Quotes - Gatsby Flashcards
“it was an extraordinary gift for hope” CH. 1 - Nick on Gatsby
“His eyes brood on over the solemn dumping ground” - CH. 2 (T.J. Eckleburg)
- decaying society
“that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful fool” CH. 1 (WOMEN LOOKED DOWN UPON & USED/PATRIARCHY)
- Patriarchy
- Women looked down upon
“thickish figure of a woman” “surplus flesh sensuously” “smouldering” CH. 1 (SEXUAL LOVE)
- Sexual descriptions of Myrtle
- It is obvious Nick doesn’t see much in Myrtle as regards intellect or personality
“eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic” CH. 2 (RELIGION/DESTRUCTION/CORRUPTION/DESIRE OF AMERICAN DREAM)
- Symbolism of God looking down at the corrupted society that chases the American Dream
- Religion decaying & superficiality, materialism increasing
“Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” CH. 2 (PATRIARCHY)
- Patriarchal society - Men having power over women
“I married him because I thought he was a gentleman… I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn’t fit to lick my shoe” “He borrowed somebody’s best suit” (SOCIAL CLASS/DESIRE OF SUPERFICIALITY)
- Myrtle values high status & wealth -> American dream -> the chase leads to her demise
- George lower class - not valued in society, just like Myrtle doesn’t value him
“I looked around. Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands” CH. 3 (PATRIARCHY)
- Remaining women shows that they lack importance, the leftovers or insignificant ones
- said to be their husbands implies the husbands are cheating - with multiple women -> seen in a song absent from thee, the scrutiny.
“Old sport” CH. 3 (SOCIAL CLASS/TABOO RELATIONSHIPS)
- Gatsby to Nick
- Friendly term of endearment between gentlemen during 20th century - adopted by Gatsby as his catchphrase
- Gatsby’s attempt to pass himself as smth he’s not -> belonging to the old money set
He had passed visibly through two states and was entering upon a third. After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence. He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity. Now, in the reaction, he was running down like an overwound clock” (OBSESSION)
- Gatsby’s obsession over Daisy
- Reference of time describing Gatsby ->
- Been full of the idea for so long -> constantly thinks about her
“he’s read a Chicago paper for years just on the chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy’s name” CH. 3 (OBSESSIVE LOVE)
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made” CH. 9 (SOCIAL CLASS)
- Higher class are viewed as bad ppl - Fritzgeral criticing the upper class and the division between classes within the society
- Ppl chasing american dream in lower class fail - whilst upper class dont fail due to their class priveleges
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” “his dream must have seemed so close he could hardly fail to grasp it” CH. 9
- Green light a sign of hope -> esp for the future
- Struggle of humans to achieve their goal
- Couldn’t achieve his goal -> because he’s in the lower class (not old money)
“She wanted her life shaped now, immediately – and the decision must be made by some force – of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality – that was close at hand.”
- Daisy wants to go back to accustomed life - with tom - filled with money - hes secure and rich
GATSBY’S DEATH “There was a faint, barely perceptible movement of the water as the fresh flow from one end urged its way toward the drain at the other with little ripples that were hardly the shadows of waves, the laden mattress moved irregularly down the pool.” “thin red circle in the water” CH. 8
- discovery of the body
- little ripple - gatsby - compared to the massive pool (reflecting on society/american dream) -> gatsby too vulnerable for this place, caused him to die as he tried to chase it
- Gatsby reduced to a thin red circle in the water -> insignificant
