The Great Gatsby Chapter 9

The Great Gatsby

Things to KNOW

1)   List four sub-plots and be able to outline them according to the six elements

2)   Outline the main plot

3)   List all the rumors

4)   MOTIFS – explain the following and how it works in the overall meaning of the text: TIME, Car Crashes, Weather

5)   SYMBOLS- explain the following and how they work in the overall meaning of the novel: Eyes of Eckleburg, Green Light, Settings, Biloxi, Daisy’s voice, songs

6)   Characters: Nick, Jordan, Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, Klipspringer, Wilson, Owl Eyes, Myrtle, Mr. and Mrs. Sloan, Mr. Gatz, Dan Cody, Mr. and Mrs. McKee

7)   Quotes

8)   List all the dreams/illusions of the characters in Gatsby

9)   Allusions – KNOW AT LEAST FIVE ALLUSIONS and be able to discuss their importance

10) Classes – discuss the different classes and there representatives in Gatsby

11) THEMES: The Death of the American Dream; The Roaring Twenties; Time – The Meaning of Time; Social Classes and Social Structure in America

12) Meaning of characters names.

 

THEMES

The Corruption or death of the American Dream

When a man who spends five years trying to achieve wealth, social power and social respect, in order to win back the love of his life, a woman, discovers that the past can’t be repeated no matter how much money you acquire, he might meet an unfortunate end.

The American Dream is the dream of success, of being able to gain riches by who you are and how hard you work.  In America everyone is equal and therefore the DREAM is available to anyone with imagination, a hard work ethic, and internal resources of character.  The American Dream also is that with money we can buy anything.  Jay Gatsby, the invented persona of James Gatz, is the protagonist of THE GREAT GATSBY.  Born to a poor Mid-West family he is taken under the wing of Dan Cody and learns about the world (by being both the care-taker of one of the richest men in the world and by traveling around the world three times with Cody).  Gatsby is robbed of his inheritance from Cody by Cody’s wife and ends up joining the United States Armed Forces in WWI. As an officer he spends some time in Louisville where he meets Daisy Fay.  Daisy is upper-class and a member of a family with history and name.  Gatsby realizes that he is not in the same class as Daisy so he lies about his background.  He is able to do this because he has been around the world and seen so many things.  He falls in love with Daisy, but loses her while he is in Europe.  During WWI, Gatsby does well.  He wins a medal for courage and becomes a Major, and is granted the chance to study at Oxford.  He spends little time at Oxford wanting to hurry home to find Daisy.  At Oxford he receives notice that Daisy is already married.  Gatsby, unlike the traditional American Dream, makes his millions by selling illegal alcohol over the counter at his drug stores.  He then buys a huge house, much like Daisy’s childhood home, right across the bay from Daisy.  He holds large parties on weekends both in hope to have Daisy show up and to achieve some success as a socialite.  After all he needs both money and a social standing.  Realizing this need he begins to fabricate lies about himself: that he is from rich parents, that he is educated, that he is GREAT.  Ironically, Gatsby has achieved the American Dream—he is a self-made millionaire.  He has beaten his past, and yet he is not accepted into the elite society.  People make up rumors about who he is or how/where he has attained his money.  Both Jordan, Nick and owl eyes know he isn’t educated.  His real dream is too win Daisy but he needs more than money.  He needs to turn back the clock.  When he and Daisy finally meet after five years, he immediately impresses her with his wealth, his beautiful house, his beautiful shirts (Daisy is after all someone who looks into the outer beauty of things and can be bought).  Daisy decides to leave Tom for Gatsby.  When Tom shows Daisy how Gatsby has made his money and how Gatsby is not “old money” not educated or elite, Daisy gets scared.  It’s not that she doesn’t love Gatsby, it’s that she isn’t strong enough to leave the security of position for a Gatsby.  Gatsby is self-made, but that is not enough.  He doesn’t have the security of a time-honored family name.  He really isn’t anyone (ironically he is nothing but an invention of James Gatz—and James Gatz no longer exists).  Gatsby loses the dream, but makes the ultimate sacrifice to Daisy and that is his ending.