I'm currently taking the American Novel at Oxford Continuing Education. The class introduces me to five novels I haven't read before including The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The narrator of the story is Nick Carraway. His last name is fun because Carraway is a seed often used in rye bread and if you play with the name it can be made into care way, or care away, or carry away. Thus the name is suitable for a narrator who is ironic and who eventually comes to realize that what he values lies underneath the outer mask a person wears. It's the way people behave in the novel that wins his endorsement rather than money, education, status, clout, style, fame, or luck with the ladies. He notices the kind actions of the average person--the elevator boy that brings dog biscuits along with water and a basket, the butler that helped him with funeral arrangements, the man who showed up for the funeral.
He's a bit unsteady in matching his actions to his beliefs--he claims he is an honest man, but then hides two different love affairs, has a less than honorable love affair or two, sleeps at work, and ends up hiding a murderer.
One of the woman he is set up with is the sister Catherine, of Myrtle, his cousin Daisy's husband Tom's mistress. She's prettier than the woman he is dating but he verifies that she doesn't stay at the apartment where her sister meets Tom. Later, when it becomes important, Catherine lies, just like Nick, about the connection with Tom and the probable cause of the accident. This lie Nick think is a good one and he notices with approval. Her "red sticky bob of hair" is amusing in its implied distaste of hairspray by Nick.
Another character that win stand out nomination is the drunk that sits in the library hoping the books will sober him. That he is amazed that Gatsby has created this place with authentic books with uncut pages (I mean, who actually needs to read them?) is rather ironic. His owlish eyes stand out in his description. He's looking for clarity and is one of Gatsby's guests who is kind enought to attend the funeral.
More about symbols in my next post.
The narrator of the story is Nick Carraway. His last name is fun because Carraway is a seed often used in rye bread and if you play with the name it can be made into care way, or care away, or carry away. Thus the name is suitable for a narrator who is ironic and who eventually comes to realize that what he values lies underneath the outer mask a person wears. It's the way people behave in the novel that wins his endorsement rather than money, education, status, clout, style, fame, or luck with the ladies. He notices the kind actions of the average person--the elevator boy that brings dog biscuits along with water and a basket, the butler that helped him with funeral arrangements, the man who showed up for the funeral.
He's a bit unsteady in matching his actions to his beliefs--he claims he is an honest man, but then hides two different love affairs, has a less than honorable love affair or two, sleeps at work, and ends up hiding a murderer.
One of the woman he is set up with is the sister Catherine, of Myrtle, his cousin Daisy's husband Tom's mistress. She's prettier than the woman he is dating but he verifies that she doesn't stay at the apartment where her sister meets Tom. Later, when it becomes important, Catherine lies, just like Nick, about the connection with Tom and the probable cause of the accident. This lie Nick think is a good one and he notices with approval. Her "red sticky bob of hair" is amusing in its implied distaste of hairspray by Nick.
Another character that win stand out nomination is the drunk that sits in the library hoping the books will sober him. That he is amazed that Gatsby has created this place with authentic books with uncut pages (I mean, who actually needs to read them?) is rather ironic. His owlish eyes stand out in his description. He's looking for clarity and is one of Gatsby's guests who is kind enought to attend the funeral.
More about symbols in my next post.
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