PictureDaisy. She is beautiful, is she not?
After writing the last post the fact that Fitzgerald wrote it from Nicks point of view really stuck with me. I began to wonder:

Why would F. Scott Fitzgerald write from Nicks point of view?

The story is about Gatsby, after all. I can understand and appreciate that writing from Gatsby's point of view would mean that the mystery and suave façade would be influenced, and therefore ruined, but why not write from Daisy's point of view? Then we could get into her head and understand why she would leave Gatsby, and go for Tom. We could learn what goes through her head when she hears Tom talking to his mistress on the telephone. Then we could find out what it is to be just a 'fool, in this world' and to find out what it is like to be rich, rich beyond means, and yet still be bored. To know what it is like to have a mundane life, even though everything under the sun is at your expense. And above all, to know what is going through her head, when the man that loves her beyond all means, Gatsby, looks her in the eyes and has his life naked before her, never to tell her a lie. Personally, I wish Fitzgerald could be brought from the dead to write the same story, yet from Daisy's point of view. It would be pure magic!


 
PictureA scene that I'm sure would have ended with a kiss.
'Her wan, scornful mouth smiled, and so I drew her up again closer, this time to my face.'

Obviously this passage is indicating that Nick got a kiss out of Jordan. I read that and came to thinking, why would Fitzgerald bother putting that in? I know that the book is narrated by Nick but it is called the Great GATSBY, not the Great NICK. And why make him fall in love with someone so totally out of his league? The reality would be that surely Jordan wouldn't go for him, and yet would go for someone with more money, as Daisy would do. So why put it in? It does add colour, and depth but it just simply annoys me that he has made Nick fall in love with someone out of his reach! Also, on the contrary, the movie didn't include this! That also annoys me. If it's written in the book, then it must be important and have an influence on Nicks life. Therefore shouldn't it be included?


 
Picture
'Gatsby? What Gatsby?'
In the book, it reads simply, "What Gatsby?". This reminded me of a site I had seen the other day, where things were frequently misquoted! 

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/16-misquoted-quotations/

My favourites of these are: 
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
Is actually “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned / Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.” 

Never heard that one, but I like it. Women are often seen as something that is ready to burst forth. Quite interesting really. Why not men? Why can't men be seen as the crazy ones? How peculiar. 

“Money is the root of all evil.”
The original being “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” 

I find it quite interesting they picked up on this! This vital detail proves that money and those with it are not in itself bad, but once a love forms, and you begin to love money over other things then the sin and evil is there!

“Nice guys finish last."
Actually was “All nice guys. They’ll finish last. Nice guys — finish last.”


Wow! So that's where it came from! I've always wondered..!

“Pride comes before a fall.”
Another from the bible is actually - “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

I think the contraction doesn't change the meaning in any way.. But, just doesn't give the original quote justice. Pride goeth before destruction is MUCH stronger than just a fall!


How utterly compelling all these are. I had heard of some, but not known where they were from! 

 
PictureThe look of love.
'The officer looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at sometime.'


Maybe it's because I am a girl, or maybe it's because I am so lulled into the way Fitzgerald writes, but from this one simple comment I know what Jordan means. The look that a man will look, where nothing but his eyes matters. Where the eyes tell the story not the mouth. Where he stares into your eyes and understands you, and knows who are what you are. Where you can read one simple, yet powerful word, LOVE in his eyes. Ah! It brings butterflies to my stomach! Then again, what girl in their right mind could resist Leo Dicaprio's eyes anyway?

Picture
Those deep blue eyes!
 
PictureA Nymph-like girl.
Somnambulatory: Of, pertaining to, or subject to somnambulation
Somnabulate: (som-nam-byuh-leyt) to walk during sleep; sleepwalk.
Presbyterian:(prez-bi-teer-ee-uh) pertaining to or based on the principle
of ecclesiastical government by presbyters or presbyteries.
Nymphs: (nimf) one of a numerous class of lesser deities of mythology, conceived of as beautiful maidens inhabiting the sea, rivers, woods,
trees, mountains, meadows, etc., and frequently mentioned as
attending a superior deity.
Gonnegtion: Gatsby used this word as to show the Jewish man saying connection.
Juxtaposition: (juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uh) an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

Context:
Mr Wolfshiem swallowed a new sentence he was started and lapsed into a somnabultaory abstraction.
Mr Wolfshiem, looking at the presbyterian nymphs on the ceiling.
I understand you're looking for a business gonnegtion.
The juxtaposition of those two remarks was startling.


When I read these particular passages I was stumped momentarily until I searched in both the dictionary in the room and the dictionary online. Some of the words (such as somnambulatory and gonnegtion), weren't as easy to find as they were unique F. Scott Fitzgerald.

 
PictureCar similar to the one Gatsby drove.
Gatsby gets pulled over by the police, however, gets spared when he flashes a card to the officer. Whilst reading this passage I was drawn into imagining the scene. To be pulled over you have to be speeding pretty badly, and Gatsby, being Gatsby was the sort of man to simply just not care.  Gatsby is a mad-man and his erratic driving portrays this well. I simply couldn't avoid not imagining the scene in the movie of him speeding. Gatsby's calm voice, looking over at Nick, every so often disregarding the road. Nicks fear in his eyes, but withholding it from Gatsby's view. The speeding cars flying by, colours mingling together, one blur of yellow, blues, and blacks. I think the movie showed this perfectly!

The video attached has snap shots of his driving and was the best one that I could find. 

 
Picture
So what have I read so far?

I divided the 172 pages into 3 sections - each being around 57 pages, so as to give a brief summary of what I've read along the way. 

Chapter 1:
In the first chapter we hear of Nick leaving his old life in search of something new. We hear of the landforms (the two eggs, separated by the water), and the scenery that surrounds his humble abode. Also, we read of Tom, Daisy and Jordan. Tom is an intimating fellow, and Jordan is just as intimidating, but in a different way. Tom is menacing and evil with a mistress elsewhere. Jordan is a curiosity to all. Reserved in everything and hidden behind blank expressions. Daisy is just as curious. She is Nick’s cousin that appears to dance through life, experiencing party after party and spending her days doing whatever she wishes, without a care. Tom and Daisy have a three year old daughter. Nick also learns of Gatsby, the mysterious character that hosts magnificent parties where whomever wishes to go does so. Tom and Daisy scheme to put Jordan and Nick together even after hearing that Nick is engaged to a girl out West (which he isn't).

Chapter 2:
In chapter two Tom brings Nick to visit his mistress (who happens to be married) under the watchful eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg (in the form of a huge billboard). Nick gets drunk for the second time in his life and a party goes on. Myrtle (Tom’s mistress) buys a dog. At the party they talk of trivial matters: Gatsby, useless husbands and Nicks house. Nick endures the party a little on the edge the whole time. 

Chapter 3: 
Nick becomes acquainted to Gatsby officially in chapter 3. He listens to the parties that are a constant in Gatsby’s yard and watches the supply of liquor and fruits stream in and out. He speaks of being one of the few to actually be invited, unlike so many before him. He searches out Gatsby, wishing to thank him for the invitation and learns that the story of the invisible Gatsby at all his parties is, indeed, true. Gatsby is a hard man to find. Mid-way in a conversation however, he realises he is talking to the man himself - Gatsby. Nick speaks detachedly about the noise, hysteria and all-round craziness that goes on at one of Gatsby’s affairs. Also, we learn of Nick's supposed love for Jordan, despite being severely intimidated by her.

 
PictureNick Carraway and Jordan Baker.

Why didn't they include Nick’s fascination and almost love towards Jordan in the movie? 


I know the movie/novel is called The Great Gatsby, and should be solely anchored on showing Gatsby but it is narrated by Nick and I feel almost cheated that they didn't add it in! Or, they may have, but not in an obvious way that I picked it up. I caught that he thought she was beautiful and intimidating and had an aura of perfectness. But as to love? Nothing. 

As a side, I love how Nick writes of his fascination 'I'd been writing letters once a week and signing them: 'Love, Nick,' and all I could think of was how, when that certain girl played tennis, a faint moustache of perspiration appeared on her upper lip. 

I was searching around, and found this pretty interesting...
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_relationship_Between_Nick_Carraway_and_Jordan_Baker#slide2 

 
PictureJordan Baker.

' 'You're a rotten driver,' I protested. 'Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn't to drive at all.' 'I am careful' 'No, you're not.' 'Well, other people are,' she said lightly. 'What's that got to do with it?' 'They'll keep out of my way,' she insisted. 'It takes two to make an accident.' 'Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself.' ' I hope I never will,' she answered. 'I hate careless people.' 

This, I found, is another example of brilliant writing on Fitzgerald's part. Not many would think of an accident that way. Not many would think about how she has nothing to worry about because good drivers will get out of her way. It's really is lateral thinking and I truly admire it! He manages to twist the sentences and ideas in the sentences to make them sound so much better. My favourite bit in the paragraph is 'I hate careless people.'... Oh the irony! 

 
PictureThe type of cars that were used.
On the page it speaks of Nick leaving Gatsby’s party, intending on going home. As he is driving out he sees a car accident, with one car completely wrecked with its tyre off and half-way in a ditch. One man hops out and is confused at how it happened - as he is anything but an expert in the field of mechanics. A second man gets out behind the first, drunkenly inquiring as to why they were stopped and why they hadn't backed out of the drive way. 

I read this section and stopped and thought why on earth would Fitzgerald feel obliged to include this in his 172 page novel? What’s the significance? Why bother? It has no huge part in the plot of what I can see so far. Not only is it irrelevant to Nicks life but to Gatsby's as well? The next paragraph reads: 'Reading over what I have written so far, I see I have given the impression that the events of three nights several weeks apart were all that absorbed me. On the contrary, they were merely casual events in a crowded summer, and, much later, they absorbed me infinitely less than my personal affairs.' 


After reading this next paragraph I thought, maybe Fitzgerald had just sat and written, continuously and let his thoughts flow... Or maybe this event has certain significance later on... Or maybe it’s just a blasé episode that’s meant to have no meaning and is put there just to finish the page off. 

Who really knows...? Odd though..! 


    Note:

    The author wishes those that are reading this blog to read backwards. That is, from the first page, bottom to top.

    - Gabrielle Pearce

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