Gatsby - isolation essay Flashcards
(15 cards)
Party guests description
“People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away.”
Gatsby and Nick first meet
“What!” I exclaimed. “Oh, I beg your pardon.” “I thought you knew, old sport. I’m afraid I’m not a very good host.”
moral seperation between nick and society
“I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”
reflection on the AD, the corruption of it all
“… is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”
Gatsby’s genuine belief that his AD will work, Daidy will go back to him
“Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!”
Gatsbys memory doesnt live up to current reality
“He wanted nothing less of Daisy…as if it were five years ago”
Final arguement between myrtle and george - her sins have been seen
“You can’t fool God!” said George. “I’ve been around a lot of these people, and they’ve been kind to me, but I’ve seen them.”
the brutal description of Myrtles dead body
“I was within a few feet of the car when it hit her… I saw the girl with the curly hair, and I saw her body lying in the street.”
INTRODUCTION
In ‘The Great Gatsby’, American author F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the moral decay of American society in the 1920s through the exploits and woes of the eponymous character Jay Gatsby; a mysterious and elusive billionaire who longs for a lasting reunion with his first love, Daisy Buchanan. Set in West and East Egg, New York the novella is narrated by the unreliable Nick Carraway, a friend of Gatsby’s whose life intertwines with high society and most impor
tantly Tom and Daisy Buchanan, two old money socialites who are carefree and immoral. The Great Gatsby explores the rise, fall and eventual death of Jay Gatsby as his failed attempt to woo Daisy away from Tom ends in his murder. Through a combination of word choice, imagery, theme and symbolism Fitzgerald leads his reader to consider how isolation plays a role in the eventual demise of Myrtle, George and Jay Gatsby
PARAGRAPH 1 - Parties - Nick isolation
The first time FItzgerald introduces the theme of isolation is through the narration of Nick Carraway when attending one of Gatsby’s grand parties. “People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away.” The description of the narration paints a picture of the guests being drunk and restless and being carefree, representing the high society as having a careless nature. This careless nature and lack of intimacy at such close proximity highlight a superficial element of the society which could show that due to their shared historical wealth and status, they do not have to work hard to form bonds as these are preexisting. Unlike the other party goers, Gatsby stays aloof and out of the spotlight, potentially to protect his identity and maintain the idea that he is inherently wealthy. When Nick meets Gatsby for the first time he is unaware of who he is speaking to, leading to an awkward introduction: “I’m Gatsby,” he said suddenly. “What!” I exclaimed. “Oh, I beg your pardon.” “I thought you knew, old sport. I’m afraid I’m not a very good host.” The use of “old sport” shows the reader Gatsby’s deliberate use of phrasing to make it seem like he is of the same breed as the old money guests. Gatsby wants the respect that follows with being ‘old money’, despite all the effort, deep down Gatsby and everyone else knows he is not truly what he says he is. This awareness creates a self-imposed isolation as Gatsby withdraws from the focus of his own parties in order to maintain the delusion of his status. Gatsby’s blind optimism and delusion of his American Dream is what blinds him from reality and ultimately leads to his death. Furthermore, this lack of care and need for intimacy shows the superficial nature of the relationships. As Nick is not a part of their social standing, he does not have the ability and societal pressure to be wild and carefree. He has responsibilities and a job. This socially isolates him as it is obvious to the crowd and to himself that he does not belong, he doesnt fit in.
PARAGRAPH 2 - Juxtaposition and contrast of Nick and Gatsby
Fitzgerald weaves in the theme of isolation through the juxtaposition and contrast of Jay Gatcy and Nick Carraway. Although Nick is from older money than Gatsby, he is aware of his isolation from the other people in East Egg and, unlike Gatsby, he seems comfortable with this, explaining that “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” The narration shows the moral separation of Nick from the East Egg society. We can see this as the word choice of “few” has connotations of small amount and sparsity and when paired with “ever known” this shows that he rarely meets other honest people. This suggests that Nick is one of the only people in society who is genuine which shows that he reflects upon and holds high the notion of being truthful and sincere. This suggests that, in his own eyes, Nick is morally a good person and this self-confidence is his morality allows him to separate himself from the Old Money society as he believes he has the moral high ground because Nick is aware that he cannot fully trust everyone around him as they lie and betray the people they love and care for. This reflection is a stark contrast to Gatsby, a man who has spent years creating a lifestyle that replicates that of other East Egg residents. This is only partially true for Gatsby as Carraway reflects that this desire to be part of the Old Money society “… is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.” This observation suggests that the dreams Gatsby had to be part of a polluted society were leaving remnants of decay and corruption which ultimately ended his life. We learn previously that Nick respects and admires Gatsby but this is when we learn as a reader that Nick truly despises the people Gatsby is involved with and he deliberately isolates himself from them; however, Gatsby is unable to do so and cannot see that he is isolated from them. Nick separates Gatsby from his line of work and also from the people around him, especially as their relationship develops and gets stronger throughout the novel nas he can see that they are outcasts together.
PARAGRAPH 3 - reuntion of Daisy and Gatsby
Fitzerald continues the theme of isolation through the long awaited reunion of Daisy and Gatsby. Towards the climax of the novella, Nick and Gatsby get into a heated argument about Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. Gatsby says “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” This shows that Gatsby genuinely believes that he can have anything he wants, especially if he can set his mind to do it. Jay says this is himself trying to convince Nick and himself that he can get Daisy back and that everything will be the same as it was 5 years ago. This suggests that it’s Gatsby’s mentality and this illusion of Daisy, and trying to recapture something that can’t, is isolating. Gatsby is stuck in time, he is living in the past and Daisy isn’t. This creates a separation between them. Because of this revelation that Nick had about the relationship between his dear friend and cousin, he ultimately realised that Jay put Daisy on a pedestal: “He wanted nothing less of Daisy…as if it were five years ago”. Jay Gatsby’s memory of Daisy and the idea of her was something that Daisy could never live up to. Gatsby built his dream around the idea of Daisy, to such high standards, it’s impossible to reach, creating a wedge between their relationship and also shows the beginning of the deterioration of Gatsby’s American dream. This reinforces the idea of Gatsby’s mentality and mindset of isolating himself from the real world.
PARAGRAPH 4 - Buchanans relationship with the Wilsons - Myrtles death
An essential element of the novella George and Myrtle Wilson. Fitzgerald brilliantly uses these characters’ relationships with the Buchanans and their own to develop and continue the theme of isolation. The night Myrtle is horrifically killed, Michaelis recounts the argument George and Myrtle have over her affair with Tom Buchanan. “You can’t fool God!” said George. “I’ve been around a lot of these people, and they’ve been kind to me, but I’ve seen them.” The part about “fooling god” refers to God being able to see all, Myrtle can’t hide her sins, this is also specifically referring to Dr T.J eckleburg, known for having the eyes of God. Although George is frowned upon by higher society he is the only character in the novel to speak the truth. In the moments leading up to Myrtle’s death, she makes a desperate escape from the shackles of her life with George and from her home. Myrtle runs onto the road seeing the yellow car that Tom owns, and instead Daisy Buchanan was driving and ran her over. The symbolism of the yellow represents money and death, money plays a big part in her relationships and it ultimately is the wedge between her and Tom’s affair. The description of Myrtle’s accident shocks George and he recounts how close he was. “I was within a few feet of the car when it hit her… I saw the girl with the curly hair, and I saw her body lying in the street.” The repetition of “I saw” further highlights George’s insightfulness and the almost brutal description of Myrtle’s end shows how quickly and remorselessly the lower classes can be disposed of.
PARAGRAPH 5 - Gatsby’s death
Towards the end of the novella Fitzgerald concludes the continuous theme of isolation through Gatsby’s death. George Wilson seeks revenge on the death of Myrtle, and in doing so commits a murder sucide, taking the life of Jay Gatsby. “It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete.”The word choice of “Holocaust” has connotations of mass destruction and genocide. This suggests the tragedy and destruction of Gatsby and George’s deaths. They are victims of their ‘American Dream’, but also it could potentially represent the demise of the American Dream and what it stood for. Continuing the religion themes, the word choice of “holocaust” has religious connotations, as it originally represented a burnt sacrifice for god. This could potentially mean that Gatsby and Wilson’s deaths were symbolic of the sacrifice to achieve the “American Dream” for Tom and Daisy. Even in death Gatsby and George were separated, physically and mentally despite wanting to achieve the same thing, this amazing and spectacular “American dream’. At the very end Nick summarises Gatsby’s life. “And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.” The imagery of “the green light” symbolises wealth and money but also Daisy and the American Dream. Gatsby attached Daisy and her wealth to being the embodiment of the American dream. Gatsby is reaching out into the light which metaphorically represents him obtaining Daisy, her love and social standing and image, therefore attaining his ‘American Dream’. This reflection of Gatsby’s life also shows irony: Jay spent years and years aiming to relive the past but ultimately Gatsby being stuck in the past was what stopped him from achieving his dream. He was ignorant in believing that he was able to achieve the dream when it was never possible.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion “The Great Gatsby” is a brilliantly composed novella with great meaning and detail. A key part of the story starts right at the beginning, Nick becoming a part of the social elite, and in doing so feeling isolated and this theme is continued through the development of moral isolation and how a person’s state of mind can hinder relationships and therefore create a barrier between the pair. Fitzgerald created manifestations of seclusion and separation through different characters and how this alters the whole story, leading to disillusionment and destruction of multiple aspects of the novella.
