Ella and Rett Great Gatsby IB English Summer Assignment discussion

Chapter 1:

The book started off with the abnormal introduction of the narrator…Nick. In the third paragraph, I became skeptical of his understanding, especially from the quote about his Dad talking about the less fortunate.

I wondered if his opinion would be reliable, and that will stick with me as I continue to read the book. I will continue to look out for phrases that make me question his judgement.

Nick continued to introduce Gatsby, and claimed he represented everything for which he has an “...unaffected scorn.” I found this interesting because I am unsure if it relates to jealousy or not. When Nick introduces his family, I immediately realized his standpoint would be privileged. iT also made me wonder why Nick is critical of someone he shares a similar life with. I wonder if he likes Gatsby.

Immediately, on Page 5, Nick started to describe the neighborhood they live in. This relates to the theme of the American Dream because the homes symbol status and wealth, unveiling that people “made it.” The question that arose for me is “Is this what success looks like, or just the appearance of success?” The homes also represent a desire for success…when I relate it to myself, I imagined walking through a neighborhood that demonstrates wealth like the West Egg, and realized I wouldn’t understand the architectural references…like the Hotel de Ville in Normandy…represented on each house, which makes me think the American Dream relates to appearance versus reality in the separation of social classes. It also makes me think about what the American Dream is…or was in context for the novel. Again, I believe the novel unveils how the desire for success, and for a status symbol, can overtake one's own morals. It made me wonder, in the appearance versus reality standpoint, if having wealth made people happy.

I uncovered more bias from Nick, and continued to question if we were seeing the truth in his judgements.

When Nick entered Daisy and Tom’s residence, his lack of appreciation for the wealth solidified his biased perspective.

On Page 11, Daisy references to Miss Baker her inability to plan. I found this interesting…when she says “What’ll we plan?’ She turned to me [Nick] helplessly: ‘What do people plan?’” I felt that Daisy appears disconnected from ordinary concerns because her wealth has removed many practical responsibilities from her life. She seems to be wealthy and abundant but her wealth creates distance from ordinary life.

Page 13 was the standout to me. It made me question the theme of appearance versus reality again. The context of Tom is that he attended Yale… (referred to in the novel as New Haven also reminded me of a pretentious take people may have…like “going to college in the Boston Area). However, his ignorant take on white supremacy and how he read a book on how the white race will be “utterly submerged” surprised me. It was a flawed take, and the reassurance of “...it’s all scientific stuff…” fostered my standpoint. What made me more skeptical was Daisy’s immediate compliance with Tom’s flawed take…Daisy’s immediate agreement with Tom suggests a dynamic where she does not challenge his authority, Although it appears as a healthy marriage, submerged by wealth and gratification, her utter compliance to Tom reveals the harsh reality.

This take is furthered a few pages down, when it’s shown that Tom has an affair with a woman from New York.

What also stood out to me was how Daisy called something romantic, and Tom sarcastically replied with “...very romantic…” and proceeded to “miserably” tell Nick about his plans for dinner. The reality of their relationship is much different than what I expected when the characters were introduced. Daisy’s reaction is also odd, because she is, again, compliant.

The questions I have after this chapter:

Success = illusion?
Social status = character?
Does Daisy only appear content?

Nick is this outside observer who is lonely because of his ability to see through the fog of reality.
Tom is this privileged, cruel man who overly relies on his wealth and portrays the cruelness of the elite within american society.
Daisy seems to rely on comfort and security rather than love as she stays with Tom despite the the knowledge of all his wrongdoings.
Each character is misprofiled in society based on how they appear with Nick seeming like a liar, Tom seeming like an honest, weathly man, and Daisy seeming like a bumbling fool. I imagine, throughout the story, we'll see their true personalities and opinions shine through. Gatsby seems to probably be misprofiled as well with Nick thinking him to be simply "flexing" on his neighbors with his lavish lifestyle.

Ofc there's the introduction of the green light which is, iconically, the representation of Gatsby's love and obsession with Daisy (or maybe the idea of her????)

let me read now