The Great Gatsby: Chapter 1

View from Nick:

• "heightened sensitivity to the promises of life"
• "gift for hope"
• "romantic readiness"
• "exempt from my reaction"
• "something gorgeous about him"
• All these quotes appear sycophantic, suggesting Gatsby is above everyone else. It is a hopeful, positive description

Him seen at the end of the chapter:

• "what share was his of our local heavens"-suggests that he has a right to our heavens, he's worthy of it, angel-like, possibly arrogant?
• "stretched out his arms toward the dark water"-unconscious gesture? yearning subconcsiously for Daisy
• "trembling"- suggests desperationg, been waiting a long time, desire

We learn about Nick in the beginning of the novel however it is from his perspective therefore what we learn is fallible

• middle-class, wanted the excitement of war again
• inherited morals from his father-"fundamental decencies are parcelled out unequally at birth"
• considers himself as tolerant and unjudgemental which is contradicted throughout the novel

Effect of his narration:

• It is first person narration which could be viewed as positive as you can almost guarantee genuine emotions
• However, it also limits what you can learn about the other characters
• And also there is an edge of bias that permeates description and recall of events
• We have to consider whether it is fact or Nick's opinion and then try and determine what Fitzgerald's tone is, adding a new dynamic to the novel

Inital impression:

• "sad and lovely", "bright", "passionate", "charming little laugh"-positive, hopeful
• "fluttering"-butterfly, delicate
• "white" connotes purity and innocence
• "do they miss me"-supercilious, arrogant? or longing to go back?

After dinner:

• "pretty cynical about everything"- contrast first impressions
• "i hope she'll be a fool" because that's "the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool"-pessimistic, cynical- illustrates what women were expected to be like at the time
• "I've been everywhere and seen everything"-supercilious, pompous? intimating that she has done everything in life already
• "I'm sophisticated"-self-assurance, arrogant?
• Our initial impressions are of hope and joy which are juxtaposed by her pessimistic views on the society she lives in

Similarities to Daisy:

• "fluttered"-delicate, innocent
• "slender"
• Is seen as feminine, innocent, pure (references to "white")

Differences:

• "erect carriage"-sign of haughtiness or arrogance?
• "chin raised a little"-pomposity
• "nice girl"-Nick's narrative voice permeating through the description
• "self-sufficiency"-strong, powerful (atypical for women at that time)
• "hardy scepticism"
• She is a golfer which was not a job typically associated with women

Inital description by Nick:

• "brute", "aggresively"
• "supercilious", "arrogant"
• "unrestfully"-suggests he's not content, reinforced by his background of moving around and not settling down
• "power of that body", "a cruel body"
• reached an "acute limited excellence" therefore everything after that was an "anti-climax"-critical? jealous because Nick became the most "limited of all specialists" the "well-rounded man"?
• met in "college" where he was a "powerful ends" that "played football"
• "pathetic in his concentration"

What he says:

• "everyone ought to read it"-supercilious, believes his view to be top
• "dominant race"-fascist

West egg:

• Where Nick and Gatsby live
• "sunshine", "great bursts of leaves"-hopeful, joyous
• "not perfect ovals", "less fashionable of the two"-critical, pessimistic? creates an air of humility over it
• Represents the ostentation of the new rich

East egg:

• Where Tom and Daisy live
• "fashionable", "glittered along the water"-source of hope? or reflects the hope of G?
• Represents breeding, taste and aristocracy

Seperation by river:

• represents Gatsby and Daisy and the unworkable intersection between them

Tom and Daisy's house:

• "sunset", "candles", "glowing", "gold", "bright vines", "burning gardens", "sun-dials"-all connote hope and vitality
• "cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion"-aristocratic, illustrates wealth
• "rosy-coloured porch"-symbolise life and love
• windows "white"-purity, innocence
• "last sunshine fell with romantic affection"-context=era of Romanticism, could reflect Gatsby and his Romantic affection for Daisy
• "overlooking the bay"- the bay symbolising the seperation between Daisy and Gatsby

Nick's house:

• "pools of light", "loud, bright night"
• "wings beating in the trees", "frogs full of life"
• all connote life, hope, love, vitality-atypical as the novel is based around Gatsby, perhaps his hope has emanated or overshadowed Nicks house

The themes illustrated in the first chapter of The Great Gatsby are:

• Love? between Gatsby and Daisy or lack of love between Daisy and Tom
• Wealth
• Arrogance
• Putiry/innocence
• Femininity and masculinity

Main techniques:

• characterisation
• use of setting
• symbolism: the "green light" could symbolise money (link to context of era), or could symbolise Gatsby's love for Daisy, could be his hope, envy or jealousy. The fact it is a "single" light suggests all his energy is focused on that yet it is "far away"-distance or time?