Thursday, September 16, 2010
Gatsby
The mysterious Gatsby... Nobody quite knows what to make of this fellow. Some say he was a German spy, others say he killed a man. Whatever his story is has yet to be determined, but all we know is he is a wealthy, wealthy man who hosts large parties. He seems to have an aura about him, a positive aura, that rubs off on other people when he is near them. "Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction- Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn." (Pg. 2). Nick has nothing but criticism for every other character in this book, except for Gatsby. In fact, he spends about half of a page describing in great detail how nice of a smile Gatsby has. Gatsby is the kind of man that when a girl ripped her dress at his party, he sent her a brand new one, free of charge. What I'm wondering is, how far off are his guests' speculations? Is Gatsby truly "just a nice guy"? Or is he hiding something? If he is, what could it possibly be? And where is the relationship between Gatsby and Nick going?
Labels:
Gatsby,
mysterious,
Nick
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Good questions, Leslie. Notice, too, how Fitzgerald keeps us in suspense about the character. We learn everything we do alongside of Nick (who is telling the story in hindsight). What is the effect of this suspense? What impact does it have on us? What is Fitzgerald up to?
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