Dialectical Journal For The Great Gatsby

Literary Elements

Characterization: - Nick Carraway reserves judgments about other people, because if he holds them up to his own moral standards, he will misunderstand them. - Characterizes himself as highly moral and highly tolerant. - Page 1: “In consequence, I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores.”

Juxtaposition: - West Egg and East Egg are compared to show they are complete opposites. - East Egg represents breeding, taste, aristocracy and leisure. - West Egg represents ostentation, garishness and the flashy manners of the new rich. - Page 5: “I lived at West Egg, the-well, the less fashionable
- It lacks a glamorous surface and is located halfway between West Egg and New York. - Symbolizes moral decay of the Eggs, meaning it’s just as ugly on the inside than the outside of East Egg and West Egg. - Page 23: “This is the valley of ashes- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens…”

Foreshadow: - Guests mill around exchanging rumors about Gatsby- no one seems to know the truth about Gatsby’s wealth or personal history, - Indicates the novel will be about the unraveling of Gatsby’s character. - Page 44: “Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once.”

Enjoyable Passages

Page 16: “… I followed Daisy around a chain connecting verandas to the front porch…”

I enjoyed this piece because this is when Nick and Daisy talk about Daisy’s hopes for her infant daughter. Daisy hopes her daughter is a “fool.” I think this is because the social environment in that time period (1920s) does not value the intelligence in women. She talks about the social values of her era but does not challenge them; instead, she describes her boredom and how a girl can have more fun if she is simplistic and
I think Nick describes Gatsby’s smile to show the theatrical quality of his character as well as his charisma. It also captures the manner Gatsby reacts to the outside world. Nick describes Gatsby’s rare focus where he has the ability to make anyone he smiles at feel as though he has chosen that person out of the world, reflecting that person’s most optimistic conception of him or herself.

Questions

1. Discuss how Nick Carraway contradicts himself in the beginning of the novel. 2. Why does Tom take Nick with him to Myrtle’s house? 3. Why is Gatsby properly introduced in Chapter Three rather than Chapter One?

Analysis

At times I felt bored by these first few chapters of the novel. There was nothing really keeping my eyes peeled to every page. One particular thing that I noticed was how the geography and social values are interrelated, where each setting corresponds to an idea or character type. For example, the valley of ashes represents poverty and moral decay. The world of East Egg reminds me of the Gilded Age, and how things may seem to have an alluring appearance but is covered with unattractive realities. For instance, Jordan Baker displays boredom, cynicism and dishonesty despite her wealth and