1. Chapter 3, Pages 39-59
2. Nick is invited to one of Gatsby’s infamous parties and when he arrives, he is astonished by how luxurious and elegant it is. While strolling around the party, he sees Jordan Baker with some of her friends. He is invited to sit down with them and one of their first conversational topics is, of course, the infamous Gatsby. They each have their own story of who Gatsby is but no one knows for sure. Later at party, Nick is having a casual conversation with the man next to him whom he finds out served in the army with him. Nick later finds out that he was Gatsby. Nick then continues to describe his new life in New York and how he is really starting to like the city and Jordan Baker.
3. Jay Gatsby
a. “[Gatsby] smiled understandingly—much more understandingly. 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. It faced—or it seemed to face—the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor.”
b. Gatsby is down to earth, understanding, caring, and intelligent.
c. Gatsby’s role in the novel is very mystical and almost unbelievable. Everyone thinks they know who he really is but no one really knows for sure. They all want to be as rich and prosperous as Gatsby so he is a symbol of hope and optimism. He is the only character that we have met so far that is both rich in a physical sense and rich on the inside.
4. “The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside, until the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s names.”
a. Here Nick is describing how lonely he feels in this very crowded party. He is constantly surrounded by people yet he feels this loneliness or emptiness. This stood out to me because it really describes how different Nick really is.
No comments:
Post a Comment