everything Flashcards
What does white come to symbolise?
How vacant Jordan and Daisy are. Usually white symbolises purity and innocence, which is how they wish to appear. However in this novel this traditional symbolism is subverted, as white comes to suggest the absence of colour and therefore personality/ambitions/etc
What are the main themes of the novel?
- Dreams
- The hollowness of the rich
- Illusion vs reality
What are the messages of the novel?
- Money is a corrupting influence
- Dreams are a destructive force
- the American dream has been corrupted and disrespected in modern America
What are the features of Nick’s narrative style?
- Biased towards Gatsby and against the rich
- Not present for important events so must rely on the testimony of those he knows to be liars
- Chooses not to reveal certain things at first to build up tension/mystery
- Several references to poor eyesight and distorted perception as symbolic reminders that his narrative is not objective and reliable.
What do cars come to symbolise and why?
The destructive nature of the rich
- They are frequently crashing cars eg Gatsby’s party, Jordan’s terrible driving and near misses with pedestrians, Myrtle’s death, Jordan leaving the roof of a borrowed car down in the rain…
What does Gatsby’s house come to symbolise and why?
His false nature
- It is a “factual imitation” - looks old but is actually new.
the library is full of “real” books with the “pages uncut”, ie they have never actually been read.
In what ways is Gatsby an admirable character?
Mostly in contrast to the rich, eg:
- he made his own money
- he has a dream/ambition
- he loves Daisy, does not just use women
- fought in the war
In what ways is Gatsby a flawed character?
- liar
- criminal
- obsessive, won’t accept dream is unachievable
How is chapter 1 an effective opening to the novel?
- Nick’s personality is effectively introduced
- we are introduced to the rich characters and get a good idea of their natures
- the themes are made clear
- Mystery created around Gatsby to build tension
- some symbols introduced, eg white, green light, Gatsby’s house.
Which objects symbolise Daisy’s choice between love and money, and how?
the pearls and the letter. the pearls (expensive: Tom) end up "round her neck", while the letter (no monetary value: Gatsby) ends up "coming to pieces like snow"
In what way was Gatsby’s dream impossible?
He didn’t just want to win Daisy back, he wanted to essentially ‘erase’ the past five years as if they had never happened. he had also built Daisy up to be an elevated version of herself which she could never fulfil.
How is this classic novel still relevant to society today?
The divide between rich and poor, the treatment of the rich by the poor.
Despite the extraordinary events of the novel, how can all readers relate to Gatsby?
Everyone has a dream, everyone has aspects of their past they would like to keep hidden.
How is foreshadowing used in the novel?
- the car crashes foreshadow Myrtle’s death
- Daisy choosing Tom before the wedding foreshadows her refusal to leave him for Gatsby again.
How is pathetic fallacy used in the novel?
The cloying heat in chapter 7 is used to create and symbolise the unbearable tension as Gatsby tries to get Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him
