Jun 05 2009
The Great Gatsby Journal 5
| American Dream | “Daisy put her arm through his abruptly, but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.”
The whole chapter, really, is centered on Fitzgerald’s opinion and argument of the American Dream. It sets up the fact that Gatsby worked so hard to achieve everything he thought was success to win back Daisy’s affection. Yet when he has her back, it’s not all he wanted. The track to the American Dream was more than actually obtaining it. The tone is one of sort of a let – down; there is no flare huge I’ve done it. It’s extremely anti – climatic. |
| Character Development | Fitzgerald really develops Gatsby in this chapter, as he obtains the object of his obsession for the past 5 years. Though thought to be confident of himself because of wealth and power, Fitzgerald shows another side of Gatsby; a nervous and ‘human side’. On pages 94-94 when Nick is attempting to discuss what exactly Gatsby does for business, Gatsby is evasive and vague in his replies. As Nick and Daisy tour his house, Gatsby becomes like a child in his eagerness to explain and show-off his fine things. But when Daisy starts to show some affection, Gatsby is so caught up with the fact that she’s actually there, he overlooks her.
“As I went over to say good-by I saw that the expression of bewilderment had come back into Gatsby’s face, as though a faint doubt had occurred to him as to the quality of his present happiness. Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon whe Daisy tumbled short of his dreams-not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.” (101) Fitzgerald reveals just how deep Gatsby’s fascination with Daisy goes in this chapter.
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| Color | “‘If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your home across the bay,’ said Gatsby. “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.”
Daisy put her arm through his abruptly, but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.” Green is the color that has the most significance in this chapter. The phrase “the grass is greener on the other side” is applicable to Gatsby. He spends 5 years of his life striving to reach that green light, yet when he reaches it, it isn’t all that he thought it would be. As well, there is foreshadowing with this, as Fitzgerald makes the point that oftentimes what we perceive to want isn’t as magnificent as we want it to be, and the extremes that we go to, to obtain it, we loose something valuable. |
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