Great Gatsby Chapter 6 notes
CHAPTER 6 "He smiled understandingly - much more than understandingly ...picking his words with care." How does this description of Gatsby relate to what we find out now in CH. 6? • Nick's attitude to Gatsby is ambiguous. Here two images of Gatsby are presented: the eternal romantic, charming and eloquent gentleman; the other is uncultured, common bordering on ridiculous, who is careful in not revealing his social deficiencies: "...this quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness." Significantly, in CH. ^ it is revealed that Jay Gatsby, ostentatious and glamorous is, in fact, James Gatz - much more common. 'Jay Gatsby' is, therefore, his own creation. • This passage from CH. 3 highlights just how precarious this self-constructed image is - how utterly dependent it is on the impression of the observer and his/her ability to enter into Gatsby's world of make-believe and invention. It is worth noting that Fitzgerald chose his characters' names with care - a 'gat' is a slang term for a pistol, and so Gatsby's name is an effective pun at a time of bootlegging and gangsters, and indeed foreshadows how he is killed. "The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God - a phrase which if it means anything, means just that - and he must be about His
HOW DOES FITZGERALD TELL THE STORY IN CHAPTER 6 OF THE GREAT GATSBY?
"HOW DOES FITZGERALD TELL THE STORY IN CHAPTER 6 OF 'THE GREAT GATSBY'?" In Chapter 6 of 'The Great Gatsby", Fitzgerald emphasises many themes that have already been revealed or hinted at previously, using a variety of devices to do so. As the narrator for the novel, it is Nick's viewpoint from which Chapter 6 is presented: he moves the story from a point in time which fits chronologically with the story, to recounting Gatsby's past in great detail, finally allowing the reader to see some of Gatsby's motivations. Nick, in his recounting of Gatsby's past, attempts to give his reasoning for Gatsby's transformation from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby. Nick reasons that Gatsby had never fully embraced his lower class upbringing: that "his imagination never really accepted them (his mother and father) as his parents at all". Nick describes Gatsby as a "son of God... and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, meretricious beauty": this shows Nick revealing that he believe that Jesus decided to make himself the Son of God and stubbornly sticks to the belief that he was, rejecting the reality that he wasn't (according to Nick). He draws a parallel between Gatsby and Jesus, saying that Gatsby also stubbornly sticks to "his Platonic conception of himself". This passage of narration shows Nick to be unreligious (he believes that Jesus was not the Son of God), which
How does Fitzgerald tell the story in chapter 6 of "The Great Gatsby"?
Write about the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in chapter 6 Fitzgerald uses Nick to introduce the readers to the evolution of ‘James Gatz’ to Gatsby. Straight away Nick is telling the story in retrospect, once again which is an indication that the narrative is based more on his thoughts and interpretations than facts - meaning his reliability can’t always be trusted, and starts the chapter about Gatsby straight away and how there is an ‘ambitious young reporter’ on his ‘day off’ to question Gatsby. He is there to gain information from Gatsby about the rumours of him being a ‘German Nazi’ and his popularity over the recent summer. This is actually a use of foreshadowing because they are not there for Gatsby but to question his ‘accepted hospitality’ which is later seen in chapter 9 where people gather to reveal information about the ‘madman’ Wilson and the death of Gatsby, not actually Gatsby himself, just the role he plays. This chapter is not told in chronological order, due to Nick admitting he tells the anecdote of Gatsby’s past, first and Gatsby ‘told me all this very much later’ which means Fitzgerald decided to show the reader of Gatsby’s past of ‘unsuccessful farm people’ to another lavish party Gatsby throws so the reader understand how he got from point A to B. This is also part of Nick’s manipulating narrative because we are
How does Fitzgerald tell the story of the Great Gatsby in chapter 6?
Aaron Pickard How does Fitzgerald tell the story in chapter 6? Chapter six leads from chapter five in which Gatsby's dream of being reunited with Daisy has been realised. The previous chapter was the pinnacle of Gatsby's dream and from that point the dream unravels. This chapter is significant as it highlights the fallacy of Gatsby's dream. It also gives the reader an insight into Gatsby's past so we can understand when he began to create his dream which is important for the reader to know as from this they can comprehend the gravity of the illusion in which Gatsby is trapped in no matter what is put in front of him. This chapter also allows Gatsby himself to experience the monstrosity he has created through Daisy's eyes at, what we later discover will be, his last party which is important as it then allows events to unfold from the point of Gatsby's realisation further developing the plot. At the start of the chapter the reader is given an insight into Gatsby's past through the use of retrospective narrative. It begins with a reminder that Gatsby is notorious as the first paragraphs lead to the revelation that he changed his name. This demonstrates his lack of confidence in his identity which creates an unsettling feeling as he denies his roots. This already imposes instability in his life. Through the use of contrast we see what Gatsby comes from and what he is aiming for
The Great Gatsby - Chapter 3
The Great Gatsby - Chapter 3 In chapter three Nick tells us about the first party he attends at Gatsby's one friday night. He sees himself as the only guest who was actually been invited by Gatsby's chauffeur earlier in the morning. He describes all preparation on fridays before the party and on mondays after the party, e.g. gardeners cleaning Gatsby's property (p.37-39) Arriving at the party Nick doesn't know anyone he could talk to and can't even find the host, so decides to stop at the bar, where, a little later, he welcomes Jordan Baker. They end up in a conversation with three men and two girls talking about rumors about Gatsby (p.40/41). After a short time they leave the group to look for Gatsby, since they haven't met him yet. They don't find Gatsby, but the library, where Jordan and Nick meet a drunk man talking about the realism of the books. Leaving the house and sitting down on a table, Nick meets Gatsby, not knowing it is him (p.44). Gatsby, an elegant, young man with tanned skin and short hair, invites him to a short trip with his new hydroplane in the next morning. Gatsby leaves and after Nick has learned Jordan's rumors about him, they see him standing all alone on the steps of his backyard. When his butler delivers Gatsby's message to Jordan, that he wants to talk to her, Nick, alone, goes back into the house to observe young ladies and old men
The Great Gatsby - Chapter 1
Read the beginning of the novel chapter 1 up to page 12 "Tom Buchanan in his riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch." How effective do you find this as an introduction to Great Gatsby. In your response you should pay close attention to voice, language and style. The Great Gatsby was written by F Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, and is set during 1922, a period tinged with moral failure of a society obsessed with class and privilege. Fitzgerald presents us with the conflict between the illusion and the reality of the American dream. The novel begins in the present tense, and is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, the narrator and moral centre of the novel. His tale is told in retrospect. Nick Carraway is a young man from the Mid West, introducing himself as a graduate of Yale and a veteran of World War One. He begins the first chapter by relaying his father's advice: "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages as you've had." He states that he is also "inclined to reserve all judgement" about people and be a tolerant listener; who is entrusted with people's secrets. This encourages him to withhold formulating opinions about people until he gets to know them, demonstrating his caution. Nick puts himself forward explicitly, as someone with an above average "sense of
Great Gatsby, chapter eight essay
English - Great Gatsby Practice Exam Essay Look again at chapter 8. Then, respond to the tasks. i) What do we learn about Wilson in this chapter? ii) How does Fitzgerald tell the story in this chapter? iii) Some critics see "The Great Gatsby" as a novel shaped by time and place, and, therefore, extremely modern. What do you think? What do we learn about Wilson in this chapter? First, the reader learns more information about Wilson's character and how the death of Myrtle had affected him, showing his love for her, while "George Wilson rocked himself back and forth on the couch inside". This suggests how deeply distressed he is; he is mourning her and trying to come to terms with what has happened. Also, Wilson "flinched and began to cry", this suggests his deep grieving. From this we can also infer that Wilson loves his wife dearly, as he is the only character in the novel who grieves over Myrtle. Secondly, Wilson starts to behave erratically as he is in deep shock, he mutters to himself and at last spoke and said that he took Myrtle to the window just before she died and told her how "God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing. You may fool me, but you can't fool God". This infers that he strongly suspects that his wife was having an affair. The "dog-leash" and the broken nose that she had the previous month is evidence of the affair. Also,
The Great Gatsby Commentary on Chapter 9
The Great Gatsby Commentary on Chapter 9 In The Great Gatsby, Chapter 9, the last chapter of the novel, is used by Fitzgerald to create a sense of finality for the reader suggesting "the party was over". Fitzgerald repeats the word "last" to do this, which relates to Nick's, the narrator, end to his experience with Gatsby. Nick is writing two years after the events with Gatsby, showing that a substantial amount of his life has passed, with Gatsby still fresh in his mind. However, as Nick is a self conscious narrator, writing a time after the event, the information presented to the reader could be biased, as shown by Nick who thinks of him self as "one of the few honest people that I have ever known". Therefore, the reader does not receive a clear picture of the events that occur in Long Island, which Fitzgerald uses to create the theme of disillusion throughout the novel. On the other hand, Nick as a writer can be seen as isolated, just as Gatsby was throughout his life, due to the extravagant parties with non-invited strangers and a friendless funeral. Fitzgerald therefore emphasizes Gatsby's hopeful obsession of meeting Daisy ever again, by hoping she would attend his materialistic parties, however by his death, he was only described as a "poor son-of-a-bitch". The reader feels that Gatsby was indeed this as he had dedicated part of his life in trying to reignite his love
Chapter One of Great Gatsby
Write about the ways in which Fitzgerald tells the story of the Great Gatsby in Chapter One... The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald during the 1920's, a period renowned for the moral failure of a society fixated with class and privilege. This obsession was dubbed "The American Dream" and through the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents us with the conflict between the illusion and reality of the dream. Chapter one is very significant as it lays the foundations for the conflict and essentially prepares the reader for upcoming events. The novel begins in the present tense and is told through Fitzgerald's mouthpiece, Nick Carraway. It quickly becomes obvious to the reader that Nick is the narrator and moral focus of the story. His narration begins with some self-analysis, desperately trying to pin down pertinent aspects of his character. He relays his father's advice, to show tolerance towards others, and to reserve judgement, adding that 'reserving judgement is a matter of infinite hope.' This self-analysis that begins the account confirms to the reader that Nick is also a participant in the story as well as a narrator. He has his own specific characteristics. As the novel progresses we learn more about his character, soon discovering that Nick Carraway is an intelligent young man from the Mid West, introducing himself as a 'graduate from Yale' and a veteran
Great Gatsby Chapter 5 notes
Great Gatsby Chapter Five Why might Ch. 5 be described as a pivotal chapter? • Ch. 5 reveals just how long Gatsby has been dreaming about rekindling his romance with Daisy - 5 years. Before this point we have been gradually getting to know Gatsby not fully sure of who he is and from here the reader follows his downward spiral as 'his count of enchanted diminished by one'. • This chapter also makes Gatsby's dream a reality and it is clear that because the chasm between the dream and the reality has become so great that the dream, his idyllic, perfect image of Daisy is doomed to fail and disappoint him. The past and the passage of time is a dominant force in this novel. When is it brought up in this chapter? Think about symbolism here. • ' "It's too late!" ' Gatsby exclaims. This is highly significant to his desperate attempts to repeat the past, to conjure up the Daisy he knew five years ago. • '...the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously...whereupon he turned and caught it with trembling fingers and set it back in place' This symbolises/represents Gatsby's vain attempts to stop the passage of time in order to retrieve the past. You should also note that it is a 'defunct mantelpiece clock'. It does not work. It has stopped at one moment in time just as Gatsby's life has stopped. He is trapped in the past, fuelled only by his over-elaborate dream -
