Who is Jay Gatsby?

Right now I am on chapter ten in The Great Gatsby. I have not used the blogging prompts sheet that Mrs. Bross gave us at all yet, so I am going to use it now. I am going to answer the question, “What is the most important line from that chapter?” I think the most important line from chapter ten is “The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God- a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that- and he must be about His Father’s Business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to his conception he was faithful to the end” (Fitzgerald 104).

            Just read this line. One, maybe two more times. Who says stuff like that? Apparently Nick does. This is his most descriptive and evidentially truthful description of Gatsby that I have heard through-out the whole book. This line is not only important in understanding the chapter, but also the book. This section shows how the whole book is about Gatsby and how mysterious he is. It is over 100 pages into the book and people are still making accusations about Mr. Jay Gatsby. I can’t help but wonder, who is Gatsby?

 

Is This History in the Making or History Already Made?

Gatsby and Daisy. Daisy and Gatsby. I don’t know how they prefer it but I bet that it has been asked before. What do I mean by this you might ask? I mean that in what I have read so far in The Great Gatsby, I can tell that there is something between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. Of course, Fitzgerald has not just come out and said what their history is but there have been several hints. Like when Daisy said to Gatsby, “’I certainly am awfully glad to see you again’” (Fitzgerald 91). Other hints have been the way Gatsby acts when her name is mentioned or when he wants to see her. He acts like the middle school cliché group. The guy who is always asking his friends to find out if a girl likes him. He is too nervous, but not to ask someone else to do it for him. Like when Gatsby indirectly asks Nick if he would “’invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over’” (Fitzgerald 83).

            I predict that Daisy and Gatsby are top secret spies. They are always nervous that someone will discover their true identity. And they are investigating Nick because they think he is some kind of bad guy! No… I’m just joking! I don’t think Daisy and Gatsby are some creepy spy team. I think they have some type of romantic history. They both always jump up when they hear the others name in a conversation and they were both glad to see each other again and they went over to Gatsby’s house and did not even notice when Nick left. I could go on and on, but I don’t want to bore you.

            Whenever I hear people talk about The Great Gatsby I always hear them say they don’t like Daisy. From this I can infer that she will do something non-likeable… no duh right. I cannot think of a reason why everyone would not like her. Maybe it is because she does something awful to Gatsby or maybe she leads him on thinking that they will be together but never really do. But instead of hearing my boring old predictions how about you just go read it and make your own!

The Great Gatsby- narrator

When you hear The Great Gatsby and you read the back of the book, would you think this book is all about? Gatsby, right? Well yes and no, Gatsby is the focus of the book, but not the narrator. Confused… you should be.

            Nick. He is the narrator of this book. However, he is not the focus of the story. Nick is like that awkwardly quite kid that barely says anything at the lunch table. Nevertheless, he hears everything. Nick is always at the events, but he never really says much.

            A great example of this is chapter five. Nick invited Gatsby and Daisy over for tea because Gatsby asked him to. Gatsby needed an excuse to see Daisy. However, the whole chapter Nick only says like three lines. He just describes their actions and dialogue. Almost like, he is writing a story. After Gatsby took a phone call, he quickly abandoned it when Daisy said, “’Come here quick!’ cried Daisy at the window. The rain was still falling, but the darkness had parted in the west, and there was a pink and golden billow of foamy clouds above the sea… ‘I know what we’ll do,’ said Gatsby. ‘We’ll have Klipsinger play the piano.” (Fitzgerald 99). This is just parts of a long conversation between Daisy and Gatsby. As you could see in the middle with Nick narrating, he had great description of the rain and clouds.

            Nick may not be the main character of the book, but he is still that character that brings it all together. He is the person that is watching all the dramatic things happen. Who is the Nick in your life?