Overview of Gatsby
- Enigmatic (difficult to understand), people don’t know who he is
- Self-made
- Climbs the social ladder to be with Daisy
- Involvement in Organized crime
- Pursuit of the American Dream
- Protagonist
- Materialism and consumer culture
Enigmatic/Mysterious
- Gossip, rumors and peoples perception of him
- Mystery contributes to his charisma and charm
Resolute/determined (admirably purposeful) Gatsby
- Economic pursuits are propelled by a romantic idea
- His engagement in organized crime is a testament of the drastic lengths he is willing to go for his ultimate ambition
- “An extraordinary gift for hope”, “romantic readiness” (Chapter 1)
- Matches his romanticism with realism which shows how he adopts the American Dream
Isolated, Gatsby
- “I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden imitation that he was content to be alone” (Chapter 1)
- Myopic, becomes increasingly unaware of the societal constraints that surround him
- His pursuit for Daisy’s love is unrequited and his dream is one that only existed with him alone.
- His funeral
- The trials of unrequited love are experienced alone
Overview of myrtle
- Loud, naïve, social climber
- Grow to dislike her husband
- Wants to rise above her station
- Tom sees Myrtle as another possession
- Her death is the climax of the novel because its symbolic of how the upper class will always take advantage of the lower class and the lower class can never be a part of the upper-class
Physical Attributes
- Descriptions are centered on her physical appearance
- “thickish figure”, “faintly stout”, “contained no facet or gleam of beauty”, “vitality” (Chapter 2)
- Foil for Daisy because Daisy is described as ethereal
- “sensuously smouldering”- ties her to the valley of Ashes
- Tom pursues Myrtle to assert control and exercise his dominance
Social climber and materialistic
- Aware of the dominance of men in 1920s patriarchal society.
Cannot advance in society independently as a woman - Purely motivated by self-interest disregarding her husband’s devotion to her
- “I want to get one for the apartment”- Materialism has made Myrtle insensitive
- Tom uses his financial status to control Myrtle
- Access to money comes at the cost of Tom’s derision and abuse
- Myrtle will never be one of them and therefore she will be their victim
Loud and Brash
- Loud and obscene
- In chapter 2 “her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected by the moment”
- She does not embody an upper-class habitus
- Contrast can be drawn form Myrtle’s form of speech and Gatsby’s. While Gatsby tries to mask his background through his speech, Myrtle does not.
- Possible that Myrtle acts as a fool and lies to herself in order to remain ignorant of the fact that she will never marry Tom nor fully join the East Egg elite
Trapped
- Trapped in her marriage with George
- Seems that Myrtle actually has control over her husband nevertheless, in Chapter 7, she is literally imprisoned by him
- Imprisoned by her social status: Myrtle’s story reveals the truth behind this dream, that it is an illusion
Overview of Daisy Buchanan
- In awe of Gatsby’s commitment is afraid to leave the stable life she knows with Tom
- When Gatsby takes the blame for Myrtles death of which she is responsible for, her true nature is exposed
- She is no the embodiment of charm, grace and sophistication but instead she is selfish, fickle, careless and shallow
- Both Daisy and Zelda enjoyed wealth and material comforts
Beautiful and Charming
- Her exquisite beauty appears to mask her essential reluctance to take responsibility for her life and her actions
• Surrounded by an aura of wealth
• Money, purity and ease
• “Our white girlhood”, “Beautiful and white”
• It is these associations that people are attracted
Artificial
• Appears playful suggests her to be a constant performer
• “Followed by Daisy’s voice on a clear artificial note” (Chapter 5)
• Daisy’s prioritisation of beauty means she buries her head in the sand to the grim reality of life
• Maiden name, Fay evokes fairylike connotations associating her with romantic supernaturalism
Cynical (believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest)
• Aware of the dominance of men
• Remains passive
• “a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”- explains most of her actions in the novel
• Does not actively fight to leave Tom for Gatsby
• Wishes for her daughter to be ignorant and simple-minded to realise the harshness of reality rather than face up to the fact of Tom’s infidelity
Bored and privileged
• Life of luxury leaves her bored and dissatisfied
•. Nick portrays her and Jordan as stationary and buoyed up floating objects in the room, which mimics her empty and privileged life
• Chapter 2 “their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in”
Fickle and Shallow
• Idealised vision
• Does not reciprocate Gatsby’s excessive love for her
• Chooses money, status and reputation over Gatsby in chapter 7, destroying their live and enabling his death
• Kills her husbands lover thereby maintaining her status quo
• prioritises security over happiness and romantic attachment
• Overwhelmed by Gatsby’s display of wealth reveals the depth of her attachment to materialism
• Gatsby could’ve lived up to her aesthetic expectations
Overview of Tom Buchanan
- Embodiment of Old money
- Infidelity
- Embodiment of masculinity
- Defined by his physical strength
- Traditional patriarchal gender norms
- Asserts control
- Nostalgic of his accomplishments
- Uses marriage to secure wealth and social standing
- Stubbornness when he insists that nothing can change the fact that he and Daisy have loved each other
- Intimidation
- Frightened of his wealth and privilege so he airs multiple racist comments
- His domineering qualities make him dislike able
Hyper and toxic masculinity
• Arrogant
• Social superiority
• Intellectually superior
• Physical strength
• Cruel and violent nature
• Aggressive
• Man of action
• Brute and savage
• resists democratic promises of the American dream
• Domestic violence
• Commits adultery without consequences
• hypocrite when he calls out Daisy for having an affair with Gatsby when he is equally doing the same
Classist
• Traditional upper class
• His class is threatened by the ideology of the American Dream
• Gatsby is his social inferior
Nostalgic/Melancholic
• Restless and Bored
• Physical aggression
• Can never live up to the glory of his youth
• By chasing something irrevocable like Gatsby running after his five-year-old fling with Daisy, Tom becomes dissatisfied with his present
• Trapped in a cycle of obsession
• Rest of his life is anti climatic
Anxious, insecure and victimised
• Chapter 7 “hot whips of panic”
• Toms fears and carelessness
• Prefers a mistress of lowers class for exploitation
• Classism bad racism reveals fear of change
• Translates to even more overt showing of his power-flaunting
• Manipulating George to kill Gatsby, flaunting his relationship with Myrtle and revealing social-climber Gatsby
Overview of Jordan
- Confident socialite
- Gossip, professional golfer
- Old money
- Cynical
- Intelligent, direct as oppose to the giggling, flighty and “foolish” Daisy
- Contrast
Attractive
• “Slender”, “erect”, “young cadet” chapter 1
• Masculine impression of Jordan
• Jordan seems to be an heiress so not really financially independent
Confident and Charming
• Removed from reality and struggles makes it easy for her to be confident
• Ability to freely speak her mind
• No restrictions in voicing her opinions
Gossip and a socialite
• Gossips about her close and old friend in their own home
