The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is presented as a recollection of Nick Carraway, a bond salesman. He mentions one of his personal traits, which is to avoid judging people. He also says that he chose to learn the bond business because everyone he knew was involved. To be in the bond business, Nick moves to New York and rents a house at West Egg. He visits his second cousin Daisy and her husband Tom, whose house is located at East Egg. Nick meets a new woman named Jordan Baker, and four of them enjoy the dinner until Tom’s love, Myrtle, interrupts with a telephone call. Nick leaves because it is awkward. When he arrives home, he sees his neighbor, Gatsby, for the first time. In the second chapter, Tom introduces Myrtle to Nick. Although Myrtle is married to George Wilson, she commits adultery and is attracted to Tom. Three of them go to Tom’s apartment and have a party. The guests including Mr. and Mrs. McKee, Myrtle’s sister show up and everyone drinks too much. Nick says that this is the second time he has ever been drunk. Then he witnesses Tom slapping Myrtle in the nose because she intentionally and continuously mentions Daisy’s name in front of him. The party atmosphere dies down and Nick decides to leave on four A.M train. The Great Gatsby does not meet my expectation because no dramatic events have taken place so far. Also, Fitzerald’s writing is challenging for me to understand. Moreover, despite its shortness, the contents are very compacted. Fortunately, the setting is around 1920s. This means that the story was influenced by World War I, as well as America’s great desire for affluence. Although Gatsby is barely mentioned, one of the passages emphasizes the size of his mansion compared to the house Nick rents. It shows the different quality of lives between separate economic “classes.” Moreover, the theme revolves around work, which is demonstrated by t Nick coming to New York: to be in the bond business. The fundamental of the book is based on working and social class. I cannot judge whether the quality of the book is recommendable or not because I am only on the second chapter. However, I think The Great Gatsby is going to be one of the best books I have read despite the difficulty in understanding and a little bit of tediousness. What I have found on Internet is that it is ranked second in the Modern Library’s list of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century. It is also used in many high schools and colleges. Although I cannot form my opinion based on these facts, I like it so far. It is definitely not a fast read because you will be likely to miss many important points and symbols. The book makes readers think because it is compacted in its form. I think so far the book only shows the lives of rich people during the era, but it will eventually provide the contour of lives of middle class and lower class. I think this is because it mainly focuses on the economic differences and materialism. Without a doubt, the book will stand the test of time as it features a fiscal aspect and those influenced by it.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is so far and interesting book, but has started off slow. I believe the book starts off slow because the first two chapters are introducing the readers into the novel and its characters. I believer the book is good so far because all though it is a kind of easy read, I believe as the novel gets into the story the plot will continue to get more complex. I enjoy the book so far, but it is hard to make a dead set decision on this novel because I have only read two chapters. The novel does happen to engage me on a higher level, more so then any of the summer reading. The novel is noteworthy because in just two chapters, I have already noticed many examples of social class, and the differences between them. I believe this novel will stand the test of time. Like Jeong said on the internet, this novel is rated second as the best books of the twentieth century. In the first chapter of this novel, the Narrator Nick Carraway rents a house on the less snooty West Egg. Nick soon takes a trip to the East Egg to visit his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom, who along with Nick is a Yale graduate. The novel will prove to be a solid and entertaining read that will show the class difference situation we are dealing with in America.
For the work and class independent reading, I chose the book named The Great Gatsby which is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book has a great reputation among people all over the world, and I had not read this one of the most famous books before. That is the reason why I chose this book to read and understand about it. I believe that the book would be one of my favorite books in my life. In The Great Gatsby, it starts with a young man whose name is Nick Carraway. Nick who is from Minnesota was educated at Yale University and he lives in West Egg district of Long Island, New York for learning the bond business. One of main character whose name is Jay Gatsby who is a mysterious man living in a Gothic mansion also lives in West Egg. One day, Nick goes East Egg to meet Tom Buchanan, who is a classmate of Nick, and Daisy Buchanan, who is Nick’s cousin, for dinner. When he arrives to the Buchanan’s, there is Jordan Baker that Nick takes a romantic interest. When Nick travels to New York City with Tom and Myrtle, Tom’s lover, they go to a flashy party. In the party, Myrtle gets the excessive amount of drink and begins to insult Tom about Daisy. Tom gets mad and responds by breaking her nose. As the book has a significant reputation, it seemed to be a great book to me. Especially the part shows the lives of American upper class. Both West Egg and East Egg districts of Long Island describe wealthy people in America in the early twentieth century very well. I believe that The Great Gatsby fits well under the specific theme of our English class, which is the “class.”
Dana Glubiak Individual Entry #1: I thought the Great Gatsby, by Scott Fitzgerald, was a little confusing and takes a lot of time to comprehend. I also think the book is pretty good in the start. I have found out already what characters I like who are Nick and Gatsby. I like both of them, because they both work for their money and appreciate what they have. They also are very caring to the less fortunate. I also have found out which characters I dislike. I do not like Tom and Jordan. Tom seems to be a rich snob who cares about himself more then anything else. Jordan seems like the rich princess who is never satisfied and always wants to buy more things to try and fill that emptiness. She also does not seem to care at all about the less fortunate. Overall, a slow start to a good book.
Dana Glubiak and Bubba Burke: Our group found that we were very confused and sort of lost after the first two chapters, but we met and cleared up all of the confusion. We all agreed on the people we dislike and like. We like Nick and Gatsby. Gatsby is a very caring individual who always looks to help anyone in need. Gatsby is rich, but also is very nice to people less fortunate. The person that we dislike is Tom. He is mean and full of himself. He seems to love himself more than anyone else. The setting of this story takes place around the 1920's i would say. Nick Carraway lives in a dirty apartment in West Egg, Long Island.
Group Entry #1 Do Han Kim, Jeong Kim, Bubba Burke, Dana Glubiak & Trevor
During the first group discussion, we unanimously agreed that the novel, The Great Gatsby was difficult to comprehend. Each of us seemed to grasp the general summaries of first two chapters, but failed to acknowledge frequently occurring themes. Consequently, we tried to tie the book to our class theme, work and class. What we learned so far from the book was that the setting takes place around early 1920s in the affluent environment, Long Island, New York. Nick Carraway, the main character, lives at West Egg, right next to his wealthy cousin, Daisy. She and her husband, Tom Buchanan set up a typical example of lives of rich people. For example, Tom commits adultery, falls in love with somebody else’s wife and spends great deal of money throwing parties. Because the community depicted in the book shows a stark contrast to the general economic status of others during this time period, we came into an agreement that F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author, reflected his cynicism toward the idleness and waste of the rich. Overall, we thought that the pace of the book was slow, but the content seemed to be profound. We began to understand why most people who read The Great Gatsby praise its literary excellence. For the next discussion, we are going to mainly focus on our characters.
Bubba Burke individual #1 I choose the Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald for my choose book. This book is really confusing and is very boring to read. So far in the book a couple of character have been introduced. Nick Carraway is the narrator of the story. He is in the bond buisness and lives at West Egg in Long island. He is neighbors with Gatsby. In the first chapter Nick visits his cousin Daisy in New York at their fine French estate. The book describes the building as if i was a palace for a queen and king. So far i have been trying to get engaged with the reading but nothing is happening for me. I can already tell that the book will adress social and class differnces in America due to how the Author describes the characters and settings in the story.
Dana Glubiak Individual #2: The book has definitely picked up from the beginning. I am interested to find out more about Gatsby’s past, because I did not believe it until he showed Nick the picture of himself at Oxford and the medal from Montenegro. I am also interested in how Gatsby got all of his money. If all that he said is true about his past, then he should not be that rich. He never really had a steady job which is why I think he is either lying or not telling Nick everything about his past. I also was interested about Gatsby and Daisy. I want to find out if Daisy still has feelings for Gatsby, because Gatsby obviously still has feelings for her. Overall, I think that the book is getting much more interesting and I am looking forward to finding out more about Gatsby.
Since my second chapter, Gatsby invites Nick Carraway to his party and sends a chauffeur to pick Nick up. When Nick arrives to Gatsby’s house, he is impressed, rather overwhelmed by Gatsby’s enormous affluence. Especially, the presence of an orchestra is surprising: “By seven o’clock the orchestra has arrived-no thin five piece affair but a whole pit full of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos and low and high drums” (Fitzgerald, 44). Unfortunately, the party host does not show up. Nick, who wants to encounter Gatsby, wanders around and meets Jordan Baker. They talk for a while and hear all kinds of rumors about Gatsby, but no one seems to know truth: “I think he killed a man” (54). At midnight, Nick and Baker go out to see an entertainment and find out Gatsby. Nick first does not recognize him, but when he mentions the mysteriousness of Gatsby, Gatsby identifies himself as the host. Gatsby leaves immediately. However, he calls on a private meeting with Baker, who finds an amazing fact that Gatsby loves Daisy. In the next chapter, Gatsby invites Nick to a lunch and tells him briefly about how he became rich: Gatsby was educated in Oxford and inherited all the wealth from his parents who demised early in his life. He also attended the war to kill himself to forget all the miseries. However, he survived and was promoted. When Gatsby explains all these, they arrive to a restaurant and meet Meyer Wolfshiem, who fixed World Series. They enjoy a great lunch and Nick goes back home. He meets Baker, who explains personal history of Gatsby: he met Daisy during the war and fell in love with her. He brought his house at East Egg to live right across Daisy’s house to have a better scope of her. She then tells Nick to invite Daisy and Gatsby to his house and set up a meeting for them. This is basically where chapter three and four end. Unlike the first two chapters, I did not have a difficult time finishing it. It begins to meet some of my expectation as the author begins to introduce Gatsby and his internal conflict. The book seems develop into complex plots and I see frequently occurring conflicts among characters. I enjoy how the book started to make sense for me. Similar to the first two chapters, The Great Gatsby contains work and class theme by emphasizing virtually an affluent side of society. It is impressive to see how Gatsby always throws enormous parties weekly in order to approach Daisy. For the members of working class, it is considered not only unreasonable but also unacceptable. Also, I think the book begins to show a critical defect of the rich as a theme: adultery. Considering how Gatsby wastes his money to find his love, a married and faithful wife, and how Tom ditches his own wife and falls into love with anther married wife, I think that the adultery is, without a doubt, a theme. It definitely shows negative images of non-working class. So far, I am enjoying reading the book. As the author reveals a main focus or conflict of the book, I became interested. Immediately it became a fast read for me. Another factor that adds to speed reading is, in my opinion, its relation to social and cultural value. Adultery, work and class are, aforementioned important themes as well as contemporarily occurring theme. In many countries, there is an obvious increase in divorces due to adultery. Even in Korea, finding second-love becomes a problem. However, because a masterpiece like The Great Gatsby deals with such problem, it is more interesting to read. Although I mentioned this in my first blog, I think the book will stand the test of time because it mainly deals with past, current and possibly future issues: work and class.
In the third chapter, Gatsby invites Nick to his elaborate party and his chauffeur brings Nick to Gatsby’s mansion. Gatsby’s party is extremely luxurious. His mansion has swimming pool, buffet tents, and an orchestra which is filled with great musicians. Guests in his party become more boisterous and noisier as they drink more with free liquor which flows in the party. While Nick walks around in the groups of people, he meets Jordan who is also invited in the party. Since Nick and Jordan really want to know about a host of the party who can afford such an extravagant party, they wander around to find Gatsby. While they look for Gatsby, they hear many kinds of strange rumors about Gatsby that he killed a man before. Finally, Nick and Jordan meet Gatsby and they have a conversation. During the conversation, Nick finds out that Gatsby does not drink and that he does not really enjoy the party. In the forth chapter, Nick tells a story about a trip that he took to New York with Gatsby to eat lunch. On the way to New York, Nick hears about Gatsby’s story telling about the past. Gatsby says that he is one of alumni of Oxford, collected jewels in Europe, and awarded medals in World War I. The most interesting thing that Nick hears is that Gatsby inherited all the wealth from his parents who had deceased when he was young. In the city, Gatsby takes Nick to lunch and introduces him to Meyer Wolfshiem saying that he was responsible for fixing the World Series. After they have a lunch, Nick meets Baker who tells the truth of Gatsby. Baker says that Gatsby met Daisy during the war and fell in love with her. According to Jordan, Gatsby has asked her to persuade Nick to arrange a meeting with Daisy. A story of the book gets exciting as I read more and more. Some of my expectation meets the book and I feel that the plot of the book is interesting. As I read more chapters, I can infer that the theme of the book is really about “work and class.” Gatsby’s luxurious party shows that he is high class of the high classes. His act of throwing party every weekend describes how high classes are corrupt and dishonest. He throws party only to see Daisy who is a married woman. Also, he uses Nick to arrange a meeting with Daisy. This definitely shows infidelity of the rich. It seems that The Great Gatsby tells our society to be more honest and candid. I am really fascinated by F. Scott Fitzgerald that the he tries to say something to the society through the book.
The Great Gatsby is heading towards its peak. In chapter five and six, Jay Gatsby is formally introduced to Daisy and reveals his deeply rooted love. As a mediator, Nick invites both of them to his house for a tea and sets them up. Jay Gatsby sends a gardener cut Nick’s grass before Daisy comes and waits impatiently for her presence. When it rains, he freaks out saying “Nobody’s coming to tea. It’s too late!” (90). The moment Daisy shows up, he suddenly disappears and knock on the front door pretending he just came: “She turned her head as there was a light, dignified knocking at the front door” (91). Gatsby tries to behave himself, but the anxiety simply overwhelms him. Nick excuses himself, an attempt to leave them alone and to give Gatsby an opportunity to talk to Daisy personally. However, nervous Gatsby follows him: “He followed me wildly into the kitchen, closed the door and whispered ‘Oh, God!’ in a miserable way” (92). Nick tells Gatsby it is rude to leave her alone in the table and forces Gatsby to talk to her. When Nick wanders around appreciating Gatsby’s magnificent house and comes back, Gatsby and Daisy are friendly; seemingly, they understand the mutual love. Gatsby then invites Daisy and Nick to his house. He forces Mr. Klipspringer to play piano. Daisy and Gatsby are absorbed into each other and fail to recognize the presence of Nick. Nick exits. A reporter from New York arrives one morning at Gatsby’s house and asks for an interview. Gatsby asks what the reporter wants to know, but no answer. Nick simply interrupts and gives a brief history of Gatsby. Born as James Gatz, his name was changed when he met Dan Cody, an affluent man. He used to help Dan sail, but when Dan died, he learned the taste of wealth and decided to become successful. Nick does not hear from Gatsby and Daisy for a while. He stops by Gatsby’s house one afternoon and finds Tom Buchanan, who stops for a drink. Gatsby meets them and slightly feels nervous about Tom. Nick re-introduces them to each other and Gatsby, out of blue, claims that he knows Tom’s wife. Tom feels unpleasant about that and goes to party on following Saturday with Daisy. Gatsby asks her for a dance, but both of them feel very unpleasant: “‘She didn’t like it,’ he insisted. ‘She didn’t have a good time.’” (116). Gatsby believes that he can turn back the hands of time and hopes that Daisy departs Tom. Nick advices him it cannot be. The Great Gatsby is continuously meeting my expectation as it approaches the peak. I am afraid on the one hand, but on the other hand, cannot wait to see their clandestine romance discovered by Tom. I know it is going to be a tragedy, but still hopes to know what is going to happen. If the author somehow draws unexpected conclusion such as happy ending, I would be surprised. We find out the effectiveness of wealth through Gatsby’s past. It demonstrates how important for one to work and to rise to higher class. On contrary, I think the book criticizes the corruption of higher class due to their immense wealth. For the past two entries, I mentioned the adultery. Although it could be seen as a romance, the flip side of the coin is that it is illegal and immoral. Rather than comparing and contrasting two different classes, I think the author mainly focuses on one high class. As the book reaches its peak and begins to show major events, I am possessed by it. I cannot say whether or not it is a page turner, but it is a good read. So far, the book is intriguing; I am anxious to read the ending because it digs deeper into morality in terms of loving someone. I hope that the author endows great life for Tom, Daisy, Myrtle, and Gatsby. However, the incident dealt in this book is universally immoral social and cultural issue. Therefore, my guess is that he would not be so benevolent to give readers a happy ending.
In chapter five and six, the story is mainly about Gatsby and Daisy, who loved each other when they were in Louisville. Nick is on the way to his home and Gatsby suddenly come up to him. Gatsby is really nervous and he tries to make Nick happy. Nick realizes that Gatsby wants him to set up a meeting with Daisy. Nick agrees and tells Gatsby that he is going to arrange the meeting with his lover. Then, Gatsby suddenly gets so happy and starts to offer many things to Nick in order to express his thanks. As Nick promised to Gatsby, he arranges the meeting and Gatsby and Daisy finally meet together. At first, both are so awkward that Gatsby thinks that arranging a meeting with Daisy is mistake. However after few minutes, Gatsby and Daisy are so happy and close together. After their meeting, Gatsby invites both Nick and Daisy to his house to show off his luxuriousness. In order to make romantic mood, Gatsby calls in Klipspringer to play a piano. Nick decides to give a space for them and leaves. One day, Nick goes to Gatsby’s party and there are also Tom and Daisy. Gatsby asks Daisy to dance with him, but Daisy does not really look happy. Therefore, Gatsby asks Nick why she is unhappy and says that he wants to love Daisy like what it used to be. Nick answers that it is not going to happen, and the story ends. Everything met my expectations except the part that Nick answers that Gatsby cannot love Daisy like what it used to be. I thought that the story of The Great Gatsby would be a happy ending. However, since Nick answers that the love between Daisy and Gatsby cannot happen, I realized that the story would not be happy ending or what I imagined. Gatsby’s act of throwing parties every weeks and showing off his wealth shows the corruption of the rich people straightforwardly. Also, Gatsby tries to love Daisy who is a wife of Tom, which shows adultery of rich people. In my opinion, the book is so far so good. I like a plot of the book that is not imaginable easily. The plot keeps changing and very creative. I believe that next chapters that I am going to read soon would be more interesting to read.
Dana Glubiak Individual #3: I am starting to enjoy the Great Gatsby much more. I am happy that Gatsby and Daisy’s reunion went well and that they are back together. I am still suspicious about Tom and what he is willing to do to separate Gatsby and Daisy. I think Tom is a bad man and he will to anything to have Daisy to himself. I did not know that Gatsby got his fortune from a chain of drug stores. Now, I am starting to accept the fact that Gatsby did earn his money and did not steal it. I am looking forward to how Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship plays out and how Tom reacts to it. Overall, It is really starting to pick up.
Group Entry #2 Our group had a discussion about the characters in the book. We all agreed that a plot of the book was gradually getting tense and conflicts between characters develop as we read more. For example, Gatsby does his best to set up a meeting with his lover, Daisy. However, there is always an obstacle that hinders the love between Gatsby and Daisy. Also, we had the same opinion that the theme of book exactly matches our theme, “class.” Gatsby’s action towards Daisy shows an adultery of the rich. Daisy is a faithful wife, but Gatsby still tries to meet and to love her. He thinks that money can do anything. He thinks that money is omnipotent. We think that Nick is the only just character. He stands in the middle of conflicts and narrates the story. He treats everyone kindly and avoids an corruption occuring as a consequence of the affluence. Nick helps Gatsby to set a meeting with Daisy, but refuses to receive Gatsby’s token of gratitude. Although the book contains lots of confusing points and difficult usages of language, it brings us great meanings in lives. The most important lesson out of all was that money cannot replace everything. We hope that during our next meeting, we finish the book and pick up other lessons.
Dana Glubiak Individual Entry #4: I enjoyed the book greatly, but I thought the ending was sort of sad and depressing. I have come to the conclusion that money and jealously was the problem. Wilson and Tom both got jealous of their wives and took it to extreme measures. I realized that Daisy is not a nice person and would not even take the blame for a crime she did and instead let Gatsby die. Jealousy led Tom to tell Wilson that Gatsby killed Myrtle and not Daisy. If Daisy came forth and told everyone that she killed Myrtle then Wilson would not have killed Gatsby. Then Tom and Daisy did not even take the blame for getting Gatsby killed and they said he deserved it. I thought that Tom and Daisy ended up ruining their friendships with Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby and they ended up causing Gatsby’s death. Overall, the Great Gatsby was a good book with a depressing ended.
Jeong Kim Individual entry #4 Finally, the Great Gatsby came to an end. In last three chapters, the book reaches the climax and suddenly accelerates. In chapter seven, Gatsby confronts Tom claiming that Daisy has never loved Tom, but him. They ask Daisy for the answer. With a hesitation, she replies that she loves Gatsby although it is not true that she has never loved Tom. Hoping to settle down the conflict, everyone leaves New York and goes back. On the way back, Myrtle is hit by Tom’s yellow car, of which Gatsby and Daisy were driving. Tom discovers it and freaks out. On the next chapter, Nick visits Gatsby the next day, who tells how he fell in love with Daisy. Suddenly, a gardener comes in and asks if Gatsby wants to drain the pool. Gatsby tells him to wait a day. Wilson, overwhelmed with sadness and madness, looks for the car and finds out Gatsby floating in his pool. Gatsby’s chauffer heard the gun shot and finds out Gatsby dead. On the very last chapter of the book, Nick searches for people who can come to the funeral. Everyone including even Meyer Wolfshiem rejects it. Nick visits Meyer, who is supposedly in Chicago according to his secretary, in his office and fails to convince him to come. Meyer says, “Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead” (180). Unfortunately, only few people including Nick, Gatsby’s father and servants came. Nick decides to move back to where he is originally from, but he encounters Tom. He refuses to handshake but at the end, he does. For the last of his life, Nick walks over to Gatsby’s mansion and reminisces. He says, “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it” (189). He then says, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (189). The book eventually came to an end and it did not disappoint me. I am simply overwhelmed with its tragic ending. I hoped that it somehow gives a happy ending, but obviously two couples who commit adultery faced the consequences. I personally do not know how to relate last three chapters to our work and class themes. However, I learned it from one internet source that the book is about an American dream: for example, Gatsby’s American dream is to regain Daisy’s love. Nevertheless, I have to disagree. I think this is more about the corruption of the riches, upper class. If the setting of the book took place in an impoverished environment, the entire story would not make sense because everyone would be busy working their way through. But these characters introduced in the book do not seem to work as much as others who live in the contemporary, and easily fall into corruption due to their class. The book finally becomes virtually a page turner when I started to read chapter seven. I really enjoyed the book as it gave me a deeper understanding of affluent class during early 1900s. I figured that the book has a social value in that it shows how humans are full of vanities and that people give as much effort as possible in order to attain them even if they go against the rules. Again, The Great Gatsby is highly recommendable book, in my personal opinion because the book contains not only lots of literary values but also life-long lessons such as an occurrence of corruption due to wealth. If anyone hesitates to choose what book to read, they should choose The Great Gatsby first because it will make them be possessed.
Last three chapters were pretty much sad story. Tom realizes Gatsby is in love with Daisy and he gets really mad because of her wife’s unfaithfulness. When Tom meets Gatsby, Tom asserts that Daisy loves him, and he tells Daisy that Gatsby is not a guy with the truth. After the matter when Nick, Jordan, and Tom drive, they find Gatsby's car and dead Myrtle, Tom's lover. Nick soon knows that Daisy was the one that hit Myrtle, but Gatsby takes the blame. After the day Myrtle killed, Tom tells George that Gatsby was the one killed Myrtle. George gets upset and shoots Gatsby in the pool at his mansion. Also, George shoots himself. After all that happens, Nick tries to set a funeral for Gatsby, but nobody is not willing to come to his funeral except Gatsby’s father and Nick. Nick decides to move back to where he is from and ends his relationship with Jordan. As Nick leaves, he feels how awful people living East Egg and West Egg are. Last three chapters were pathetic to read. I did not imagine that the story ends with sadness. I thought the book ends with happiness for all. Although it was sad-ending, I learned that the wealthy is not always happy. They are more likely to live unsatisfied life. In the story, Gatsby's dream of Daisy ended with failure. His dream was basically corrupted by money and dishonesty. Again, I strongly recommend The Great Gatsby because the book contains a lot of lessons for our life.
18 comments:
Jeong Kim Entry #1
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is presented as a recollection of Nick Carraway, a bond salesman. He mentions one of his personal traits, which is to avoid judging people. He also says that he chose to learn the bond business because everyone he knew was involved. To be in the bond business, Nick moves to New York and rents a house at West Egg. He visits his second cousin Daisy and her husband Tom, whose house is located at East Egg. Nick meets a new woman named Jordan Baker, and four of them enjoy the dinner until Tom’s love, Myrtle, interrupts with a telephone call. Nick leaves because it is awkward. When he arrives home, he sees his neighbor, Gatsby, for the first time.
In the second chapter, Tom introduces Myrtle to Nick. Although Myrtle is married to George Wilson, she commits adultery and is attracted to Tom. Three of them go to Tom’s apartment and have a party. The guests including Mr. and Mrs. McKee, Myrtle’s sister show up and everyone drinks too much. Nick says that this is the second time he has ever been drunk. Then he witnesses Tom slapping Myrtle in the nose because she intentionally and continuously mentions Daisy’s name in front of him. The party atmosphere dies down and Nick decides to leave on four A.M train.
The Great Gatsby does not meet my expectation because no dramatic events have taken place so far. Also, Fitzerald’s writing is challenging for me to understand. Moreover, despite its shortness, the contents are very compacted.
Fortunately, the setting is around 1920s. This means that the story was influenced by World War I, as well as America’s great desire for affluence. Although Gatsby is barely mentioned, one of the passages emphasizes the size of his mansion compared to the house Nick rents. It shows the different quality of lives between separate economic “classes.” Moreover, the theme revolves around work, which is demonstrated by t Nick coming to New York: to be in the bond business. The fundamental of the book is based on working and social class.
I cannot judge whether the quality of the book is recommendable or not because I am only on the second chapter. However, I think The Great Gatsby is going to be one of the best books I have read despite the difficulty in understanding and a little bit of tediousness. What I have found on Internet is that it is ranked second in the Modern Library’s list of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century. It is also used in many high schools and colleges. Although I cannot form my opinion based on these facts, I like it so far. It is definitely not a fast read because you will be likely to miss many important points and symbols. The book makes readers think because it is compacted in its form. I think so far the book only shows the lives of rich people during the era, but it will eventually provide the contour of lives of middle class and lower class. I think this is because it mainly focuses on the economic differences and materialism. Without a doubt, the book will stand the test of time as it features a fiscal aspect and those influenced by it.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is so far and interesting book, but has started off slow. I believe the book starts off slow because the first two chapters are introducing the readers into the novel and its characters. I believer the book is good so far because all though it is a kind of easy read, I believe as the novel gets into the story the plot will continue to get more complex. I enjoy the book so far, but it is hard to make a dead set decision on this novel because I have only read two chapters. The novel does happen to engage me on a higher level, more so then any of the summer reading. The novel is noteworthy because in just two chapters, I have already noticed many examples of social class, and the differences between them. I believe this novel will stand the test of time. Like Jeong said on the internet, this novel is rated second as the best books of the twentieth century. In the first chapter of this novel, the Narrator Nick Carraway rents a house on the less snooty West Egg. Nick soon takes a trip to the East Egg to visit his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom, who along with Nick is a Yale graduate. The novel will prove to be a solid and entertaining read that will show the class difference situation we are dealing with in America.
Do Han Kim
Individual Entry #1
For the work and class independent reading, I chose the book named The Great Gatsby which is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book has a great reputation among people all over the world, and I had not read this one of the most famous books before. That is the reason why I chose this book to read and understand about it. I believe that the book would be one of my favorite books in my life.
In The Great Gatsby, it starts with a young man whose name is Nick Carraway. Nick who is from Minnesota was educated at Yale University and he lives in West Egg district of Long Island, New York for learning the bond business. One of main character whose name is Jay Gatsby who is a mysterious man living in a Gothic mansion also lives in West Egg. One day, Nick goes East Egg to meet Tom Buchanan, who is a classmate of Nick, and Daisy Buchanan, who is Nick’s cousin, for dinner. When he arrives to the Buchanan’s, there is Jordan Baker that Nick takes a romantic interest. When Nick travels to New York City with Tom and Myrtle, Tom’s lover, they go to a flashy party. In the party, Myrtle gets the excessive amount of drink and begins to insult Tom about Daisy. Tom gets mad and responds by breaking her nose.
As the book has a significant reputation, it seemed to be a great book to me. Especially the part shows the lives of American upper class. Both West Egg and East Egg districts of Long Island describe wealthy people in America in the early twentieth century very well. I believe that The Great Gatsby fits well under the specific theme of our English class, which is the “class.”
Dana Glubiak Individual Entry #1: I thought the Great Gatsby, by Scott Fitzgerald, was a little confusing and takes a lot of time to comprehend. I also think the book is pretty good in the start. I have found out already what characters I like who are Nick and Gatsby. I like both of them, because they both work for their money and appreciate what they have. They also are very caring to the less fortunate. I also have found out which characters I dislike. I do not like Tom and Jordan. Tom seems to be a rich snob who cares about himself more then anything else. Jordan seems like the rich princess who is never satisfied and always wants to buy more things to try and fill that emptiness. She also does not seem to care at all about the less fortunate. Overall, a slow start to a good book.
Dana Glubiak and Bubba Burke: Our group found that we were very confused and sort of lost after the first two chapters, but we met and cleared up all of the confusion. We all agreed on the people we dislike and like. We like Nick and Gatsby. Gatsby is a very caring individual who always looks to help anyone in need. Gatsby is rich, but also is very nice to people less fortunate. The person that we dislike is Tom. He is mean and full of himself. He seems to love himself more than anyone else.
The setting of this story takes place around the 1920's i would say. Nick Carraway lives in a dirty apartment in West Egg, Long Island.
Group Entry #1
Do Han Kim, Jeong Kim, Bubba Burke, Dana Glubiak & Trevor
During the first group discussion, we unanimously agreed that the novel, The Great Gatsby was difficult to comprehend. Each of us seemed to grasp the general summaries of first two chapters, but failed to acknowledge frequently occurring themes. Consequently, we tried to tie the book to our class theme, work and class.
What we learned so far from the book was that the setting takes place around early 1920s in the affluent environment, Long Island, New York. Nick Carraway, the main character, lives at West Egg, right next to his wealthy cousin, Daisy. She and her husband, Tom Buchanan set up a typical example of lives of rich people. For example, Tom commits adultery, falls in love with somebody else’s wife and spends great deal of money throwing parties. Because the community depicted in the book shows a stark contrast to the general economic status of others during this time period, we came into an agreement that F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author, reflected his cynicism toward the idleness and waste of the rich.
Overall, we thought that the pace of the book was slow, but the content seemed to be profound. We began to understand why most people who read The Great Gatsby praise its literary excellence. For the next discussion, we are going to mainly focus on our characters.
Bubba Burke individual #1
I choose the Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald for my choose book. This book is really confusing and is very boring to read. So far in the book a couple of character have been introduced. Nick Carraway is the narrator of the story. He is in the bond buisness and lives at West Egg in Long island. He is neighbors with Gatsby. In the first chapter Nick visits his cousin Daisy in New York at their fine French estate. The book describes the building as if i was a palace for a queen and king. So far i have been trying to get engaged with the reading but nothing is happening for me. I can already tell that the book will adress social and class differnces in America due to how the Author describes the characters and settings in the story.
Dana Glubiak Individual #2: The book has definitely picked up from the beginning. I am interested to find out more about Gatsby’s past, because I did not believe it until he showed Nick the picture of himself at Oxford and the medal from Montenegro. I am also interested in how Gatsby got all of his money. If all that he said is true about his past, then he should not be that rich. He never really had a steady job which is why I think he is either lying or not telling Nick everything about his past. I also was interested about Gatsby and Daisy. I want to find out if Daisy still has feelings for Gatsby, because Gatsby obviously still has feelings for her. Overall, I think that the book is getting much more interesting and I am looking forward to finding out more about Gatsby.
Jeong Kim
Individual Entry #2
Since my second chapter, Gatsby invites Nick Carraway to his party and sends a chauffeur to pick Nick up. When Nick arrives to Gatsby’s house, he is impressed, rather overwhelmed by Gatsby’s enormous affluence. Especially, the presence of an orchestra is surprising: “By seven o’clock the orchestra has arrived-no thin five piece affair but a whole pit full of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos and low and high drums” (Fitzgerald, 44). Unfortunately, the party host does not show up. Nick, who wants to encounter Gatsby, wanders around and meets Jordan Baker. They talk for a while and hear all kinds of rumors about Gatsby, but no one seems to know truth: “I think he killed a man” (54). At midnight, Nick and Baker go out to see an entertainment and find out Gatsby. Nick first does not recognize him, but when he mentions the mysteriousness of Gatsby, Gatsby identifies himself as the host. Gatsby leaves immediately. However, he calls on a private meeting with Baker, who finds an amazing fact that Gatsby loves Daisy. In the next chapter, Gatsby invites Nick to a lunch and tells him briefly about how he became rich: Gatsby was educated in Oxford and inherited all the wealth from his parents who demised early in his life. He also attended the war to kill himself to forget all the miseries. However, he survived and was promoted. When Gatsby explains all these, they arrive to a restaurant and meet Meyer Wolfshiem, who fixed World Series. They enjoy a great lunch and Nick goes back home. He meets Baker, who explains personal history of Gatsby: he met Daisy during the war and fell in love with her. He brought his house at East Egg to live right across Daisy’s house to have a better scope of her. She then tells Nick to invite Daisy and Gatsby to his house and set up a meeting for them. This is basically where chapter three and four end.
Unlike the first two chapters, I did not have a difficult time finishing it. It begins to meet some of my expectation as the author begins to introduce Gatsby and his internal conflict. The book seems develop into complex plots and I see frequently occurring conflicts among characters. I enjoy how the book started to make sense for me.
Similar to the first two chapters, The Great Gatsby contains work and class theme by emphasizing virtually an affluent side of society. It is impressive to see how Gatsby always throws enormous parties weekly in order to approach Daisy. For the members of working class, it is considered not only unreasonable but also unacceptable. Also, I think the book begins to show a critical defect of the rich as a theme: adultery. Considering how Gatsby wastes his money to find his love, a married and faithful wife, and how Tom ditches his own wife and falls into love with anther married wife, I think that the adultery is, without a doubt, a theme. It definitely shows negative images of non-working class.
So far, I am enjoying reading the book. As the author reveals a main focus or conflict of the book, I became interested. Immediately it became a fast read for me. Another factor that adds to speed reading is, in my opinion, its relation to social and cultural value. Adultery, work and class are, aforementioned important themes as well as contemporarily occurring theme. In many countries, there is an obvious increase in divorces due to adultery. Even in Korea, finding second-love becomes a problem. However, because a masterpiece like The Great Gatsby deals with such problem, it is more interesting to read. Although I mentioned this in my first blog, I think the book will stand the test of time because it mainly deals with past, current and possibly future issues: work and class.
Individual Entry #2
In the third chapter, Gatsby invites Nick to his elaborate party and his chauffeur brings Nick to Gatsby’s mansion. Gatsby’s party is extremely luxurious. His mansion has swimming pool, buffet tents, and an orchestra which is filled with great musicians. Guests in his party become more boisterous and noisier as they drink more with free liquor which flows in the party. While Nick walks around in the groups of people, he meets Jordan who is also invited in the party. Since Nick and Jordan really want to know about a host of the party who can afford such an extravagant party, they wander around to find Gatsby. While they look for Gatsby, they hear many kinds of strange rumors about Gatsby that he killed a man before. Finally, Nick and Jordan meet Gatsby and they have a conversation. During the conversation, Nick finds out that Gatsby does not drink and that he does not really enjoy the party. In the forth chapter, Nick tells a story about a trip that he took to New York with Gatsby to eat lunch. On the way to New York, Nick hears about Gatsby’s story telling about the past. Gatsby says that he is one of alumni of Oxford, collected jewels in Europe, and awarded medals in World War I. The most interesting thing that Nick hears is that Gatsby inherited all the wealth from his parents who had deceased when he was young. In the city, Gatsby takes Nick to lunch and introduces him to Meyer Wolfshiem saying that he was responsible for fixing the World Series. After they have a lunch, Nick meets Baker who tells the truth of Gatsby. Baker says that Gatsby met Daisy during the war and fell in love with her. According to Jordan, Gatsby has asked her to persuade Nick to arrange a meeting with Daisy.
A story of the book gets exciting as I read more and more. Some of my expectation meets the book and I feel that the plot of the book is interesting. As I read more chapters, I can infer that the theme of the book is really about “work and class.” Gatsby’s luxurious party shows that he is high class of the high classes. His act of throwing party every weekend describes how high classes are corrupt and dishonest. He throws party only to see Daisy who is a married woman. Also, he uses Nick to arrange a meeting with Daisy. This definitely shows infidelity of the rich. It seems that The Great Gatsby tells our society to be more honest and candid. I am really fascinated by F. Scott Fitzgerald that the he tries to say something to the society through the book.
Jeong Kim - Individual Entry #3
The Great Gatsby is heading towards its peak. In chapter five and six, Jay Gatsby is formally introduced to Daisy and reveals his deeply rooted love. As a mediator, Nick invites both of them to his house for a tea and sets them up. Jay Gatsby sends a gardener cut Nick’s grass before Daisy comes and waits impatiently for her presence. When it rains, he freaks out saying “Nobody’s coming to tea. It’s too late!” (90). The moment Daisy shows up, he suddenly disappears and knock on the front door pretending he just came: “She turned her head as there was a light, dignified knocking at the front door” (91). Gatsby tries to behave himself, but the anxiety simply overwhelms him. Nick excuses himself, an attempt to leave them alone and to give Gatsby an opportunity to talk to Daisy personally. However, nervous Gatsby follows him: “He followed me wildly into the kitchen, closed the door and whispered ‘Oh, God!’ in a miserable way” (92). Nick tells Gatsby it is rude to leave her alone in the table and forces Gatsby to talk to her. When Nick wanders around appreciating Gatsby’s magnificent house and comes back, Gatsby and Daisy are friendly; seemingly, they understand the mutual love. Gatsby then invites Daisy and Nick to his house. He forces Mr. Klipspringer to play piano. Daisy and Gatsby are absorbed into each other and fail to recognize the presence of Nick. Nick exits.
A reporter from New York arrives one morning at Gatsby’s house and asks for an interview. Gatsby asks what the reporter wants to know, but no answer. Nick simply interrupts and gives a brief history of Gatsby. Born as James Gatz, his name was changed when he met Dan Cody, an affluent man. He used to help Dan sail, but when Dan died, he learned the taste of wealth and decided to become successful.
Nick does not hear from Gatsby and Daisy for a while. He stops by Gatsby’s house one afternoon and finds Tom Buchanan, who stops for a drink. Gatsby meets them and slightly feels nervous about Tom. Nick re-introduces them to each other and Gatsby, out of blue, claims that he knows Tom’s wife. Tom feels unpleasant about that and goes to party on following Saturday with Daisy. Gatsby asks her for a dance, but both of them feel very unpleasant: “‘She didn’t like it,’ he insisted. ‘She didn’t have a good time.’” (116). Gatsby believes that he can turn back the hands of time and hopes that Daisy departs Tom. Nick advices him it cannot be.
The Great Gatsby is continuously meeting my expectation as it approaches the peak. I am afraid on the one hand, but on the other hand, cannot wait to see their clandestine romance discovered by Tom. I know it is going to be a tragedy, but still hopes to know what is going to happen. If the author somehow draws unexpected conclusion such as happy ending, I would be surprised.
We find out the effectiveness of wealth through Gatsby’s past. It demonstrates how important for one to work and to rise to higher class. On contrary, I think the book criticizes the corruption of higher class due to their immense wealth. For the past two entries, I mentioned the adultery. Although it could be seen as a romance, the flip side of the coin is that it is illegal and immoral. Rather than comparing and contrasting two different classes, I think the author mainly focuses on one high class.
As the book reaches its peak and begins to show major events, I am possessed by it. I cannot say whether or not it is a page turner, but it is a good read. So far, the book is intriguing; I am anxious to read the ending because it digs deeper into morality in terms of loving someone. I hope that the author endows great life for Tom, Daisy, Myrtle, and Gatsby. However, the incident dealt in this book is universally immoral social and cultural issue. Therefore, my guess is that he would not be so benevolent to give readers a happy ending.
Do Han Kim
Individual Entry #3
In chapter five and six, the story is mainly about Gatsby and Daisy, who loved each other when they were in Louisville. Nick is on the way to his home and Gatsby suddenly come up to him. Gatsby is really nervous and he tries to make Nick happy. Nick realizes that Gatsby wants him to set up a meeting with Daisy. Nick agrees and tells Gatsby that he is going to arrange the meeting with his lover. Then, Gatsby suddenly gets so happy and starts to offer many things to Nick in order to express his thanks.
As Nick promised to Gatsby, he arranges the meeting and Gatsby and Daisy finally meet together. At first, both are so awkward that Gatsby thinks that arranging a meeting with Daisy is mistake. However after few minutes, Gatsby and Daisy are so happy and close together. After their meeting, Gatsby invites both Nick and Daisy to his house to show off his luxuriousness. In order to make romantic mood, Gatsby calls in Klipspringer to play a piano. Nick decides to give a space for them and leaves.
One day, Nick goes to Gatsby’s party and there are also Tom and Daisy. Gatsby asks Daisy to dance with him, but Daisy does not really look happy. Therefore, Gatsby asks Nick why she is unhappy and says that he wants to love Daisy like what it used to be. Nick answers that it is not going to happen, and the story ends.
Everything met my expectations except the part that Nick answers that Gatsby cannot love Daisy like what it used to be. I thought that the story of The Great Gatsby would be a happy ending. However, since Nick answers that the love between Daisy and Gatsby cannot happen, I realized that the story would not be happy ending or what I imagined. Gatsby’s act of throwing parties every weeks and showing off his wealth shows the corruption of the rich people straightforwardly. Also, Gatsby tries to love Daisy who is a wife of Tom, which shows adultery of rich people. In my opinion, the book is so far so good. I like a plot of the book that is not imaginable easily. The plot keeps changing and very creative. I believe that next chapters that I am going to read soon would be more interesting to read.
Dana Glubiak Individual #3: I am starting to enjoy the Great Gatsby much more. I am happy that Gatsby and Daisy’s reunion went well and that they are back together. I am still suspicious about Tom and what he is willing to do to separate Gatsby and Daisy. I think Tom is a bad man and he will to anything to have Daisy to himself. I did not know that Gatsby got his fortune from a chain of drug stores. Now, I am starting to accept the fact that Gatsby did earn his money and did not steal it. I am looking forward to how Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship plays out and how Tom reacts to it. Overall, It is really starting to pick up.
Group Entry #2
Our group had a discussion about the characters in the book. We all agreed that a plot of the book was gradually getting tense and conflicts between characters develop as we read more. For example, Gatsby does his best to set up a meeting with his lover, Daisy. However, there is always an obstacle that hinders the love between Gatsby and Daisy.
Also, we had the same opinion that the theme of book exactly matches our theme, “class.” Gatsby’s action towards Daisy shows an adultery of the rich. Daisy is a faithful wife, but Gatsby still tries to meet and to love her. He thinks that money can do anything. He thinks that money is omnipotent.
We think that Nick is the only just character. He stands in the middle of conflicts and narrates the story. He treats everyone kindly and avoids an corruption occuring as a consequence of the affluence. Nick helps Gatsby to set a meeting with Daisy, but refuses to receive Gatsby’s token of gratitude.
Although the book contains lots of confusing points and difficult usages of language, it brings us great meanings in lives. The most important lesson out of all was that money cannot replace everything. We hope that during our next meeting, we finish the book and pick up other lessons.
Dana Glubiak Individual Entry #4: I enjoyed the book greatly, but I thought the ending was sort of sad and depressing. I have come to the conclusion that money and jealously was the problem. Wilson and Tom both got jealous of their wives and took it to extreme measures. I realized that Daisy is not a nice person and would not even take the blame for a crime she did and instead let Gatsby die. Jealousy led Tom to tell Wilson that Gatsby killed Myrtle and not Daisy. If Daisy came forth and told everyone that she killed Myrtle then Wilson would not have killed Gatsby. Then Tom and Daisy did not even take the blame for getting Gatsby killed and they said he deserved it. I thought that Tom and Daisy ended up ruining their friendships with Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby and they ended up causing Gatsby’s death. Overall, the Great Gatsby was a good book with a depressing ended.
Jeong Kim Individual entry #4
Finally, the Great Gatsby came to an end. In last three chapters, the book reaches the climax and suddenly accelerates. In chapter seven, Gatsby confronts Tom claiming that Daisy has never loved Tom, but him. They ask Daisy for the answer. With a hesitation, she replies that she loves Gatsby although it is not true that she has never loved Tom. Hoping to settle down the conflict, everyone leaves New York and goes back. On the way back, Myrtle is hit by Tom’s yellow car, of which Gatsby and Daisy were driving. Tom discovers it and freaks out. On the next chapter, Nick visits Gatsby the next day, who tells how he fell in love with Daisy. Suddenly, a gardener comes in and asks if Gatsby wants to drain the pool. Gatsby tells him to wait a day. Wilson, overwhelmed with sadness and madness, looks for the car and finds out Gatsby floating in his pool. Gatsby’s chauffer heard the gun shot and finds out Gatsby dead. On the very last chapter of the book, Nick searches for people who can come to the funeral. Everyone including even Meyer Wolfshiem rejects it. Nick visits Meyer, who is supposedly in Chicago according to his secretary, in his office and fails to convince him to come. Meyer says, “Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead” (180). Unfortunately, only few people including Nick, Gatsby’s father and servants came. Nick decides to move back to where he is originally from, but he encounters Tom. He refuses to handshake but at the end, he does. For the last of his life, Nick walks over to Gatsby’s mansion and reminisces. He says, “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it” (189). He then says, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (189).
The book eventually came to an end and it did not disappoint me. I am simply overwhelmed with its tragic ending. I hoped that it somehow gives a happy ending, but obviously two couples who commit adultery faced the consequences.
I personally do not know how to relate last three chapters to our work and class themes. However, I learned it from one internet source that the book is about an American dream: for example, Gatsby’s American dream is to regain Daisy’s love. Nevertheless, I have to disagree. I think this is more about the corruption of the riches, upper class. If the setting of the book took place in an impoverished environment, the entire story would not make sense because everyone would be busy working their way through. But these characters introduced in the book do not seem to work as much as others who live in the contemporary, and easily fall into corruption due to their class.
The book finally becomes virtually a page turner when I started to read chapter seven. I really enjoyed the book as it gave me a deeper understanding of affluent class during early 1900s. I figured that the book has a social value in that it shows how humans are full of vanities and that people give as much effort as possible in order to attain them even if they go against the rules. Again, The Great Gatsby is highly recommendable book, in my personal opinion because the book contains not only lots of literary values but also life-long lessons such as an occurrence of corruption due to wealth. If anyone hesitates to choose what book to read, they should choose The Great Gatsby first because it will make them be possessed.
Individual Entry #4
Do Han Kim
Last three chapters were pretty much sad story. Tom realizes Gatsby is in love with Daisy and he gets really mad because of her wife’s unfaithfulness. When Tom meets Gatsby, Tom asserts that Daisy loves him, and he tells Daisy that Gatsby is not a guy with the truth. After the matter when Nick, Jordan, and Tom drive, they find Gatsby's car and dead Myrtle, Tom's lover. Nick soon knows that Daisy was the one that hit Myrtle, but Gatsby takes the blame. After the day Myrtle killed, Tom tells George that Gatsby was the one killed Myrtle. George gets upset and shoots Gatsby in the pool at his mansion. Also, George shoots himself. After all that happens, Nick tries to set a funeral for Gatsby, but nobody is not willing to come to his funeral except Gatsby’s father and Nick. Nick decides to move back to where he is from and ends his relationship with Jordan. As Nick leaves, he feels how awful people living East Egg and West Egg are.
Last three chapters were pathetic to read. I did not imagine that the story ends with sadness. I thought the book ends with happiness for all. Although it was sad-ending, I learned that the wealthy is not always happy. They are more likely to live unsatisfied life. In the story, Gatsby's dream of Daisy ended with failure. His dream was basically corrupted by money and dishonesty. Again, I strongly recommend The Great Gatsby because the book contains a lot of lessons for our life.
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