Chapter 2 Pg. 23-38

Nick goes out with Tom and finds himself in the valley of ashes, where structures seem to be made of dusk and the mysterious eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg seem to lurk over the scenery. Tom soon leads Nick to the George B. Wilson garage, were he unwillingly meets Tom’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Taken to “visit her sister”, Mertyl is treated to a small shopping spree in New York City, and then takes Nick to her apartment where she plans a party among her friends. During the party, Nick wishes to escape the rumors and drunken conversation. However it is not until Tom breaks his Myrtle’s nose in anger that Nick’s wish is finally granted.

Myrtle Wilson:

* “Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment, and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her, until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air.”

* I don’t find a lot of good qualityies in Mrs. Wilson mainly because she cheats on her husband and tries to justify it by stating he is unworthy of her, she uses Tom for his wealthy, and she boasts her valuables in others faces to make them seem lesser compared to herself.

* Myrtle is a character who I believe will cause a major issue among the spouses in this novel. She is involved with 3 different relationships so far and I feel that this will ultimately bite her in the butt sooner or later. However I do believe that her character will give rise to the profound discontent all the spouses have acquired because of their relationships, leading to the eruption of truth and powerful feelings. I also feel she provides good insight on the superficiality of the rich and allows the audience to see how shallow and conceited the rich really were during this era and this time period. I feel that this idea of the arrogant rich is already introduced as a main theme in this novel.

“And Tom’s the first sweetie I ever had.” –Myrtle Wilson

The irony in this quote is that right after this statement was made Myrtle is punched in the face by Tom while having a conversation about Daisy. This shows the true motives behind Myrtle and most rich people of this time; they are ignorant and shallow. Through the example of Myrtle, we consistently see her obsession with money and obtaining the image of being rich. Though Myrtle and her husband are not high in social status, she is willing to be a mistress to Tom in order to live within this whole alter ego. However both are willing to fool themselves into thinking their relationship has good intention, however Nick’s encounter with them proves that their relationship is not mutual love, but the desperation of two people to get whatever they want despite the cost. These characters are already illustrating their corrupt values through lying and deception.

Chapter 1 Pg. 1-21

In Nick Carraway’s introduction, he characterizes himself as someone who reserves their judgment on others. Though he describes this guideline as “a matter of infinite hope”, he also finds that this trait separates him from the rest of his generation. When visiting his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom, Nick finds himself in the glamorous East Egg, which he finds to be far different from his less- fashionable home in the West Egg. Throughout his visit, Nick is surprised by the ignorance of their guest, Miss Parker, the arrogance of Tom and his racist beliefs, and the tolerance Daisy has for her “hulking” and violent husband. Through the private murmurs and dynamic characteristics of his hosts, Nick begins to recognize the illusion of the rich and their “pleasant” lifestyle.  

Daisy Buchanan:

* “’All right,” I said, ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’” (page 17)

* Daisy has a voice that “men who had cared for her found difficult to forge.” Nick was drawn into listening to her ignorant statements solely because her voice was so compelling. She seems to be excited by plans, big events, and the idea of romance. She also liked to complement Nick and felt intrigued to tell him secrets.

* Though she was just introduced, I feel like Daisy will develop throughout the novel. Her intrigue and mystery seems to be a prominent characteristic of hers. However, I feel like her desire to speak to Nick about her true feelings will grow with their relationship. She may be the key in helping Nick realize the truth about the rich, and how happy they actually are with their lifestyle.

“Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face.”

Through this chapter, I found the characters to be so mysterious mainly because of Nick’s description of their facial expressions. Each reaction they held had a sense of charm and radiance; however they also had showed sorrow and absence of hope, mostly in Daisy. To me she seemed to be crouched in the shadow of Tom and not willing to expose her true character to anyone but Nick. Furthermore, I feel like the chapter gives rise to the theme of “money can’t by happiness.” The rich will try to prove to others they are happy through the perfect family image. And through the reaction Daisy had when she heard the news about her baby, one could see that she has very little hope for her child as a person. I feel like the rich people introduced in this novel are fake and shallow and I hope that through the book this “perfection” can be destroyed to reveal their true characters.