1. For Mr. Gatz, why is the photograph of the house more real than the house itself? Explain. Nick believes that the for Mr. Gatz the photograph of Gatsby’s mansion is more real than the house itself because the photo captures the idea of greatness that Mr. Gatz found pride in his son for. Mr. Gatz finds Gatsby’s money and material wealth to be the single indicator of his success and greatness.
Nick even asks if he had seen his son lately and Mr. Gatz’s response confirms that he had never been to the house, which explains why Mr. Gatz has been enhanced with his son’s possessions to the point that they are incredible to him. The photo is also more valuable to Mr. Gatz than the house it’s self as he can “[seek] admiration from” the eyes of others, as he can show the photograph to anyone he wants to show off his son’s success, which is something he can not do with the house itself.
2. Research Hopalong Cassidy. What is the significance of the Hopalong Cassidy as the book containing Gatsby’s list of “general resolves”? Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy and was characterized as rude, dangerous and rough talking. It is quite ironic that Gatsby’s list of “general resolves” and his schedule were written in a book alled Hopalong Cassidy, considering Jimmy Gatz practiced “elocution, poise and how to attain it” for an hour a day. Cowboys are frequently a symbol of ruggedness, which is precisely what Gatsby sought to stray from and instead be poised and posh. Also, cowboys come to represent the “Wild West”, while Gatsby came East and much preferred it there as his tells Nick that it would be better to bury him in the East. Hopalong Cassidy signifies what Gatsby so ambitiously wanted to get away from and be the opposite of, and it is understandable that many young boys idolize the cowboy, while oung Gatsby instead created his own ideal version of himself he longed to be.
3. Does Fitzgerald intend us to view Gatsby’s schedule and resolves with admiration or irony? Explain. The is irony in the place of Gatsby’s schedule and resolves, and that the ambition they exemplified was wasted on a hopeless dream. As readers, we are shown the schedule and resolves once Gatsby has died chasing his dream, so there is some irony in viewing a powerful symbol of Gatsby’s hope for his dreams and his diligence while he was ultimately defeated for reaching to far.
However, his schedule and resolves may be meant to be iewed with admiration, as they show that Gatsby rose early at 6:00 AM and spent his day trying to improve himself. In his resolves he wants to “read one improving book or magazine” and “be better to [his] parents”, shaping himself into the ideal version of himself he longs to be. Also, there’s evidence that he stuck to the schedule and resolves and tired his best to make them a reality even by crossing out $5. 00 and changing it to $3. 00 because his goals were meant to be realistic. Then there is the irony that Gatsby’s initial goals were realistic and his idealism was directed at something he actively worked to make ossible. Perhaps Fitzgerald intended for the reader to admire James Gatz’s goals and hard working trait but also find the irony in what became of him and his hope.
4. How does Nick’s repetition of the phrase “it just shows you” verbatim contribute to the tone of his response to Mr. Gatz? Explain. Nick’s repetition of the phrase “it just shows you” after Mr. Gatz shows him Gatsby’s schedule and resolves adds a sense of irony to his tone. By repeating the phrase, Nick confirms his understanding of just what Mr. Gatz means by the phase and the unspoken meaning that the schedule and resolves have for Mr. Gatz. Nick comes to notice Mr. Gatz’s great value for his son’s success and the misplaced pride he has in his son’s wealth. Passage 14 Chapter Nine
1. What literary technique is Fitzgerald using when he sets the funeral in a gray, drizzly day? What emotions does the scene arouse? Fitzgerald uses the literary technique of imagery by setting the funeral on a gray, drizzly day to portray an atmosphere of sadness and disappointment. To describe the funeral Fitzgerald uses the words “wet” and “soggy which trigger the reader’s sense of touch and the feeling of a cold rainy day. We are eminded of the darkness and depression that a rainy day brings and that is the sensation Fitzgerald creates surrounding Gatsby’s disappointing funeral. Also, the rain and grayness of Gatsby’s funeral emphasize Gatsby’s true loneliness and how he has been abandoned by most of those around in his death.
2. In what way are the “owl-eyed glasses” related to a larger symbolic pattern in the novel? Explain the symbolic pattern and previous references to it. The “owl-eyed glasses” relate to the pattern of glasses within the novel. Earlier in the novel, the valley of ashes is described to be watched by the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg through his yellow rimed glasses, serving as the observer to the wastefulness and corruption of the world. Then Owl Eyes wears his large glasses and he is the one who points out the falseness of Gatsby’s books, and then he points out the great truth that Gatsby was just a “poor son-of-a-bitch”. Glasses can symbolize wisdom and the give a clear view of what truly is happening and look past the facades of others. Essentially, the bearers of glasses serve to highlight the falsehoods and corruption surrounding people and their lifestyles.
3. Nick remarks about Owl Eyes, “I don’t know how he knew bout the funeral or even his name. ” How does this statement contribute to the symbolic significance of Owl Eyes? When Nick makes the statement that he did not know how Owl Eyes gained knowledge of the funeral or what his real name was it contributes to the air of mystery and wisdom surrounding Owl Eyes. He knows about the funeral because he serves as a symbol of wisdom throughout the novel and especially through his final judgment of Gatsby’s life. His name is never revealed to stress his role as the judicious eyes that witness Gatsby’s life and its end.
4. How does Nick feel about being “without resentment” at Daisy’s not sending a message or flower? Explain exactly why he feels this way. At Gatsby’s funeral Nick attempts to think of Gatsby, but his mind can only remember that Daisy failed to send any token of regards for Gatsby’s death. The act of Daisy sending a flower or message would be superficial, as expected, so Nick feels that it is best that she had not sent something meaningless. He claims to be left “without resentment” because at this point in the novel he has come to expect Daisy and Tom’s carless and egocentric nature. Nick is not bitter about Daisy not sending nything to Gatsby because he knows quite well that Gatsby was of little importance to her.
5. What ironies do you observe in the circumstances of Gatsby’s funeral? The greatest irony of Gatsby’s funeral is best exemplified by owl- eyed man’s line that Gatsby was a “poor son-of-a-bitch”, showing that despite Gatsby’s material riches he dies poor and almost entirely alone. Owl eyes notes that people used to come “by the hundreds” to Gatsby’s extravagant parties, drinking his liquor, and not being certain who he was, to begin with. The irony is that with the exception of Nick, some servants, the postman, Mr. Gatz, and Owl Eyes, not one other person of the hundreds that would go to his parties came to his funeral. Then there’s the irony that the people who did attend the funeral were quite insignificant throughout the novel and that Nick, who had only meet Gatsby recently, planned the funeral. Passage 15 Chapter Nine
1. In what sense are the houses “inessential”? Explain. The houses are “inessential” in the sense that they are truly just meaningless symbols of material wealth. Nick begins to imagine what East Egg was like when the dreams of those who came were still earnest. He imagines when it was green and not overed in the big shiny houses meant to show off success and the false achievement of the American Dream. The houses are merely objects and distractions from the pure dreams carried by the Dutch sailors that arrived on the shoes of where they are now.
2. What group of related symbols culminates with “a fresh, green breast of the new world”? Explain. The line “a fresh, green breast of the new world” culminates the group of symbols expressing the dream and hope. One, in particular, is the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock that Gatsby reaches out towards, attempting to grab his final and greatest dream. They share the color green of symbolizing wealth and the life they bring to dreams. The green untouched lands of the New World gave the first settler the same sense of hope and idealism that the green light beings Gatsby about his dram to finally have Daisy be his own.
3. How is it that the trees could have “pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams? ” The trees had once captured the massiveness of opportunity available in the New World, and the notion of the untouched potential the whole forests of East and West Egg had. Then the trees are described to have disappeared and “made way for Gatsby’s house”, showing that they were cleared to make room for the dreams of humans. The vanishing of the trees was an effect of the carrying out of the great and final dreams and they witnessed the discovery of an outlet for hope and idealism.
4. How in these last four paragraphs is Gatsby’s story transformed in the story of “man… Face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder”? In the final paragraphs of the novel, Gatsby’s story of his pursuit of Daisy is converted in the story of the American Dream and the vastness of opportunity associated with America. The story of Gatsby chasing all he ever wanted is brought back to its origin where men were faced with a land of possibilities and the hope to shape their dreams into reality. It draws in the comparison of what the earliest dreams in America were to what they have become and yet sharing the same element of idealism.
5. What does it mean for people to be “boats against the current”? Address the meaning in the novel. For people to be “boats against the current” means that we chase our dreams and carry our ambition through hardship and adversity. Much like Gatsby, we continue on our chosen path to follow our dreams despite the odds and difficulties that may come. The novel ends describing Gatsby’s final dream and drawing the reader’s attention to our own efforts to “run faster, stretch out our arms farther” so that one day we too will grab hold of our own green light. The comparison of us to “boats” fighting against an opposing current captures the novel’s overall message about the power and dangers of ambition and hope.
