Friday, September 16, 2011
Gatsby Chapters 1 & 2
The incidents that transpire while Nick and Tom are at the McKee's party are deliberately fuzzy. How does Nick's inebriation impair his ability to tell the story? What is revealed by what Nick does not tell us? What details that Nick does remember stand out, and what do these details reveal about individual characters and about the stratified society in which these characters live?
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Nick's inebriation blatantly disrupts the story of what transpires at the party. From the audience's standpoint, it reads choppily, because we only get to see rapid snippets of the events. The moments that stick out most are the explanation of how Myrtle and Tom met, and when Tom breaks Mrs. Wilson's nose. The fact that these are seemingly the most exciting bits of the night, says a lot about the McKees, Myrtle and Tom. Clearly the small talk wasn't very interesting if Nick could only remember scandal and violence.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of this chapter focuses on Tom and Myrtle's relationship, which understandably makes Nick feel uncomfortable. During this time period, cheating on a spouse was a very public decision and an even more taboo subject for discussion, especially among the rich socialites of New York. The dynamic of shame versus pride is emphasized throughout the entire party, especially once everyone is under the influence.
Nick's perception of reality is distorted by his inebriation. Consequently, there are strange blackouts and odd observations that play out in his mind. During the party with Tom and Myrtle, Nick drinks heavily. As the evening progresses, the effects of the alcohol become more apparent. While at the beginning of the party, Nick simply observes the conversation of the guests and politely answers, by the end of the evening his mind is fogged and confused. In a series of increasingly chaotic observations, Nick describes the evening's events. He loses track of time, becoming confused about who was present in the room. Hazily he said," People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away". This indicates that his eyesight was starting to suffer. Then, his own uniquely cynical personality starts to skew his observations.
ReplyDeleteHe starts romanticizing the evening through abstract language. When Myrtle was struck by Tom, he observed "...there were bloody towels upon the bath-room floor, and women's scolding, and high over the confusion a long broken wail of pain". Instead of describing the confusion in first person like he did previously, Nick begins to become distant from the happenings of the evening. His thoughts become incoherent as he suddenly jumps from leaving the apartment, to sitting in Mr. McKee's bedroom, to Pennsylvania station with no connection between.
Nick remembers vividly the conceited attitude of Myrtle. When Tom requests ice for the McKee's, Myrtle bitterly complains about, "These people! You have to keep after them all the time". Nick's opinion of this event is clear the way he describes Myrtle, "rais[ing] her eyebrows at the shiftlessness of the lower orders". The ridiculous imagery of this gesture shows the barrier between the classes of Nick's world. The upper classes view the lower as little better than animals. Yet they are characterized as "pointless" and hypocritical. Although not truly of the lower class, Nick is close enough that he emulates some of their opinions. Hence, he views people like Myrtle and Tom in this cynical light. Myrtle in particular is the embodiment of the upper classes' faults. She represents the pinnacle of hypocrisy, pettiness, and arrogance that Nick so despises.
Nicks inability to describe what is going on around him acts as a tool for Fitzgerald, to highlight and emphasize specific parts of the passage that are particularly important. However, there is a part about Gatsby, that is unfinished and leaves the reader with an unanswered question as to why Catherine says, “I’m scared of him. I’d hate to have him get anything on me” (Fitzgerald 37). This conversation is interrupted and the question of who and what is so terrible about Gatsby is left hanging.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking to the point about a, “stratified society” from Nick’s perspective, the most clearest part of chapter two reveals very much about the mechanics of the world Fitzgerald writes about. When Tom strikes Myrtle the action is quick and briefly Nick is not blinded by the alcohol, if only to return to an even more jumbled state after the incident takes place, “making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with an open hand” (Fitzgerald 41). This action is described with clarity in the midst of Nick’s fogged mind. In this action loyalty is revealed, not to only to Tom;s wife, but to his class. By allowing Myrtle to stomp out any respect she had for Daisy by repeatedly saying her name Tom would have been converted, would have left any respect for his wife and the place he belongs in society behind. By hitting Myrtle, Tom makes it clear that no matter what, he doesn’t really belong with her. Throughout chapter two Fitzgerald leads up to the loyalty Tom will prove at the end of the night when he writes, “I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a great flock of white sheep turn the corner” (Fitzgerald 32), or “These people! You have to keep after them all the time” (Fitzgerald 36). The first of which Nick is describing the day, but it also makes a connection to sheep and their Sheppard, to whom they are loyal and obedient. Tom, although he is a mighty man, must still bend to societies will. He must still be a willing sheep to the class system. When Myrtle exclaims “These people!” the reader is reminded of where she comes from. That out of the little apartment she is a mechanics wife, not a part of the glamorous upper class, although she would like to pretend.
At the McKee’s party, Nick emphasizes about how he got drunk for only the second time in his entire life. The night starts out okay for him as he is able to drink and maintain bearing of what is going on around him. The beginning, while he is still fairly sober, starts out with him describing every event in a fluent manner, but as the night continues and he consumes more and more alcohol, his story telling begins to suffer. “It was nine o’clock- almost immediately afterwards I looked at my watch and found it was ten.” (Fitzgerald 41) Nick loses an entire hour of the party due to his inebriation and does not even attempt to resume until midnight when the party gets interesting again. During this time the reader is forced to assume nothing important has occurred; however, one finds that during this time period Tom and Myrtle have started a heated argument over Tom’s marriage.
ReplyDeleteWhat Nick does not elaborate; however, also tells the reader a lot about what occurs during the missing three hours. “People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away” (Fitzgerald 41) explains Nick. This ambiguity conveys to the reader how removed Nick is from everyone. Instead of including himself in the group, he refers to them as people. He did not participate in plans with these people. Nick despises the sanctimonious behavior of Tom and the rest of the East Egg people. He identifies more with West Egg and even people like Mr. Wilson who Tom mocked in a very outrageous manner. The idea of the vast separation between social classes is abhorrent to Nick.
Nick drops some subtle and some not so subtle hints as to the social divide between people in the 1920s. Myrtle is a perfect example of one who believes they are greater than others. She disgustedly exclaims, “Those people! You have to keep after them all the time.” (Fitzgerald 36) The same way Nick later refers to the others at the party as “people” Myrtle derogatorily refers to them as “people” as well. She believes that she is better than them and is not afraid to express her belief to the crowd, ostensibly assuming that they believe the same way. An assumption that is correct for most of the attendants. The end of the party is also marked by a display of social superiority as Tom breaks the nose of Myrtle to express his dominance over her. Tom is a representation of East Egg and their enhanced sense of social superiority over other, even, in Tom’s case, his own mistress. His dominating and egregious behavior towards those who he feels he is superior than irritates Nick greatly, and may be one aspect that causes him to mentally reject Tom in favor of a West Egg citizen like Jay Gatsby.
Nick's inebriation prevents him from narrating the complete story of the McKee's party. It is apparent that he forgets the order and details of many events at the party. For example, "after the first drink," Nick introduces the McKees and abruptly continues with his description of Mrs. Wilson, stating that she "had changed her costume some time before" (Fitzgerald 35). Nick's intoxication is evident even at the beginning of the McKee's party. His sobriety continuously dwindles as the party continues. For example, towards the middle of the party, Catherine bluntly states that she is "scared of [Gatsby, Nick's neighbor]" (37). The scene was immediately interrupted by the choppy commencement of a new one. Finally, at the end of the party, Nick is clearly fully inebriate. After "Tom Buchanan broke [Mrs. Wilson's] nose with his open hand", Nick's daze is epitomized in his description of the scene: "there were bloody towels upon the bathroom floor and women's voices scolding, and high over the confusion a long broken wail of pain" (41).
ReplyDeleteNick, however, does recollect Myrtle's haughtiness. Towards the end of the party, she declares, "'I'm going to make a list of all the things I've got to get. A massage and a wave and a collar for the dog and one of those cute ash trays where you touch a spring, and a wreath with a black silk bow for mother's grave that'll last all summer" (41). Myrtle obviously expects to be satisfied through her easily attained money. Myrtle also proves her materialistic nature when, in her sobriety, she begs Tom to buy her a dog. "'I want to get one of those dogs,' she said earnestly" (31). Thus, Nick does not have much respect for Myrtle and her rich friends.
Nick's description of his surroundings becomes progressively more unclear as the evening grows later and his judgment more clouded by alcohol. The details of the evening's events are not fluent. They jump from one scene to the next with little transition, without the small details that would fill in the gaps.
ReplyDeleteWhat Nick leaves out, for the most part, is his own observations and actions. At one point he briefly considered leaving, only to be pulled back into the drama and excitement of the party around him. His inebriated observations are clearly the view of an outsider. He participates little in the action, and while he does not immediately reflect on the chaos, he retains enough in his memory for us, as readers, and him to gather a sense of the characters.
The two main subject of Nick's experiences at the party are Catherine and Myrtle. It is only with them that he has any sort of extensive conversation with. Mainly, they discuss the marriages of Tom and Myrtle and their relationship. Tom and Myrtle seem to be living double lives. Each unhappy in their marriage, they have created this second group of acquaintances with whom they can spend time in the apartment. Though he just meets her, Catherine helps Nick learn all about the depth and complexities of these New Yorkers.
Fitzgerald uses Nick's drunkenness as a tool to emphasize information that Nick obtains throughout the night. As the night goes on, Nick's recollection of time and events grows hazy. This emphasizes the elements of the events that he does remember such the interactions between Myrtle and Mrs.McKee and the overall tone of the evening, which is pretty negative.
ReplyDeleteThis party seems to be an escape from each character's reality, but all the character's seem miserable to be there. Myrtle and Tom talk about their unhappy marriages,and Catherine talks negatively about her trip to Europe. Fitzgerald says, " the room rang full of artificial laughter"(24).Throughout the evening, Nick seems to just be an observer, contributing to the conversation rarely. He also tries to leave the party all together but is called back by ," the shrill voice of Mrs. McKee" (23). I believe that Nick's inability to decipher all of the evening's events clearly illuminates how miserable all of character's are in their lives and their place in society.
Nick has only been drunk twice in his life, one of these times being at McKee's party. He is unable to recall everything that happens, and in a short period of time it seems that an hour has passed. Nick didn't describe specifically where people went, and what people went, but people "disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away" (37).
ReplyDeleteThe rapid pace and choppiness of the last pages in chapter 2 emphasize Nick’s confusion and inebriation. Nick fails to include the all around small talk of the night, yet he includes when Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose.
The separation between the characters is also evident through Nick’s reactions towards Myrtle. Her “warm breath poured over me [him]” (Fitzgerald 36), as she told him the story of meeting Tom for the first time. He has no reaction to this story and their relationship clearly makes him uneasy. Nick remembers the incident between Myrtle and Tom, which reveals their openness of their affair in society. His overall inebriation causes him to be in a haze amongst people who are not necessarily in his social class; further suggesting Nick is an outsider looking in.
Nick's drunkenness is an interesting device used by the author. In making Nick intoxicated he makes it possible to only talk about the most important events that transpired instead of the not important ones. It also leads to an almost choppy style to the writing this further adds to the awkward feeling of the night. As Nick becomes more intoxicated the night seems to get worse. He explains this was only the second time in his life he was intoxicated. In his drunkenness we see how very bad the party was. He only is able to recollect the violence that goes on very clearly. He can clearly remember the short quick way Tom slaps Myrtle and the look of the bloody towel on the flower. Even being foggy Nick is able to recollect details of the violence. Nick also picks up on the awkward feeling of the night he even tries to leave it at one point. And the final important thing Nick picks up on is the seriously spoiled attitude of Myrtle he remembers a specific quote by her but not much of what others say. “I'm going to make a list of all the things I've got to get. A massage and a wave and a collar for the dog and one of those cute ash trays where you touch a spring, and a wreath with a black silk bow for mother's grave that'll last all summer" (41). Having Nick be intoxicated in the scene adds to the highlighting of specific moods and a choppy diction in the scene.
ReplyDeleteNick’s inebriation is immediately noticeable when he describes the party. Initially after the first drink, he is able to adequately describe Catherine and Mr. and Mrs. McKee. He then only seems to remember the details about Gatsby up to the point where Mrs. McKee interrupted. This could be significant because his first encounter with Gatsby seemed to be only the appearance of a shadow or vision, and it was as ephemeral as a dream from Nick’s perspective. Nick’s writing suggests that Gatsby’s character is intended to be equivocal, and that Nick may be reminded of the same inebriated state when calling Gatsby to mind. Nick’s drunkenness also makes for an illegitimate coherence of events in certain cases. For example, there was no answer to the question: “doesn’t Myrtle like Wilson either?” and the night’s end was followed by Nick standing by “his bed” and then “lying half asleep waiting for the four o’clock train.” Clearly these broken events represent the alleged “innocence” Nick possesses at the present time, and the questions that are generated from the chapter will likely be answered with further description of the characters’ lives.
ReplyDeleteNick additionally includes events that he does remember, and they are emphasized by the contrast formed by the forgotten parts. For instance, the fact that Catherine was not drinking makes it interesting that she would lie about Daisy being Catholic. While she “felt just as good on nothing at all,” Catherine still seems to display a sense of inebriation in making claims she is unauthorized to make about Tom and Daisy. Also, Nick recalls the act of Tom breaking Myrtle’s nose over an argument of whether or not Myrtle is aloud to mention Daisy’s name. The two then become the antagonists of the group and the others leave in either disgust or fear. This event marks the separation within the group because Tom and Myrtle were the only ones to take deliberate and radical action, as opposed to the McKee’s and Catherine merely going with the flow of others’ lives.
A few things to think about--what happens with McGee? The sexual connotations are significant. Reread the elevator scene and think about what Fitzgerald is implying, or at least asking us to consider. Also, and on a completely different note, think about the objects we see in the apartment--for example, the dog bowl with the dissolving biscuit. What do these details reveal about the characters at the party and the world in which they live, or hope to live?
ReplyDeleteNick's inebriation causes him to be unable to recall in detail all the events that occurred at the McKee's party. While explaining what happened at the party he jumps from one event to the next, leaving gaps in between. “It was nine o'clock-almost immediately afterwards I looked at my watch and found it was ten" (Fitzgerald 41).It seems as though in between important events everything to Nick is a blur. "People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other" (41).
ReplyDeleteNick can only recall in detail the events that stood out to him, such as how Tom and Mrs. Wilson met, and Tom breaking her nose with his "open hand" (41). The fact that he remembers in detail these events over others displays how they were significant to him. These events stick out to Nick because he feels uneasy by the idea that Tom and Myrtle. Since most of the night is a blur to Nick it emphasizes the importance of what he does remember.
he McKee's party reveals the many conflicts within Nick and between the other characters, such as Myrtle and Tom. Nick exhibits a struggle as he is somewhat repulsed by the vapidness of the party guests, yet intrigued, as he reflects, "I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild strident argument which pulled me back in..." (Fitzgerald 40). Nick approaches the upper class with justified hesitation tinged with both intrigue and disgust, especially when he refers to meeting Myrtle before they do so, "Though I was curious to see her I had no desire to meet her - but I did. I went up to New York with Tom on the train one afternoon..." (28).
ReplyDeleteIn addition to Nick's inner conflict pertaining to his opinions on the upper class, the dynamics between Tom and Myrtle are heightened during the party. Since Nick is intoxicated and unable to distinguish the exact reality, what he does remember is significant. During his chat with Catherine, Nick is able to learn more about Myrtle and Tom's relationship and how it works. Also, Catherine's conversation with Myrtle about why she ended up marrying Mr. Wilson further illustrates Myrtle's contempt for her husband - as though her unhappiness has led her straight to Tom (or rather the idea of Tom as an escape from her seemingly miserable life.)
The ending of chapter 2 provokes many questions about the gaps Nick is incapable of filling. The elevator scene causes the readers to question Nick's sexuality. He answers Mr. McKee's previous question about getting lunch with him by saying, "'All right,' I agreed, 'I'll be glad to'" (42). However, Nick's response is directly placed by Fitzgerald after "'I didn't know I was touching it'" (42). Additionally, Nick flashes to a vague scene described as, "...I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands'" (42). We are left to wonder and speculate if anything happened between the two.
FItzgerald cleverly uses Nick's inebriation to highlight the important moments that stood out to Nick. Because he drinks too much, he is unable to recall the entire sequence of the night. " It was nine o'clock-almost immediately afterwards I looked at my watch and found it was ten"(41). What Nick remembers is obviously what he is most concerned with. He takes snippets from the night like Joan Didion did from her memories. Catherine and Myrtle are referred to most often. Nick picks up on Myrtle's marriage regrets and troubles as she says, "The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake"(39). In addition, he recognizes Myrtle's hatred and jealousy of Daisy as she screams, "Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!"(41). In return, Nick definitely remembers the scarring moment when Tom drunkenly slaps Myrtle in "a short deft movement"(41). breaking her nose. This night revels the insecurity of Myrtle. He recordings throughout the night portray his interest in the relationship between Myrtle and Tom. The choppiness and haze of the night, causes the reader to feel how out of place Nick feels. He feels awkward with his unsure emotions of his wealthier "friends".
ReplyDeleteWhat Nick does not inform us of is at the end of the chapter when he exclaims, "I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands...Beauty and the Beast...... Loneliness..... Old Grocery Horse..... Brook'n Bridge..."(42). The confusing stray of words leaves the reader in confusion of their significance and meaning.