Literature Analysis #3

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1. This book is about a man named Nick Carraway that moves to New York City and becomes a bonds salesman. He moves into a small cottage next to a huge mansion that belongs to a man named Jay Gatsby. Gatsby holds extravagant parties at his home that everyone in the city attends, in hope that his one true love Daisy Buchanan will someday come to the parties that he holds for her. One day, Nick gets a knock on his door inviting him to one of Gatsby's parties. When Gatsby meets Nick, he soon comes to find out that his next door neighbor is in fact Daisy's cousin. Gatsby then tries to convince Nick to arrange a meet at Nick's house so that he could reconnect with Daisy, but Nick refuses because Daisy is married to a man named Tom Buchanan which is a very rich and powerful man in New York. When Nick goes to visit Daisy, he soon learns that Tom is in fact having an affair with a woman named Myrtle who is a mechanics wife outside of the city. After finding this out, Nick agrees to Gatsby's idea of a meet. When Daisy and Gatsby meet face to face for this first time in five years after Gatsby returned from war, their feelings immediately come back and they begin an affair as well. The secret affair goes on for awhile, but it wasn't good enough for Gatsby, he wanted Daisy to be with him and only him, and to break things off with her husband Tom. Nick, Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom go to a hotel on a hot day and Daisy and Gatsby break the news to Tom about their affair. When things take a turn for the worst, Daisy and Gatsby storm out and jump in Gatsby's car to head back to Daisy's home. Nick and Tom get in Tom's car to follow them, but when they drive by Myrtles house they see ambulances and police cars. When they stop they find out that Myrtle had been run over in Gatsby's car, but nobody really knows that Daisy was in fact driving the car when the accident happens. Tom tells Myrtle's husband that it was Gatsby that created the crime, and the husband went to Gatsby's home and shot and killed him. After all the parties Gatsby threw, and all the people that attended, the only person that showed up to Gatsby's funeral was Nick, and Daisy and Tom left town and moved away.
2. The theme of this story to me is very sad and dark. Even though its a book about real love, its also a book about loss and affairs. It seems like everyone that is involved in the book is having an affair other than Nick, and the only true love was lost because of Gatsby having to go away to war. Daisy was scooped up by Tom while she was waiting for Gatsby to return home, but her love for Gatsby never diminished, and she never truly loved Tom. There was no happy ending in the book and nobody got what was really wanted, and I think the author did a great job with keeping the reader interested throughout the whole book and then ending it the way he did.
3. I think the main tone in the book is loneliness. Gatsby is filthy rich and extremely handsome, but he has no true friends, just people that use him for his parties. "No one is invited to Gatsby's parties, but everyone in the city comes". Also, Daisy is very lonely because even though she is married to Tom, she doesn't get the attention she should from her husband, and he is constantly getting calls from his lover, even during dinner time. "The loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly".
4. The author uses a lot of different literary elements. He uses metaphor, when Daisy sees Nick she says, "You remind me of a- of a rose. An absolute rose". Flashback is also used a lot when the author tells the reader about Gatsby being an officer and going to war. Simile is a common literary element used by Nick. "Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols". Dramatic Irony is also used when the author talks about Tom and Myrtles affair, how everyone knew about it except for Myrtle's husband. Also everyone knew about Daisy and Gatsby's affair except for Tom.
Characterization:
1. Direct- Gatsby: "There's the kind of man you'd like to take home and introduce to your mother and sister". Daisy: " A stirring warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words".
Indirect- Gatsby: "It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life". Tom: "Ive been drunk for about a week now, and i thought it might sober me up to sit in a library".
2. I think that the authors diction and tone pretty much stays the same throughout the book because there really isn't any happiness in the book and its all fluid when he talks about each individual character.
3. The protagonist in the book is Gatsby himself. I think that Gatsby is a dynamic and round character because in the begining of the book he is very quiet, wouldnt leave his house, and wouldnt have relationships with anyone at all, but once he reconnected with Daisy, he becomes a totally different person that loves to have fun and seems to act more his age when he is with Daisy.
4. After reading the book, i didnt feel that i had met a real person, but read a very well developed character. I think the author did a great job of describing each of the characters, but since the plot was based on New York City in 1922, its hard to relate to them and connect with them.