially a myth, something that is a lofty idea, but not possible in the real world. Note that Gatsby sustained this idea of he and Daisy being together. She moved on with her life and got married. Gatsby is a tragic figure. His greatness, that is to say he is The Great Gatsby because he created a new persona and with it, a complete, yet only potential world, (in which he and Daisy are together) which unfortunately for him could not manifest in reality. Even when they are briefly together, the reality can't match his dream. It is "colossal" in the lengths he went to in order to win Daisy back. This took years of his life designed around this one goal and he was willing to engage in criminal acts to achieve that goal. Going to any means to achieve what might be (and was) an impossible end is a colossal undertaking.

'you may fool me, but you cant fool god!' 'god sees everything' C8

George Wilson becomes a figure of retribution, charged with the belief that God is driving him toward the truth and toward a justified act of revenge. Though Tom rightfully should take some of the responsibility and some of the blame, he is able to deflect Wilson when he comes knocking. Daisy is the one who kills Myrtle and Tom protects Daisy (and himself) by directing Wilson to Gatsby's house. It is Jay Gatsby, ultimately, who pays for Myrtle's death. George Wilson's confusion about the billboard creates a question, implicit but natural, as to whether or not Gatsby really did have something to pay for, some moral failings for which he should take responsibility. As a fraud, a bootlegger, and a man attempting to steal the wife of another man while demeaning the woman he loves, defending Gatsby's moral position is rather difficult. Wilson, of course, knows nothing of Gatsby's flaws or moral failings. Wilson is driven by the eyes he mistakes for the eyes of God, enacting retribution on Gatsby that is either deserved or not, but which is certainly misdirected. Either way, the eyes of Dr. Eckleberg become symbolic of the concept of moral judgement. There are no spiritual values in a place where money reigns: the traditional ideas of God and Religion are dead here, and the American dream is direly corrupted. Despite the notion shared by the rich set that nothing they do has moral consequences, Wilson's mistake and his act (murdering Gatsby) proves the contrary. Even though no one is really watching, actions have consequences. The lives of all the characters change after Myrtle's death, further proving this point.

mr nobody from nowhere' C7

Given the rootless drifting that seems to characterise the lifestyle of the Buchanans and their class, this criticism might seem misguided. But Tom is really asserting that America belongs to him and to his kind, and that this upstart who has bypassed the orthodox channels to social respectability has no claim to recognition. Utopia, the term for an ideal society, is derived from ancient Greek words meaning 'nowhere'. Gatsby is, in a sense, a utopian figure, materially successful yet, as Nick portrays him, also an ideal figure, not simply defined by his possessions but transcending them in his singular capacity for hope.

Instead of taking the short cut along the Sound we went down the road and entered by the big postern. With enchanting murmurs Daisy admired this aspect or that of the feudal silhouette against the sky, admired the gardens, the sparkling odor of jonquils and the frothy odor of hawthorn and plum blossoms and the pale gold odor of kiss-me-at-the-gate. It was strange to reach the marble steps and find no stir of bright dresses in and out the door, and hear no sound but bird voices in the trees

Here we see Gatsby's plan take a confident leap of the diving board of his wildest dreams. For years he has waited for the chance to showcase his living fantasy to Daisy, a living fantasy of his as well. With Nick, as with other party goers, Gatsby invariably allows his neighbor to cross onto his estate by way of their neighboring lawns. It gets the job done quicker and with ease. He has no reason to show off (much) to Nick, so why should he make the trip any other way? With Daisy, however, it is almost, no it is, a rehearsed visit. Gatsby knows exactly what he wants her to see and how. He will first set up a serendipitous meeting for the two, followed immediately by a charming walk down the road that will lead her to the picturesque view of his mansion. The sun will shine heavenly light on the windows, the flowers will hang over the open gate in a manner just so, and the birds will tweet and chirp Beethoven's Ode to Joy. It is all planned out. Gatsby knows exactly what he wants Daisy to feel and he also knows he cannot accomplish this with the usual festivities. And, apparently, this did not escape Nick's eye.

'So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight' C7

His sense of his own mortality, an irreversible movement towards his own death, is captured in an ambivalent sentence that also foreshadows the discovery of Myrtle Wilson's body:

"They were still under the white plum tree and their faces were touching except for a pale, thin ray of moonlight between"

In eastern cultures, plums are representative of the "vitality of life" and "endurance through hardship" (Jiang). Thus, the color white that describes the plum tree represents the wholeness of their relationship ("The"). In combination, this imagery depicts the completion Gatsby temporarily feels as he finally fulfills his dream of reuniting with Daisy. This emphasizes his true identity as a dreamer and a hopeless romantic as he believed in the love he had for Daisy till the very end. He never lost hope even after realizing that she at one point did love Tom and had a conceived a child with him. His characterization was beautifully tragic as his optimism and undying faith of the dream eventually lead to his untimely death.​

"He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God." C6

In other words, when Gatsby kisses Daisy, all of his dreams of their reunion will finally come true. This is momentous: remember that Gatsby has spent most of his adult life pursuing Daisy. He has become rich, powerful, and successful only because he wants to be with her again. So, for Gatsby, these "unutterable visions" are the dreams he has long held of winning her back. Once he kisses her, these dreams will become a reality, wed to her "perishable breath," which means that they will become real and tangible. They will take on a physical form, just like a person's breath. In the next line, there is a comparison between God and Gatsby himself. Arguably, Gatsby is just like God because he is the creator of his destiny. He has created wealth and power, just like a god, for the purposes of being with Daisy. Once he kisses her, however, he will no longer have to invent new methods of winning her back because he will have achieved this goal. So, his mind will never "romp" again because it won't have to. Daisy will be his, just as he has always dreamed. Kissing Daisy, therefore, means Gatsby must give up his elaborate visions to win this girl back. In one sense, he must give up his very being; he must give up being Jay Gatsby.

a new world material without being real where poor ghosts breathing dreams like air drifted fortuitously about.. like that ashen fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees'

In this new world, "poor ghosts" just as the dead Gatsby, survive only on passing dreams. Without Daisy, the only reason for living, Gatsby's life - his mansion, his parties, his cars, his friends, and his books are just materials with no substance. His possessions, all there for the sole purpose of luring Daisy, are now just "material without being real."

every word she was drawing further and furhter into herself 'dead dream' 'please tom! i cant stand this anymore' C7

It is a pivotal moment in the text in which it becomes clear that Daisy could never be with Gatsby

"His bedroom was the simplest room of all - except where the dresser was garnished with a toilet set of pure dull gold"

It is said that Gatsby's bedroom is the simplest of all rooms in his house. This room represents his true image. Nobody sees this room, therefore he does not feel the need to hide anything or put on a front of any kind. It is completely genuine and shows who he truly is.

the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairys wing' C6

Jay Gatsby is a true romantic who believes that dreams and high ideals are essential elements that lead to success. His dreams signify the hope that he has to achieve his greatest aspiration: to once again be with his true love, Daisy Buchanan. The metaphor is an apt description of the depth of Gatsby's dream. To him, the dream and reality are the same thing. The reference to a 'rock' indicates stability and strength - a solid foundation on which something can be built. To Jay, his dream is the foundation from which he can pursue and achieve his ideal. What makes the prospect more tantalizing is the fact that 'the rock of the world' is founded on a fantasy, 'a fairy's wing'. This is the nature of the true romantic - the dream becomes greater than reality and this provides the conviction that the dream is reality and not idle fancy - the lines are blurred. To a romantic such as Gatsby, there is no paradox. In this sense then, Gatsby's dreams become a 'satisfactory hint' of this - that his dreams are real, that they have foundation and solidity, that they can be achieved. Gatsby has convinced himself that he will be able to win Daisy back and that she will want to be with him. It is a pity then, that Gatsby has been so overwhelmed by his dream that he chooses to ignore the true reality: Daisy is married to an enormously wealthy man, she has a child, she is materialistic and manipulative, she has forsaken him, she is bored and seeks excitement and in some ways wants to get back at Tom; she is self-indulgent and spoiled and would never sacrifice her life of comfort and leisure to be with him. Even when Daisy devastatingly tells him that he is 'asking too much', Jay persists and desperately clings to his dream. He drives her home and spends hours outside her mansion to ensure that she comes to no harm after she has accidentally killed Myrtle. It is this persistent hope that Nick admires so much but it is also this unrealistic and futile dream which, tragically, culminates in Gatsby's death.

'possibly it had occured to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever.' C5

Nick Carraway makes both of these observations after witnessing Gatsby's long desired reencounter with Daisy. Both observations point to the idea that no matter how wonderful reality is, it can never match our dreams. For five years, Gatsby's chief motivation has been reuniting with Daisy. It has guided everything he has done, including amassing a fortune to impress her, giving huge parties in the hopes she will turn up among the guests, and buying a mansion across the water from her own to be close to her. Every night, Gatsby has been watching the green light, dreaming of seeing Daisy again. Now that he has realized the dream, the light can't possibly mean as much to him. With gain comes loss. Achieving reality means losing the sweetness of the dream. Likewise, Daisy herself is reality, not a dream. Nick, a witness to this colossal event of the two meeting again, perceives that even though Daisy is wonderful and charming with Gatsby, no human can ever live up to another person's fantasy version of them. As Daisy moves from "enchanted"—i.e., Gatsby's idealized dream woman—to reality, she inevitably loses some of the sparkle Gatsby's fantasies of her invented. Nick hits one of his more lyrical heights—and foreshadows Gatsby's death with the word "ghostly" This image suggests Gatsby realizes he must face the reality of Daisy, rather than the ideal he created for her.

'you're worth the whole damn bunch put together' 'i disapproved of him from beginning to end' C8

Nick laments that Gatsby is pining away for the shallow Daisy when he could be making more money and throwing lavish parties. Nick loved the old Gatsby from the beginning of the novel. He liked the mysterious paradoxical counter-culture that Gatsby represented. I like this because everything about East Egg is about money yet Nick is talking about a different kind of worth; he is saying that Gatsby is worth more than money compared to these superficial people. In the very beginning of the book, Nick says the he is "inclined to reserve all judgements" however in this chapter, at the end of the book we see that Nick has made judgements about different characters in the book, especially the Buchanan's and other upper class people. This shows that through out the book Nick has become more upfront and candid about his opinions. It is also significant because it sets a mood between Gatsby and Nick. Before this quote, we knew how much Nick treasures his friendship with Gatsby but it is unclear how Gatsby feels about Nick. In this quote, through Gatsby's smile he shows us how much he also appreciates his friendship with Nick

''jay gatsby' had broken up like glass against toms hard malice

Nick shows Gatsby's fragile world to have been shattered by the insistent and brutally physical reality of Tom Buchanan. gatsbys visage cant be permanent

Thirty - the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning brief-case of enthusiasm, thinning hair'

Nick's recollection that it is his thirtieth birthday provides an insight into the melancholy side of his character: 'F. Scott Fitzgerald suggested, with a degree of seriousness, that life goes downhill after you have reached the age of fifteen. He was keenly aware that the intensity of youthful expectations and aspirations, the largely undefined sense of hope one has in childhood, can be eroded steadily by accumulated experience and steady disappointment. Jay Gatsby, we are told, is the adolescent creation of James Gatz, and that youthful outlook, not jaded by the responsibilities and obligations of adulthood despite the intervening years and experience of war, remains Gatsby's distinguishing characteristic.

'the day agreed upon was pouring rain' C5

Realistically, the rain is a possibility to interfere with cutting Nick's lawn and planting the new, fresh flowers. Symbolically, the rain is a sign of a bad omen and for "washing" Gatsby's and Daisy's past (a clean start). When Nick is in the room with Gatsby and Daisy, the atmosphere is tense and it is raining. "After half an hour, the sun shone again...". The clearing of the rain symbolizes the possible positivity in Gatsby and Daisy's relationship. Towards the end of the chapter, however, it is raining once again. "Then I went out of the room and down the marble steps into the rain, leaving them there together" This foreshadows the conflict to come.

He isn't causing a row." Daisy looked desperately from one to the other. "You're causing a row. Please have a little self-control.

The word "row" is more suited to the context of the narrative. The word illustrates the immediacy of the confrontation and indicates brevity in speech. People seldom use complicated expressions when they are arguing. Their words are filled with passion.

'the next day was broiling...certainly the warmest of the summer' C7

Symbolizes the coming conflict and foreshadows the climax of emotions to come, with the confrontation in the suite, Daisy's rejection and Myrtle's death. The heat also depicts the mix and confusion of emotions, and Daisy recognizes that "it's so hot and everything is confused" (118). Symbolizes Daisy and Gatsby's relationship. It is when the weather is at it's hottest that Gatsby's and Daisy's relationship reaches a climax. What started on the rainy day they reconciled, reaches both its happiest moment, and comes to an end on this hot day. Heat-or intense heat-seems to bring out the worst in some people. Homicide rates -- in fact, crime rates in general -- are scientifically known to increase in the summer, as the discomfort associated with hotter temperatures is directly correlated to violent behavior.

'filling the house with gray-turning, gold-turning light' 'ghostly birds' 'blue leaves' C8

The colors represent the dull and sad environments that exist at the moment. Gray and Blue, they both describe that feeling. Gray is commonly associated with dullness and monotony, while blue is associated with sadness and nostalgia. However, there is also gold, it can represent many things: wealth, prosperity, success, and value. The fact that the house is turning gray and turning gold symbolizes the American dream, things may get rough but with hard work one can turn gray into gold. The "blue leaves" and the "ghostly birds" are some sort of warning that even living the American dream, the most beautiful and simple living things (leaves) can still be blue, even while bathed in gold. That recurring message of the failure of the American dream is present in the quote and Fitzgerald uses colors to represent it. He puts into question the real value of material things and what true happiness is made of (if it does exist).

'the track curved and now it was going away from the sun' c8

The curved track represents his life having a change in direction. Away from the sun implies darkness which represents the darkness and corruption of the bootlegging be becomes involved with in order to retrieve the light of his life, Daisy.

'the most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night. a universe of ineffable gaudiness spun itself out in his brain while the clock ticked on the washstand and the moon soaked with wet light his tangled clothes upon the floor.' C6

The literal meaning of this implied metaphor is based on the comparison of Gatsby's ideas to a spider slowly spinning a glorious, fascinating web. The metaphor is used to describe the way that James Gatz, before his transformation into Jay Gatsby, used to spend his evenings and nights investing so much energy in dreaming and thinking of the glorious future that awaited him when he became rich and famous. This is the metaphorical meaning of the phrase "spin itself out," as it helps the reader imagine the way that Gatsby's dreams of what he would become gradually form and take shape before him, the way that a spider slowly and patiently but also inexorably builds a web that is fantastical in its size and proportions based on the size of the spider. In the same way, Gatsby comes to inhabit a future that is completely separate and distant from his humble past. For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his 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. The metaphor used in this phrase therefore is all about fantasy and the alternative future that Gatsby dreams up for himself, acting as "an outlet for his imagination" and also the potential of dreams and how they can become reality. It is also important to note the way that in the quote that this question is based on there is the juxtaposition between the "ineffable gaudiness" of his dreams and the humdrum reality of his simple background, captured in the image of his "tangled clothes" and the ticking of the clock.

'the words seem to bite physically into gatsby' C7

The loss of innocence in their relationship led Gatsby to believe that she would end her perfect life with her husband all for him, which turned out to be a lie.

'pale as death, with his hands plunged with weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of wate glaring tragically into my eyes.' C5

The puddle is shallow and the pockets are not deep water, and Gatsby's hands aren't really weights. They're just like weights. But if you were weighted and plunged into deep water, you'd be in great danger of dying, and, indeed, Gatsby is pale as death. Drowning could be called a tragedy, and Gatsby is glaring tragically into the narrator's eyes. Pale as death is a cliché and it's sort of redundant with glaring tragically. Adverb adversaries would say you don't need tragically when you've already got glaring. Verbosity prigs might say if the narrator is able to see that Gatsby is glaring, it's tedious to go to the trouble to tack on into my eyes. And into my eyes is kind of a slow way to coast to an ending when you're trying to be this dramatic, what with death and weights and tragically dragging us down.

the exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain C5

The significance of this quote is that it encapsulates the magical aura that seems to surround Daisy and which has held Gatsby in her orbit for years. epitomises the depth and passion of Jay Gatsby's dream. Everything that makes Gatsby's dream a reality is encapsulated in the allure of Daisy's voice. It is her voice which charms him and makes him believe that his dream can be realised. The fact that he can actually hear her breathe and speak makes Gatsby believe even more that he can realise his ideal - that he can be with Daisy once more for she is there with him, living, breathing, speaking. He is overwhelmed. It is terribly sad and ironic that Jay Gatsby is so utterly overwhelmed by this ideal. He had fashioned his entire existence around this dream, but the dream remains just that - a dream. Jay Gatsby does not accept that his dream is greater than the reality with which he is faced: Daisy is shallow and materialistic. She has used him as a tool (probably to get back at Tom for his affairs). She seeks entertainment since she is bored and is only indulging him. Daisy has no real interest in Jay. She does not love him and is therefore not prepared to sacrifice the comforts that Tom provides. She is more than willing to accept Tom's indiscretions (although she might express annoyance), and would never leave him. She tells Jay that he 'asks too much' which clearly indicates where her sentiments lie.

I certainly am awfully glad to see you again" C5

There is a slight contradiction in Daisy's statement; the phrase "awfully glad" (both words are polar opposites of one another) indicate that Daisy has some hesitation in reuniting with Gatsby. There could be a number of reasons as to why Daisy hesitates; for one, she is shocked to see Gatsby, and she also may fear the consequences that meeting Gatsby may bring to her marriage. The latter part, however, can definitely be challenged; we have seen Daisy play with a person's emotions simply to gain entertainment; in any case, Daisy's first words to Gatsby are unclear. She is divided; she may be happy to see Gatsby, but there is an underneath layer that suggests something "awful" will happen after their meeting.

'faint flow of thunder' C5

There's something ominous about Fitzgerald's choice of words here. "Flow" implies a continuous process, one that will stretch on into the future. The flow may be distant now, but that won't always be the case. Life will go on, and as it does so, the flow of thunder will only get stronger and stronger. There is an obvious foreshadowing here. There are serious troubles ahead for all the main characters—tragedy, conflict, emotional upheaval, and death.

glazed eyes turned out to the ashheaps, where small grey clouds took on fantastic shapes and scurried here and there in the faint dawn wind C8

These clouds are symbolic of the clouded thinking of George Wilson who believes that the man in the yellow car that killed his wife was the owner of that car. These clouds mimic the mind of Wilson whose anger and jealousy also take on "fantastic shapes" as he looks at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg

he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarecely created grass.'

This truth or "sunlight" is too much for him to bear, for this realization is only newly, "scarcely created grass" in Gatsby's mind. Gatsby's dream, symbolized through the rose, is truly "grotesque" up close. For when Daisy was just a mere green light, intangible, she was a beautiful rose. The dream began to form, and before it could fully mature, it began to wilt. In Gatsby's attempt to maintain this youthful beauty and love, it inevitably dies with time. Before death, Gatsby knows Daisy will not return to him, and thus realizes how ugly a dream can be, how easily it can ruin a man. There lays significance in the fact that the last sentence is fragmented. Even more important is that each fragment is staccato. Just as the fragments are disconnected and cut short, so its Gatsby's life and dream. rose represents beauty and treasure but at the same time it has thorns that can prick you and hurt you.

here was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together C7

Tom and Daisy are cut from the same cloth, so to speak. They both want to status and recognition that come from wealth, particularly old wealth. They are fashionable. When Daisy hears of Gatsby's illegal dealings, she begins to doubt him and to be turned off of him. Then, when the accident happens, Daisy and Gatsby are thrown further apart and Tom and Daisy closer together - conspiring together. Also, Daisy herself says earlier in the chapter that she does love Tom. So, faced with two men she loves, she chooses to stay with the one who a) has the respectable money; and b) to whom she is already married. It is the easier path.

the shock had made him physically sick C7

Tom's response to Daisy and Gatsby's relationship is to immediately do everything to display his power. He forces a trip to Manhattan, demands that Gatsby explain himself, systematically dismantles the careful image and mythology that Gatsby has created, and finally makes Gatsby drive Daisy home to demonstrate how little he has to fear from them being alone together. Wilson also tries to display power. But he is so unused to wielding it that his best effort is to lock Myrtle up and then to listen to her emasculating insults and provocations. Moreover, rather than relaxing under this power trip, Wilson becomes physically ill, feeling guilty both about his part in driving his wife away and about manhandling her into submission.

'his house had never seemed so enormous to me' 'dust' 'ghostly piano'

What is emphasised through this change is the vastness of the house - highlighting the emptiness of the space inside but also, implicitly, the emptiness of Gatsby's life. The dust and mustiness likewise reflect the fact that Gatsby's life and dream is over now - his house and its state represents his life. Now that he has decided to take the blame for Daisy for the death of Myrtle Wilson, he knows that all his hopes and ambitions have gone to dust, just like his house.

'went over to gatsby and pulled his face down, kissing him on the mouth' C7

When Daisy kisses Gatsby it seems that he's won.

'no longer tangible' 'lost voice' C7

With all his denials of criminality, Daisy draws "further and further into herself," yet Gatsby desperately seeks to cling to his illusionary dream, a dream that "is no longer tangible." His hopes are lost as Daisy begs Tom to go home. Jay Gatsby's American Dream, predicated upon attaining the love of Daisy Buchanan, is dead. For Daisy is no longer the "grail," but instead is "that lost voice." Tom describes Daisy and Gatsby as "gone...isolated like ghosts even from our pity."

'the whole carnavansary had fallen in like a card house at the disapproval in her eyes' C7

ard house is used as a metaphor to show how fragile Gatsby's career was. All of his efforts from working for a senator to distributing alcohols for money would easily be razed if Daisy did not approve its significance. If Daisy did not approve of it, everything would fall as a card house.

'always with indiscernible barbed wire between' C7

barbed wire as a metaphor to symbolize how he always felt separate and unable to connect with other people. The use of barbed wire is effective because barbed wire is always signaling a barrier or a block. This metaphor adds to the image that there is more than just a block between Gatsby and normal people.

'as if he had just recognized her as some one he new a long time ago' C7

climax of toms sudden mood change

'what day would suit you?' 'hesitated' 'he fumbled'

constrasts his confident self and his extravagant parties, daisy means the world to him

'her artifical world was redolent of orchids and plesant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes' 'like rose petals blown by the sad horns around the floor' 'dying orchids on the floor beside her' C8

constrasts the gritty realism of gatsby war life, purposeless, fake and illusion. This description of the Jazz Age with its melancholy songs and frivolous wealthy flappers suggests superficial lives spent in the pursuit of gold and silver. At the "grey tea hour," a grey time no longer significant, the music of the era, an auditory image, and the money-colored slippers, a visual image, all suggest the dissolute era and the corruption of the American Dream. That is, the "Beale Street Blues" played by the "sad horns" of the saxophone, along with the "white fresh faces" of the flappers that drift insignificantly like falling rose petals are symbolic of the falsity and illusion of a materialistic and amoral American Dream. Indeed, in this chapter of The Great Gatsby, there is an objectification of the themes of "Culture Clash," "Moral Corruption," and "the American Dream." Before she begins her partying life style and is committed to seeing Gatsby when he returns, she is whole and the orchids are alive. After she resigns her hope for Gatsby's return and returns to promiscuity again, the orchids die. Therefore the orchids represent the death of her love for Gatsby and her moral decay.

daisys role in the book

conveys the alarming extent to which the lust for money captivated americans during the roaring twenties

'her voice dropping an octave lower, filled the room with thrilling scorn' C7

daisys voice is manipulative, lower so more morbid.

'everyone laughed' 'this time no one laughed' C7

empty laughter, distracting from tension

'you brought the groceries to the back door' C7

gatsby is a servant, daisy is not proud to show gatsby off, new money is low status

'as though she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. but it was done now. it was too late' C7

gatsby is so obessed with the past daisy and you cant recreate the past, their moment has passed and daisy has changed but gatsby hasnt

'overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery thatr wealth imprisons and preserves' C8

gatsby mixes up youth and mystery with history, he thinks a single gloriosu month with daisy can compete with years with tom. just as new money is money without social connection, gatsbys connection to daisy exists outside of history.

'left him standing there in the moonlight- watching over nothing. C7

he green light is the light at the end of the Buchanan's dock across the bay; as in the passage from Chapter VII, Gatsby stands in the dark and looks toward Daisy's house. The difference in the two scenes is one of timing and purpose. When Gatsby looks toward Daisy's house the first time, he longs to meet her again, to have her back in his life; it is a time of romantic possibility for Gatsby. He watches her house to feel close to her. When he stands vigil and watches the Buchanan house in Chapter VII, his romance with Daisy is over, although he cannot acknowledge it. While he stands alone in the darkness, Tom and Daisy are inside, sharing a cold supper. Before leaving Gatsby there to keep watch, Nick had observed through the kitchen window "an unmistakable air of natural intimacy" between Daisy and her husband. Gatsby's dream will never be realized; romantic possibilities are ended. He watches over Daisy's house to protect her from Tom, not realizing that Tom and Daisy are together and will remain together. As Nick said, Gatsby watches over nothing.

toms role

he has a veneer of gentlemanly manners that barely veils a self-centered, sexist, racist, violent ogre of a man beneath

'his career as trimalchio was over' C7

he idea behind Trimalchio and Gatsby is a similar one. Each of these characters poses as something he is not - rich. Though Gatsby does achieve/acquire wealth, he remains a poseur, playing a role and presenting himself under false pretenses. Gatsby is not the person he says he is in terms of the personal history he presents in public and to Nick, initially. Gatsby is not even "Gatsby" fundamentally. He is Jay Gatz. Presenting himself as Jay Gatsby, Gatsby has taken on a part akin to the ancient story of Trimalchio. As a relative of the figure of the roman satire, Gatsby also serves to explore and expose some of the false values of the rich, their immorality, haughtiness and recklessness pride. Some of the power of Fitzgerald's narrative comes from this allusion to the roman satire. Gatsby is not "just a man" or just a character. In addition to being a developed character in the novel, he is a representative of a type. Trimalchio hosted excessively extravagant dinner parties in which he would brag about his success as a businessman and his great prosperity, to the disgust and envy of his guests. The purpose of his ostentation was therefor only to display his good fortune - there was no other purpose. The whole idea was just pure self-indulgence, unlike jay Gatsby's parties. Jay hardly ever indulged in the frivolities at his festivities and remained aloof, always hoping that Daisy would, at some or other occasion, turn up. This led to all sorts of rumours and gossip about him, his activities and his past. Trimalchio, in contrast, was the centre of attention at his massive get-togethers. He indulged his and his guests' every whim, getting drunk and expressing his magnificence. The parties were essentially about him and his excesses. He would be incessantly boastful, whilst Jay, on only one occasion, actually bragged about his achievements, in a very private manner when he showed Daisy his huge collection of shirts. Jay was a private person whose primary focus was Daisy, whereas Trimalchio was an exhibitionist who relished the attention, envy and admiration of many.

hey saw that her left breast was swinging loose like a flap and there was no need to listen for the heart beneath. The mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners as though she had choked a little in giving up the tremendous vitality she had stored so long.

he stark contrast here between the oddly ghostly nature of the car that hits Myrtle and the visceral, gruesome, explicit imagery of what happens to her body after it is hit is very striking. The car almost doesn't seem real - it comes out of the darkness like an avenging spirit and disappears, Michaelis cannot tell what color it is. Meanwhile, Myrtle's corpse is described in detail and is palpably physical and present.

''i just remembered that to-day's my birthday' 'before me stretched the portentius, menacing road of a new decade' C7

he stifling heat exacerbating the tensions that already permeate the atmosphere. The infidelities and animosities that weave through and among the assembled are taking their toll, and it is clear that nobody is particularly happy these days. The group decides to go into the city, where the situation worsens. The atmosphere among the characters continues to sour, until, tired of Tom's tirades, Gatsby finally blurts out that Daisy only married Tom because she was tired of waiting for Gatsby to amass the wealth necessary to satisfy her longing for financial security -- a definition of comfort that far exceeded any rational, middle class concept of such. Tom rebuts Gatsby's assertion, shouting that he and Daisy love each other, and that, while he may stray from time to time, he continues to love her, prompting Daisy to call her husband "revolting." Through it all, Nick silently observes, only rarely commenting. Finally, a thought occurs to him: I just remembered that today's my birthday. "I was thirty. Before me stretched the portentous menacing road of a new decade." Nick's comment that it is his birthday serves as a sudden reminder to himself of his presence among these unhappy, rich people. Heretofore, in the course of the chapter, Nick has served as the ubiquitous observer of others. Now, he is reaffirming his existence, and that he has, consciously or not, sublimated is own identity to those in whose world he has immersed himself since moving to Long Island. The thirtieth birthday is considered a major milestone in many peoples' lives, marking, in a sense, the final transition from youth to the sometimes brutal realities of adulthood. This milestone, however, crept up on Fitzgerald's narrator. Nick has invested so much of his life in the travails and intrigues of this mercurial group of people that he forgot his own thirtieth birthday. He has done so as the lives of those around him continue their gradual but steady descent into the ennui that the author has so studiously depicted in his novel. Not only has his birthday come and (almost) gone, without his noticing, but the decade ahead, Nick notes ominously, will deprive the wealthy in whose world he has entered of that which has distinguished them. The Great Depression lies ahead, and it is in hindsight that Nick suggests his transition into adulthood, and the harsh realities that portends, will not be much fun.

'his platonic conception of himself, he was the son of god.' 'he must be about his fathers business' C6

he uses this striking comparison between Gatsby and Jesus Christ to illuminate Gatsby's creation of his own identity. Fitzgerald was probably influenced in drawing this parallel by a nineteenth-century book by Ernest Renan entitled The Life of Jesus. This book presents Jesus as a figure who essentially decided to make himself the son of God, then brought himself to ruin by refusing to recognize the reality that denied his self-conception. Renan describes a Jesus who is "faithful to his self-created dream but scornful of the factual truth that finally crushes him and his dream"—a very appropriate description of Gatsby. Fitzgerald is known to have admired Renan's work and seems to have drawn upon it in devising this metaphor. Though the parallel between Gatsby and Jesus is not an important motif in The Great Gatsby, it is nonetheless a suggestive comparison, as Gatsby transforms himself into the ideal that he envisioned for himself (a "Platonic conception of himself") as a youngster and remains committed to that ideal, despite the obstacles that society presents to the fulfillment of his dream. y becoming "His Father's business", Nick isn't referring to God or Gatsby's biological father but he means his father figure, Dan Cody. Following Cody's path into the rich and wealthy world, Gatsby will be introduced to "vulgar" and "meretricious" beauty." Within the rich and wealthy world Gatsby will be introduced to greed, once he enters wealthy there is no return. This can also be related to the harsh reality of the American Dream. Although Gatsby appears to be faithful to the person he truly is at heart, he successfully manipulates the exterior of his person, creating for himself everything from a new name to massive amounts of wealth. However, Fitzgerald hints that Gatsby is still loyal to his true self, and that he is unable to alter his genuine personality. Gatsby is ashamed of his past and where he came from so he reinvents himself to be the kind of perso that Cody would respect. Gatsby carried on this persona to appeal to Cody and when it was Gatsby's time to leave, he never let it go.

Gatsby's downfall

his desire for love proves more powerful than the lust for money, fitzgerald uses gatsbys downfall as a critique of the reckless indulgence of the roaring twenties america

'next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white'

his fear that the white race will be taken over by non-white races. It is interesting and revealing that his first reaction to Daisy's affair with Gatsby is not sadness or heartbreak but hypocritical dismay that "civilization" is falling apart.

her life violently extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust' C7

his imagery of Myrtle's death deep in detail of her lifeless body being reconnected with dusts not only emphasizes her tragic life with the tragedy following upon her death but also symbolizes her forever imprisonment with the low social status. As much as Myrtle had been determined into changing her life and escaping poverty, destiny planned another path and such a path led to her final punishment for escaping. The character of Myrtle symbolizes a countering theme to the American Dream and success; Myrtle never succeeded and her dream to abandon poverty had been a failure as well. This quote shows that although she tried to achieve the dream of becoming rich, at the end, her blood and life had always belonged in the Valley of Ashes. In other words, she dies as a lower social class individual. praying position- submissive position, praying to god for forgiveness

the holocaust was complete

his is of course an intentional use of hyperbole. There is no way that Nick is really saying Gatbsy's death is equivalent in scale or scope to the Holocaust. What this denomination does however is to indicate the symbolic importance of Gatsby's death. As he was a man who lived the dream, his death and murder indicates the death of that dream and therefore the inability to change our lives and achieve the American Dream. As Gatsby through his life is a character who proves the life-changing possibilities of the American Dream, his death is tragic and far reaching in the way that it represents the death of such hopes and dreams. his final phrase includes Wilson in an image of dramatic death and sacrifice. (The novel was written before the Holocaust of Nazi Germany took place, so this word had different connotations from those it has now.) While Gatsby can be seen as sacrificing himself in order to save Daisy from punishment, the nature of Wilson's sacrifice is less clear. One possible interpretation is that Myrtle and Wilson, along with Gatsby, are all sacrificed in order to save the less worthy characters from any loss of status, wealth and freedom and to preserve their corrupt world. Wilson is certainly deranged and has been cruel to his wife, but his death is an expression of his pain, caused at least in part by Tom and then by Daisy. Gatsby and Wilson are sacrificial offers to the Old Money God, this being the permanent class barriers which repetitively pushes people back to the social strata in which they were born. The word was used in an early draft of 'The Great Gatsby' and so much have been given the okay by Maxwell Perkins. Perkins made many amendments, and the fact that this wasn't one of them suggests that it was there for effect: he didn't simply say, 'and the sacrificial offering was complete'. Holocaust is usually used in context of genocide; however, here, only two men have died. Perhaps because Gatsby's life was worth that of 18,000 men - at least in the eyes of Nick, our biased narrator. In a way, Gatsby's death not only destroys himself, but also the whole American Dream, and one could argue this equivalent to the death of the thousands of hopefully Minnesotan citizens. The holocaust has been a gradual thing that has been stewing over the whole of the book ('it was complete'). In Chapter 7, Gatsby was torn down by Nick, marking the beginning of the holocaust. Even Wilson's attempt to kill Old-Money-Tom supports their increasingly inevitable deaths. Wilson's body is clearly significant because it completes the holocaust. Perhaps because brother has turned on brother (the two were both from poor backgrounds after all). The holocaust was already complete but the fact that they are now aware of Wilson's death seems to be more significant than his actual death. Both men have been sacrificed to the American Dream. It is Wilson's own decision, but the prospect of vengeance and the cold-blooded murder of innocent life worsens it.

'he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream'

holding on to past idealised daisy a place where his dream existed, to the "new world" where everything he believes in is lifeless. Before death, Gatsby realizes that his "single dream" is gone, and everything is now "unfamiliar", for his whole purpose in life was fulfilling this dream.

disturb its accidental course with its accidental burden'

how ironic it is that wilson is getting his revenge upon old money yet gatsby is a victim of old money too ick emphasises the role of fortune in determining events, as we have just seen Wilson determined to pursue the driver of the car which killed Myrtle, ignorant of the fact that the driver was Daisy rather than Gatsby. Nick presents Wilson's actions as born out of mistaken identity alongside a measure of self-delusion (Wilson sees Myrtle as trying to speak to the driver of the car, whereas Michaelis sees her as running away from Wilson). Fortune has played a role throughout, in quite subtle ways, as Gatsby was sent to Oxford by accident, he says, and even fell in love with Daisy unexpectedly. Nevertheless, this is balanced by the inevitability of Daisy's rejection of Gatsby at every stage of their relationship, because their social standing is unequal. Furthermore, the events of Chapter 9 undermine this tragic idea of Gatsby as the victim of chance events: Tom's conversation with Nick suggests that there may have been some deliberate deception and misleading on his part, intended to cause Gatsby harm. Tom certainly exploits the mistaken identity and may have concealed the truth and this leads to Wilson's murder of Gatsby.

their eyes met and they stared together at each other alone in space C7

hyperbole to show the affects of love, tom realises their affair

gatsbys symbolism

symbolises the corrupted dream and the orginial uncorrupted dream. he sees wealth as the solution to his problems, pursues money via shady schemes and reinvents himself so much that he becomes hollow dsiconnected from his past. gatsbys failure does not prove the folly of the american dream rather it proves the follly of short cutting that dream by allowing corruption and materialism to prevail over hard work, integrity and real love.

'silver shirt, and gold-colored tie' C5

is aware that Daisy requires wealth. She grew up in the lap of luxury, and she married a man who can support her in the manner she's been accustomed to since childhood. Daisy needs to feel supported, secure. When Gatsby left for the war, despite the fact that she evidently loved him, she could not prevail upon herself to remain loyal to him because she needed someone present, someone to reassure her. Further, before he left, the truth is that Gatsby "had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself—that he was fully able to take care of her." However, he knew very well that he was not. Now that he's found her, he must prove to her that he is capable of taking care of her, of providing her with the kind of life she seems to require in order to be happy. In order to do this, he dresses to the nines, sends over a "greenhouse" of flowers, and even has his gardener fix up Nick's yard. Nothing can be shabby because he needs to impress her, to impress his status upon her. What could be better than silver and gold, two precious metals, to convey his status? His appearance is rich because he needs her to understand, without his having to say it, that he is rich, that she can be assured of him now.

'he had committed himself to the following of a grail

king arthur-hero, quest to find the cup of jesus, gatsby sets a quest to pursue daisy.

'flushed with his impassioned gibberish, he saw himself standing alone on the last barrier of civilization

lushed, meaning he has gone red because of his anger passion. However you can also flush someones system out of a drug or chemical so you could argue that Fitzgerald is saying Tom has read so many pseudo scientific rubbish that it has pushed all the common sense out of his system. It also has connotations of toilets so he might be saying tom is talking ****. Impassioned gibberish - meaning he really believes in it but it doesn't make sense. Gibberish means completely incomprehensible like a foreign language or baby talk and hints that Tom has the intelect of a child and isn't capable of talking with humans. Standing alone, meaning he doesn't have public support. Taken literally though it means he thinks he is the only person in teh whole world who has the correct moral values and so this hints at Tom's arrogance. Last Barrier, meaning Tom thinks this one step to far. Last barrier has connotations of war and battle showing how far Tom is prepared to go to protect his beliefs and what he thinks the cost of failure is (death).

'he was his wife's man and not his own' C7

needs myrtle in his life like gatsby he is not complete without woman. myrtle wears the trousers

'mrs buchanan..and mr buchanan' after an instant hesitation he added: the polo player' C6

not only does he introduce Daisy first (and pauses before he is able to spit out Tom's vile name) but by calling him a polo player, he is implying that he is rich and soft, that his experience with horses did not parallel his own masculine experience of horses in the Army. He is trying to make Tom look as ineffectual and impotent as possible to Daisy.

how time affects characters

past haunts gatsby and future weighs down on nick. gatsby has dedicated his entire life to recapturing a goldne, perfect past with daisy and believes money can recreate the past. nicks fear of the future foreshadows the economic bust that plunged the country into depression and ending roaring twenties.

'mu underwear kept climbing like a damp snake' C7

simile to symblosise betrayal- encouraged daisy and gatsby

'hot whips of panic. his wife and his mistress until an hour ago secure and inviolate were slipping precipitately from his control

tom- a archetypal misogynisitic man is losing control of his women, therefore resorts to anger.

the love life of f scott fitzgerald

when enlisted in the army, in albama 1918, he fell in love with zelda zayre who refused to marry him unless he could support her. he came to new york and published this side of paradise, became rich and married zelda a week later. but his novels could not support the high flying cosmopolitan life his wife desired so he borrowed money off his publishers

'oh my ga-od!' C7

wilson now needs the higher power of god, money cant solve this.