Hi Everyone:
In our first days of class, I suggested that the most difficult or
seemingly odd scenes in a book can often be a route to some of the
book's deepest meaning. We also noted that The Great Gatsby is unique
in how restrained and mysterious the language of the text can be.
In this blog post, describe the strange scene that you selected and (using your notes)
explain how this scene may connect to one of the conflicts or tensions
that we noted in class. You can also write about why the scene is so
different or unusual -- what sets it apart? You can speculate or offer
several alternative interpretations; keep in mind that you are not
expected to explain precisely and definitively what everything means, as
long as you offer some possibilities and impressions. Look at the "Advice for Annotation" page for guidance.
This post is due on Thursday.
A scene that I found very confusing was the scene in which Nick meets Myrtle and George. I just don't see the significance of the scene or ever these characters. I don't get what they have to do with the plot or the theme of this story. I had thought that maybe the reason that Myrtle is a character is because she showed how the marriage between Tom and Daisy was very weak but I don't believe that that is the case. This scene and these characters are very confusing to me.
ReplyDeleteA scene that I found very confusing was the scene in which Nick meets Myrtle and George. I just don't see the significance of the scene or ever these characters. I don't get what they have to do with the plot or the theme of this story. I had thought that maybe the reason that Myrtle is a character is because she showed how the marriage between Tom and Daisy was very weak but I don't believe that that is the case. This scene and these characters are very confusing to me.
ReplyDeleteAbout halfway through chapter three I found a strange scene that seemed unnecessary. However as I observed the context thoroughly this scene connected to other parts of the story. In this section of the story Nick was talking to a peculiar drunk man with Jordan in Gatsby’s library. This middle-aged man continued to refer to the books inside the library and how they were real, with pages and actual stories. All of Gatsby’s guests expect Gatsby to be fake and mysterious. Therefore, Gatsby is the books in this situation, strangers have false ideas and expectations but in reality he has feelings and memories like everyone else. Also, the drunk man states, “if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse” (Fitzgerald 47) This statement reflects Gatsby because if he lost any part of his reputation, fortune, Daisy, etc. his entire life would crumble. Lastly, Nick describes the intoxicated man “with enormous owl-eyed spectacles.” (45) Nick’s description of this man must have something to do with the cover of the story.
ReplyDeleteA scene in the Great Gatsby that I didn’t quite understand, was at the beginning of chapter four when Nick and Gatsby went up to New York together for lunch. While on the ride up Gatsby was describing his background to Nick, and where he got to where he is now. The way he was explaining it was long-winded and seemed too exaggerated to be true. He wasn’t clear about his past and it seemed all too complicated to understand. He listed off all the things he had done and his accomplishments. Even while being told this information Nick questioned it but still went along with it and ended up just accepting the fact that Gatsby is a mysterious person. Gatsby went above and beyond to avoid just telling Nick his past, which isn’t something someone would normally do. He obviously wasn’t close with many people and didn’t tell people about himself very often. Therefore people who didn’t actually know Gatsby themselves had to guess and make up stories about him and where his wealth came from, that's where all the rumors came from. But you would think that since Gatsby was trying to get close with Nick he wouldn’t mind telling Nick where he came from. Since he decided to tell a confusing story about his past, he doesn’t want to truly tell people about what he’s done no matter how close he is to you. I know he is supposed to be a mysterious person so his whole past ties into that persona. I just still don’t understand why he isn't straightforward with Nick if he genuinely wanted to be friends with him.
ReplyDeleteIn the Great Gatsby a scene that I found very strange was the scene at Gatsby’s funeral. I found it odd because there were very few people at the funeral to morn the loss of him. Though, you would assume that there would be a surplus of people because of how many attended his extravagant parties. This really makes you wonder why the people attending his parties really came all along. Was it because they were his friends? Was it because of the money he had? Or maybe it was even because they just wanted an excuse to go out and party? Though, this scene did let you see who actually genuinely cared about Gatsby and who did not. It surprised me that Daisy did not show up at all to the funeral because of all that they had been through throughout the book. The fact that she did this really caused me to question how deeply she felt for Gatsby. She could have not of gone because it was unbearable for her to see him dead but I personally believe she didn’t go because her feelings toward Gatsby were not as strong as Gatsby’s feelings towards her.
ReplyDeleteDuring Nick's visit to the Buchanan's mansion in chapter one, Tom receives a phone call. Appearing upset, Nick attempts to distract Daisy by asking about her daughter, Pammy. Daisy responds “ I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling” (Fitzgerald 17). Daisy's husband was not present during Pammy’s birth. Fitzgerald suggest that Tom was elsewhere, possibly with another woman. Daisy continues to state that, “I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she will be a fool- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (17) . I find this strange that a mother that would want her daughter to be a fool. In this scene the audience can see that perhaps Daisy is not a fool. Tom has cheated on her and this pains her. She hopes her daughter will not face this same pain.
ReplyDeleteA scene that I found confusing was Gatsby's funeral. Everybody seemed to want to go to Gatsby's extravagant parties yet so few people actually showed up. It seems that everyone who went to the parties, went only to have a good time . Nobody went to Gatsby's party because they cared for Gatsby. Most of them probably didn't even know what Gatsby looked like. Even Daisy, the woman that Gatsby cared for most, didn't show up at the funeral. Clearly, Daisy was like most of the people at the parties and came only for a party.
ReplyDeleteA scene that really confused me in "The Great Gatsby" was the scene when Gatsby and Nick took a train to lunch. I did not understand if that portion of the book was something Nick was looking back on while on a date with Jordan or if it was happening as the story was being told. When Gatsby decides to tell Nick about his background on the trip it confuses me as well, his past was complicated and hard to follow. I could not tell what was real and what was a lie. One more thing I was confused about concerning there lunch was when Nick actually found out the truth about Gatsby's past. I did not understand if it was in the same day or later in the story.
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ReplyDeleteIn "The Great Gatsby" a scene that seemed strange to me was when Tom wants Nick to meet his mistress, Myrtle in chapter two. I do not understand why Tom would want Nick to meet Myrtle when Nick is Daisy's cousin. It does not seem like Nick is close to Tom because in the beginning Nick has not even met Daisy and Nick's daughter. This makes it seem even stranger for Tom to invite Nick. It was also strange when Nick tried to leave after they bought the dog and Tom insisted on him staying, so he stayed and met some of their friends. It seems odd that during the time that he spends with Tom and his friends, Nick is told by Myrtle’s sister, Catherine that the reason why Tom does not divorce Daisy is because she is Catholic. Nick knows Daisy is not Catholic, which makes it seem like Tom does not want to be with Myrtle long term. That may be why he breaks up with her towards the end of the book. Later in the story we find out that Tom cheats on Daisy a lot and he says that he loves her when he realises that she may leave him for Gatsby. Daisy in the end picks Tom because they leave before Gatsby gets killed, which shows that that they both will always choose each other. Towards the end of evening Nick witnesses Tom hitting Myrtle very hard. This is important because during the scene when Myrtle is run over by Daisy she says" Throw me down and beat me you dirty little coward." This makes us know that Myrtle thought that Tom was in the car because he was previously driving it when they were going to town. It is interesting how Nick never told Daisy about Myrtle after he met her and was also a part of bringing Gatsby and Daisy together.
In the novel "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I found few scenes confusing or unclear. The scene that questioned me the most was in the middle of chapter seven. Gatsby is so distraught about his love for Daisy that he confronts Tom, Daisy's husband, about the situation. He makes Daisy confess her undying love for Gatsby in front of Tom and he is dismayed by her words. Tom questions Daisy about their love and she admits she has loved both of them. What I personally do not understand is why Tom has made a scene about Daisy's side lover when he has has one himself. Tom has had an ongoing relationship with the character Myrtle Wilson, who also has a husband, since the beginning of the book. He meets with her various times throughout the novel and Daisy had appeared to have an idea about it since chapter one. I do not understand why Tom is so upset when Daisy has never really given much attitude for Myrtle towards him. Did Tom really love Daisy? I find he did not care about Daisy as much until he heard about her relationship with Gatsby. What I also did not understand about this scene is why it takes her so much effort to give Tom this information. If she really loved Gatsby, more than Tom, why couldn’t she just tell him initially, rather than Gatsby confronting her in front of Tom? These are things I found confusing about this scene.
ReplyDeleteA scene in The Great Gatsby that confused me was at Gatsbys funeral. I feel like a lot of people used Gatsby for his fortune and to go to his parties. I feel this way because whenever Gatsby had parties many people came and seemed to like Gasby, but when Gatsby dies not many people show up to his funeral. Even Daisy who confessed to loving Gatsby didn't show up
ReplyDeleteIn The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald uses beautiful language to bring his story to life. However these dense descriptions of Gatsby's world can make some scenes confusing and hard to understand. One scene in particular I do not understand is the one where Tom takes Nick and Myrtle into the city and they have a party, in chapter two. I don’t understand the importance of the scene. We meet and mention many characters who we will never meet again in our story and they all appear to have minimal to no effects of the plot of the book. In addition to that Nick describes his surroundings in such detail that you miss what is actually going on in the scene. Like he describes the apartment in extreme detail, but then once he is done doing that you realize you have no idea what had just happened in the scene. This chunk of our story was just very confusing to me.
ReplyDeleteIn the Book, "The great Gatsby" there were many unusual and strange scenes. The one that I personally thought was the most random was the scene where Tom hit Myrtle in the face. This scene is random to me because in the beginning, the author is describing all the different people and describing their appearance. There is many different people being described and there is no important significance to these people in the story. Also, when Tom and Myrtle get into an argument, he punches her in the nose and right after this was said, they start talking about a different subject. To me this is a very random scene. This scene is very different than the other scenes because it goes off topic a bit more than it should have.
ReplyDeleteThere were two scenes from the book that were very strange to me. One was Gatsby's funeral and the other was when he went out to lunch with Nick. There were only a few parts in chapter four during Nick and Gatsby's lunch date that I didn't quite get so I'm going to talk more about his funeral. For the most part the novel made sense but again there were some parts that made me have to look back and re-read it. The reason why I find Gatsby's funeral to be strange is because he would have these huge extraordinary parties with plenty of people but then the day of the funeral, there were very few people mourning his passing. This scene definitely separated the people who care for Gatsby and who didn't. Although the thing that was abnormal to me was when Daisy didn't show up to the funeral. Considering all the things they went through together during the course of the book made me question how Daisy actually felt towards him because obviously she didn't care for him as much as he did for her.
ReplyDeleteTo me the most random scene was when Myrtle shows up. She had not been one of the many people introduced in the beginning so when she was introduced in the middle of the book it confused me a little. And out of nowhere Nick punches her in the face. And afterwards they pretend that nothing happened as they go on with their conversation. This was one of the few scenes that confused me to a point that I couldn't make sense of.
ReplyDeleteA scene from Gatsby that left me wondering was when Nick noticed he was "not alone." After he saw the shadow of the cat, he saw a silhouette of a body across the way at his neighbors house. According to Nick, he thought it was Gatsby, but why would Gatsby just stand there in the dark? The figure look agitated with his hand in his pockets. All of a sudden the figure disappeared in with the night. Not only is this mysterious, but it was creepy and it doesn't make that much of sense.
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