Chapter 1 Gatsby blog notes

Notice how many times Fitzgerald uses the words hope or dream. Why does he do this? Does this tell us anything about certain characters?

• uses words hope and dream throughout the chapter- put the story together in a way+ illustrate ideas
• every character aims reach for version of "American dream"- majority of characters unable to reach this- esp shown Gatsby, Myrtle, George- chosing to fill certain characters heads with dreams= automatically instills hope
• 1st page- Nick describe Gats having "an extrodinary gift for hope"+ later "I have not found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again"- Nick finds Gats hope admirable
• Next page "it is what prayed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men"- both quotes tell us about Gats+ Nick
• Gats had big dreams+ even bigger sense of hope to point where blinded by belief in dream, doesn't consider consequences- ultimately leads to downfall
• Nick became disinterested in anything that was short lived as result of Gats death- infer Nick= emotional- what he feels, he feels deeply
• later in chapter, learn about hope in relation to Daisy- "I'm glad its a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool"- reader impression Daisy knows/seen more than wishes to+ hopes child doesn't have to experience things she has- Tom's affairs- 1st experience with true love, Q of if did really fall in love= debateable- think that initially true love, intoxication + break down
• also infer from quote- she feels it's better to be oblivious than completely aware of whats going on (compare with Othello?) - stereotypical upper class opinion, esp men- women should only worry about domestics+ not bother with current affairs- women should listen+obey husbands, potentially why Dasiy choses to go along with what Tom says/does (racisim)

Nick starts the novel by relaying his father's advice "whenever you feel like criticising anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had"- list Nick's advantages

• born into a wealthy family
• survived the first world war
• his family have been important for 3 generations
• they are descended from "the Dukes of Buccleuch"
• they have a sucessful hardware bussiness
• he "graduated from New Haven"
• he recieved a college education
• he wrote "solemn and obvious editorials for the Yale news"
• he was able to "learn the bond bussiness"
• his father funded him for a year
• he was able to afford a lot of books
• he was able to afford to move from the Middle West to the East
• he could afford to rent the bungalow outside New York for eighty dollars a month
• his house is "a small eyesore"
• he got a dog and a "Finnish…