The Great Gatsby

1
The Great Gatsby

• Chapter Three
• Finally meeting Gatsby

2
Gatsbys Parties

• Nick observes the parties from afar
• But manages to take in a huge amount of detail
  Every FridayMonday
• NB the amount of imagery in the opening couple of
  paragraphs
• From afar he seems to judge the parties with an
  aloof attitude mixed with fascination
• Analyse the language in the following quotes

3

• In his blue gardens men and girls came and went
  like moths among the whisperings and the
  champagne and the stars
• Eight servantsrepairing the ravages
• Scampered like a brisk yellow bug
• On buffet tablesbewitched to a dark gold
• Also page 49

4

• the orchestra has arrived
• The last swimmers have come in from the beach now
  and are dressing upstairs
• Shawls beyond the dreams of Castile
• The bar is in full swing, and floating roundsand
  casual innuendoand enthusiastic meetings
• they conducted themselves according to the rules
  of behaviour associated with an amusement park
• A simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of
  admission

5
Nicks first party

• Snobbish I had been actually invited
• But he is ill at ease among the swirls and
  eddies
• The only place where a single man could linger
  without looking purposeless and alone

6
The absent Gatsby

• Nobody even knows where he is
• the two or three people I asked about looked at
  me in such an amazed way
• But he is the subject of rumour and gossip
• Somebody told me they thought he killed a man
• he was a German spy during the war
• I heard that from a man

7
Jordan Baker

• She is aloof and confident
• looking with contemptuous interest
• She held my hand impersonally
• Nick and her seem closer
• With Jordans slender golden arm resting in
  mine
• And Nick seems more relaxed
• descended and sauntered

8
The owl-eyed man

• Page 51
• In many ways a comical character
• Ive been drunk for about a week now
• He is amazed that Gatsbys books are real
  pages and everything
• And he is impressed by the authenticity of
  Gatsby's library What thoroughness! What
  realism!
• But knows that it is fragile
• If one brick was removed the whole library was
  liable to collapse

9
Meeting Gatsby

• Makes a connection by talking about the war
• Old sport
• A quality of eternal reassurance
• It vanished- and I was looking at an elegant
  young rough-neckwhose elaborate formality of
  speech just missed being absurd

10
Gatsby

• Page 56 standing alone
• Pp56-7
• no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French
  boband no singing quartets
• He mysteriously asks to speak to Jordan alone-
  about Daisy

11
False emotions

• The famous singer
• decided, ineptly, that everything was very, very
  sad
• The tears coursed down her cheeks not freely,
  however

12
The end of the party

• The guests are all drunk and the party ends with
  fighting.
• Nick watches and comments comically.
• Nick is pleased to have met Gatsby
• there seemed to be a pleasant significance in
  having been among the last to go

13
A bizarre and tumultuous scene

• Fitzgerald describes the scene in a comical way.
• Look at the tone of (p62)
• explained to him that wheel and car were no
  longer joined by any physical bond
• No harm in trying
• The car crash contrasts with this quiet scene.
• Cars are important to plot and are a recurring
  motif.

14
Nicks Narration

• Pages 62-64
• Nick reminds us that he is looking back and
  constructing an account
• He admits to being misleading
• I have given the impression..On the contrary
• He attempts to portray his everyday life
• However, he also reveals the inner desires which
  he has
• And makes the reader mistrust him more

15
Most of the time I worked

• Pick out word choice which describes Nicks
  everyday life
• Say what this word choice suggests
• E.g. white chasms
• This metaphor shows the streets of New York seem
  huge and intimidating, dwarfing Nick and making
  him small and insignificant in comparison

16
I began to like New York

• Pick out word choice which suggests that New York
  provokes other desires in Nick

17
Nick as outsider

• Pick out word choice showing Nick portraying
  himself as a neutral observer
• E.g. Forms leaned together in the taxis as they
  waited, and voices sang, and there was laughter
  from unheard jokes, and lighted cigarettes made
  unintelligible circles inside.
• Series of simple statements
• Linked by and
• Blank list of impressions without comment

18
Nick as honest?

• Why do you think Nick starts getting mean
  looks?
• He says of Jordan I thought I loved her
• But I am slow thinking