The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

Kees IJzerman April 2013

Storyline

• Nick Carraway rents a small house in West Egg, Long Island

• Visits cousin Daisy and her husband Tom• Notices they are not happy.• Meets golf player Jordan Baker there.• She informs Nick Tom has a mistress, Myrtle.• Myrtle is married too: George Wilson, owner

of garage in the Valley of Ashes

Storyline

• Tom takes Nick to see Myrtle.• Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose.

• Partying next door to Nick: huge house.(Jay Gatsby)

• Nick gets invited to one of these parties.

Party Time

• Click picture

Storyline

• Nick is introduced to Gatsby• Gatsby take Nick to see Meyer Wolfsheim

(shady character)• Jordan tells Nick part of Gatsby’s history:

- poor officer, in love w. Daisy, go to war- Daisy married Tom (=old money)

• Gatsby returned from war: new Gatsby(rich, opulent lifestyle)

Storyline

• Via Jordan, Gatsby asks Nick to arrange a meeting with Daisy.

• They still love one another

Why did you marry him?

• Click picture

Storyline

• Gatsby & Daisy have an affair• The five of them go into the city; at Wilson’s

garage Tom stops for petrol.• Wilson has found out his wife Myrtle has a

lover, but doesn’t know who.

You can’t repeat the past

• ……of course you can!

Gatsby’s great hope.

Storyline

• At N.Y. hotel Tom and Gatsby fight over Daisy• Tom accuses Gatsby of being a bootlegger• Daisy breaks down and tells her husband

openly that she loves Gatsby

You want too much

Storyline

• Daisy and Gatsby drive back in G’s yellow car.• The other three later• They see accident: Myrtle has been killed by a

yellow car.• Wilson finds out whose car killed his wife• Thinking Gatsby drove, he kills him and the n

commits suicide.• In fact, it was Daisy who drove the car.

Storyline

• Nick tries to get Gatsby’s friends to attend the funeral.

• Nick and Jordan break up.• Only Gatsby’s father turns up at the funeral

What does it mean?

• Fitzgerald’s take on the ‘roaring twenties”.• Easy money; shallow people.• East Egg vs. West Egg• Gatsby is killed because he loved and was

loyal.

What does it all mean?

• The Green Light at Daisy’s Dock: symbol of Gatsby’s dream and the American Dream

• The Valley of Ashes: the dirt and rubbish that is caused by trying to become rich.

• ‘Great’ Gatsby: bootlegger, in with criminals, but ‘good guy’

• He dies; with him his dream dies: the American Dream?