The Great Gatsby - November 28, 2007 - pages 103 - 154

These two chapters were probably the most confusing so far. The first chapter told us about another man named James Gatz. It said something about how he changed his name becuase of some man that helped a sailor our on the lake. I think it maybe was trying to tell us that James Gatz is what Jay Gatsby's real name is???? It was very confusing, but that is my best guess as to what it was suppose to mean.
The second chapter was alot easier to understand. In a quick summary, Tom finds out about Gatsby and Daisy because Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy has never really loved him. Then, on the way back from New York, Daisy runs over and kills Myrtle Wilson. The bad thing is, is that Daisy doesn't stop at the accident, she just keeps going home, and Tom knows that she did it because of the car she wes driving is the same as the witnesses described. There is alot of irony in this chapter. Myrtle was leaving and ran out into the road in the first place because she thought that Jordan was Tom's wife and she had seen them together earlier, and because Mr. Wilson was going to move them to California and she wanted to go find Tom. Also, I think Tom probably thinks that Daisy may have done it on purpose if she knew is was Tom's mistress, but I don't think she really had any clue.
We learned alot about the character of the people. For instance, Gatsby and Daisy not even stopping when they killed a woman, and acting as if it was no big deal shows how cold they can be. It also gives the idea that maybe Gatsby is capable of killing someone and already has like all the rumors say. Gatsby also turns out to be quite confident in Daisy's love for him, he came right out and told Tom of the affair, which was pretty risky I think.
I predict that Daisy will move out of the Buchanan's and in with Gatsby. As far as Tom, I think we will see a big change in him. After all, he lost his wife to another man, and his mistress was killed by his wife.

The Great Gatsby - November 21- Pages 65 - 103

This week we read chapters four and five. I really like the book and I think the real plot of the story started to develop in these two chapters. Chapter four started out kind of weird. It was just telling us about a "list" that Nick kept one summer of all the people that came to Gatsby's house over the course of the summer. I'm not sure though what the first two paragraphs were even talking about at all?? It then quickly jumps to one morning in July when Gatsby showed up in Nick's driveway and asked, or more like told, Nick that they were going to have lunch. While driving into New York Gatsby suddenly opens up about his past. He first implies that he knows what people say about him and asks Nick what he thinks of him. Nick never really gives a definate answer. Gatsby goes on to tell Nick that he inherited a lot of money when all his family died. He spent most of it traveling and living in foreign cities. He did go to Oxford though, and was considered a kind of 'hero' in the war for leading his section of soldiers so far ahead that it was impossible for the other side to win, or something like that. For this great feat, he was given a medal of honor from almost every country, including Montenegro, which was significant for some reason I do not know. Also, to prove these two things, he carries that medal from Montenegro, and a picture of him at Oxford with a cricket bat in his hand. Why did he need to carry these things with him to prove it? Why wouldn't people just believe him anyways?? He then implies that Mrs. Baker is going to tell Nick something at the tea Nick and Mrs. Baker had planned. This doesn't really make sence at first, but later on in chapter five it all comes together. So, they go to New York and have lunch with another man, Mr. Wolfshiem, and nothing peculiar really happens at all. When they are leaving though, they see Tom, and go to say hello. After talking for a brief moment Nick turns to Gatsby and Gatsby has disappeared. Later on we find why he leaves so suddenly without anyone knowing why.
When Jordan and Nick has tea we find out possibly the most important bit of information in the story so far. Jordan tells Nick of a long story about the past. It pretty much ended up that at one time Gatsby and Daisy dated, Daisy broke it off, and Gatsby has never forgotten her. He deliberatly moved across the bay from her, and wants Nick to have Daisy over for tea so he can come too. I don't understand why this all had to come fro Jordan, was he just kind of embarrassed maybe?? I think Nick wondered the same thing.
In chapter five Nick has Jordan over and Gatsby is a nervous wreck before she even gets there. He wants to make sure everything is perfect. At first it is very awkward, Gatsby is so nervous he isn't even acting like himself. Daisy knows that Gatsby lives across the bay though, because she asked Jordan about him in the first chapter, when Tom was at their house and she made the connection by the description Jordan gave her. I think that if Daisy actually liked Gatsby she would have came to one of the parties, afterall they were thrown to try to attract her. The tea goes fairly well after awhile and soon Gatsby invites them to his house. Daisy is overwhelmed with the size and beauty of it. They were suppose to tour the outside too but it is raining. Therefore, they are all just standing inside looking out. I think this is kind of an awkward moment, there has to be quite a bit of tension amongst the three, because they all know the reason why there was a tea now. At the end of the chapter Nick goes home and leaves Daisy and Gatsby, who seem to be quite cozy at this point.
These two chapters were filled with alot of information. It was almost overwhelming trying to decifer between what is real and what is symbolism, and what is suppose to be drawn from every action and word. At this point I have few prediction, I think anything is possible.

The Great Gatsby - November 17,2007 - Pages 43-65

In the third chapter of The Great Gatsby a few important things happen. First off, Nick is actually invited by an invitation from Mr. Gatsby to one of his elaborate parties. He has these huge parties and only a handful of the people who actually come are invited, the rest just show up. At first Nick is kind of alone, but he soon runs into Jordan Baker, and remains pretty close to her for the rest of the evening. The second important event is is when Nick is talking to a man at his table. The man recognizes Nick from the war, and they start up a conversation. Nick tells the man that this is an unusual party for him, becaue he doesn't even know the host, and that "this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation." To Nick's surprise the man suddenly responds - "I'm Gatsby." I was completely shocked at the quick turn in the book. I wasn't sure if they would ever actually meet in the book and then BAM! Nick was talking to him and he didn't even know it. It was a great element of surprise that completely catches you off guard.
I think there were two more points made in this chapter and they both have to do with Jordan Baker. As the party is getting close to the end, Mr. Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan alone. After about an hour she comes back out and tells Nick that she was told something amazing. She then gives Nick a name in the phonebook , which is her aunts, where he can meet with her and she will tell him what she found out, even though she isn't suppose to. The book never tells whether or not Nick does go to meet her, or what exactly Gatsby and Jordan talked about. I think that it will probably come up in the story later. Finally, we learn that Jordan is not very honest. Nick discovers this when she lies about whether or not she left the top down to a rental car when it was raining. Nick connects this lie to another that he had heard about while she was golfing. There was a scandal about whether or not she had improved her lie in the semi-finals of a golf championship. It ended up to never be proven, but I think that Nick thinks she did, because he states in the final sentence, " I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
I think this chapter was a kind of turning point in the story. We finally meet the elusive Mr. Gatsby, and we find out a few more characteristics about Jordan and Mr. Gatsby. Everyone thinks that Mr. Gatsby is this no good criminal who killed a man. I personally don't think this is true at all, I think the poeple just like something good to gossip about. I also wondered why the Bucchanans weren't there??
At the end of the chapter Nick states that these three evenings that have consumed the book so far actually absorb much less of his time than his personal affairs, so why does he only write of these evenings so far then? Also, at the very end, when he is talking about whether or not he loves Jordan, he says he has been writing letters back home and signing then "love Nick". Does this mean that he is still sort of involved with that woman he supposedly proposed to before he came out East??

The Great Gatsby - November 7,2007 - Chapter 2

In Chapter two Nick sees Tom's other life. Nick and Tom were coming back from New York one day and Tom demanded that Nick meet his mistress. She lived with her husband, Mr. Wilson, above his car garage. It was located in the part of town where ashes covered everything. I think the ashes definately symbolize something, I'm not completely sure what though. Maybe something like, how just like in life, things are always covered up, like Tom's relationship with Myrtle. Daisy tries to cover it up, even though everyone knows about it.
Tom, Nick, and Myrtle then go up to Tom and Myrtle's apartment in New York and they host a sort of party. I think Nick feels kind of like an outsider, there are all these couples there or at least people that know Tom and Myrtle, and Nick is just drug along. He does meet Myrtle's sister, and they talk for quite some time. At the end of the night, Tom and Myrtle are arguing about whether or not it was appropriate for Myrtle to bring up Daisy's name. It didn't seem to be that big of deal, but all of the sudden Tom hit Myrtle and broke her nose!! This made me wonder how any woman could over love Tom. He cheats on his wife, is abusive, and seems to be kind of a control freak. So far it seems that Nick is the one with the only normal life. Everyone else in this book has some sort of secret, or double life.
I predict that in the coming chapters Nick will continue to find out more little details about Mr. Gatsby, becaues everyone else seems to know him and something about him. I also think that he will see a lot more of Tom. Tom seems to like being friends with Nick, whether he is at home with Daisy, or with Myrtle in New York.