How is this evident in The Great Gatsby? Are there characters who exemplify this quote? What is the "moral of the story" in regards to this novel.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker
Scott Fitzgerald was born and raised Catholic. He eventually denounced his religion, but died running from it. A good friend of his, Dorothy Parker, at his funeral said, "The poor son-of-a-bitch. What he knew was true hounded him, no matter how much he believed that he had ceased to believe it."
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Scott F. Fitzgerald is known as one of the greatest authors of all time. Although many of his record-breaking novels have hidden messages, a certain piece of his, "The Great Gatsby", really depicts some of the biggest religious conflicts that occurred in his own life. The most obvious message portrayed in the book is love. When Fitzgerald was 22 years old, he fell in love with 18 year old Zelda Sayre. She refused to marry him because of his financial status. He quit the army in search for money so he could happily marry her but unfortunately, the wait was too long and she broke the engagement. Scott began writing again and a novel of his was soon published. Just after, he and Zelda were married due to his financial successes and they lived in accompany of money, parties, and drinking. Although they lived a high life, their marriage took a turn and went in a downward spiral. Zelda died due to mental handicap, and Fitzgerald remarried and returned to writing.
ReplyDeleteReferences to Scott Fitzgerald's personal life and the escape from religion are very evident throughout the whole novel, "The Great Gatsby." One of the characters who exemplifies this the most is Daisy. Gatsby was at war, just like Fitzgerald, when he met the love of his life. They both loved women who they cannot reach due to financial needs. This is when Daisy left him and married another man for his money. While she disappeared, Gatsby became wealthy and tried to find happiness in possessions. He bought a giant house, partied, and hosted hundreds of people in his mansion every weekend.When Gatsby found her again, he didn't bother about the her marriage. He wanted to steal her from Tom. Daisy finally announced that she loves Gatsby, but he eventually dies due to a crime that she committed. Her current husband is much too wealthy to leave, so she sticks with him. So in reality, the novel portrayed how Daisy loved Gatsby, but married for money. Money overpowered love. The message of this story is to show how people often get sidetracked by possessions and when they snap back into reality, it's too late to change.
Source: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/g/the-great-gatsby/f-scott-fitzgerald-biography
Charlie, your blog is great! I really liked how you incorporated Fitzgerald's life with Zelda in the first paragraph. In my blog, I also talked about the relationship between Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy. I think they are what really make this quote and novel stand out.
DeleteCharlie,
DeleteI really enjoyed your perspective of this, I agree that money overpowered love and that Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy are what makes this quote and book so meaningful. Great job
Charlie,
DeleteI really liked how you paralleled the life of Fitzgerald to the life of Gatsby. I think by doing that we can see that Fitzgerald was more than likely writing this story about the experiences in his life. I think the common theme of this story is that money, wealth, and greed blind people from actually living. Great Blog!
Charlie,
DeleteYour blog is great! I like how you talked about how Gatsby's and Fitzgerald's life are very similar. With their need to please the women in their lives.
The quote by Dorothy Day relates to "The Great Gatsby" in several ways. Dorothy Day said this quotation at Fitzgerald's funeral, however, I believe that it also could have been said at Gatsby's funeral. Gatsby knew that Daisy could never become his wife. She was already married to Tom Buchanan, but he refused to believe that Daisy could ever love anyone but him. In regards to the novel, the moral of the story is that you must accept the truth even if it hurts. If Gatsby could have accepted that his relationship with Daisy was over then he would not have had to dedicate all of his time to impress her. Everything he ever did was for her. He became a wealthy man and constantly threw parties hoping that she might notice. Gatsby could have had more loyal friends if he didn't spend so much time chasing after Daisy. Throughout the story, the only friends he had before meeting Nick were only interested in his money and parties. Gatsby practically killed himself because of his refusal to understand the truth.
ReplyDeleteHailee, your blog is great! I loved how you said Daisy could of said this at Gatsby's funeral. I too said Daisy could have said this to Gatsby, but I never thought about the funeral.
DeleteHailee, I love your last line in this because it made me think. Gatsby could be portrayed as a very selfish man, but your blog emphasizes that if he loves someone he would do anything for them.
DeleteHailee,
DeleteYour blog was short but to the point and pretty well said. I like the part on the moral of the story. You made strong points, and I agree he basically did kill himself over a girl, good point. Even though you did not write much, I think the blog was well written and made a lot of sense.
Hailee,
DeleteI really liked how you made it very clear in your blog that Gatsby basically lived his whole life for Daisy, and basically killed himself because he was unwilling to live without her. That was a fantastic point. The rest of your blog was also very good, and I think you did a great job!
Scott Fitzgerald wrote a nation wide known novel, The Great Gatsby. At Fitzgerald's funeral, Dorothy Day said this quote. This quote is evident in The Great Gatsby because The Great Gatsby refers to Fitzgerald's life. The novel compares to Fitzgerald's relationships and lifestyles through his whole life. I believe Daisy exemplifies this quote because she could of said it to Gatsby at some point. Fitzgerald, his wife Zelda, Daisy, and Gatsby all found the love of their lives the same way, at war. We realize Daisy and Gatsby do not stay together because she wants a man with wealth. After Daisy leaves him for Tom, Gatsby searches for wealth to try to get Daisy back. Once Daisy finds Gatsby wealthy, Gatsby wants to take her back and he eventually finds out that Daisy truly loves him. Gatsby dies due to a crime and partially because he does not believe what the people truly think of him. Nick was practically his own "true"' friend who didn't like him for his wealth, but liked him for who he was. The Great Gatsby novel teaches people life long lessons. We should not hold people for their wealth, we should hold them for the true person they really are.
ReplyDeleteAllie,
DeleteI like how you too tied Fitzgeralds life into your blog. Like you said, we really shouldn't value people only for their wealth, which we see a lot more in our world today. You showed the connections between each of the main characters nicely. Great blog.
Allie,
DeleteYou did a great job of incorporating Fitzgerald's life into your blog. The parallels you drew between the book and his life were fantastic. I think your moral of the story was quite accurate.
Allie,
DeleteI agree that I could see Daisy saying that quote to Gatsby and that we should not value wealth over anything. You made a lot of great connections.
Allie,
DeleteI thought you did a nice job on your blog. I didn't think about incorporating Fitzgerald's personal life into mine. I believe that really helped to strengthen your argument.
Allie,
DeleteI like how you panelled Fitzgerald's life to Gatsby's life. It really strethended your argument.
The Great Gatsby, written by Scott F. Fitzgerald, actually relates to the life of Fitzgerald. In the novel, Jay Gatsby falls in love with Daisy at a young age just before he goes off to war. The same thing happened in Fitzgeralds life as his lover, Zelda Sayre, refused to marry him because he did not have the money she intended for her husband to have. The quote mentioned above relates to the life of Fitzgerald, and since the novel has to do with his life, it can be referenced to the novel as well. "What he knew was true hounded him.." In the novel, what Gatsby knew was true was that Daisy could never marry him because she was already married to Tom, and that hounded Gatsby as he was now just searching for the love of Daisy, not marriage. That being said, the character that this quote can refer to is Gatsby as he is hounded by the truth, and goes insane, if you will, to get Daisys love by throwing massive parties hoping she would come to one.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the entire story, it was basically a game of who is going to cheat on who next? Recapping the novel, first Tom starts by cheating on Daisy with Myrtle. In doing so, Myrtle cheats on her husband, George Wilson. As time goes on Daisy and Gatsby then get together. I think a big takeaway from this novel, the first one is to stay true to the person you are with or else things will not usually work out. Another big lesson is that it is difficult to leave your past behind you at times as it was evident both Daisy and Gatsby had trouble with letting go of their past. Lastly, one can learn that money doesn't buy you happiness or friends, true ones at least.
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, that should be ^
DeleteGabe,
DeleteI thought your blog was very good. I liked how you tied in the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby, to that of Fitzgerald and Sayre. Also, I thought your last sentence was excellent, when you said that money can not buy happiness.
Mr. Krause,
DeleteAfter reading your blog I think you have done an exceptional job of analyzing and interpreting the novel. You made a strong comparrison of the story to the life of Fitzgerald. I think just as you do that Fitzgerald placed himself in the book as the character Jay Gatsby. By doing this he was reciting the struggles and accomplishments of his life through those that Gatsby was exposed to. Great blog Mr. Chaden Gablehauss.(haha)
Gabe,
DeleteI though your blog was excellent. The connections that you made between Fitzgerald's life and the novel helped to strengthen the points you made. I also really enjoyed the last sentence. I believe that really clears up what the entire story was about.
Gabe,
DeleteYour explanations and the tie in with the quote were very well constructed and were very clear. You compared the lives of Gatbsy and Fitzgerald exceptionally well, making it clear that they had very of the same struggles in life.
Gabe,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you incorporated Scott Fitzgeralds real life into your blog. I thought ours were somewhat similar so I think we have the same thoughts on the novel. Great job
F. Scott Fitzgerald projected his lifestyle and opinions to the characters in his book, especially Gatsby. He and Nick shared a wealthy upbringing and Ivy League schooling, while he and Gatsby both loved a woman they were not wealthy enough to support and threw lavish parties to impress them. There are countless examples of his incorporation of his life into The Great Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteFitzgerald and Gatsby were both incredibly ignorant toward their beliefs. At Fitzgerald's funeral, Dorothy Day stated that he believed in God, even though he thought he did not. Therefore, he remained ignorant of the truth. This statement also applies to Gatsby's belief that he and Daisy could be together. She was always unavailable to him, but that only made him work harder to impress her. In the beginning of their relationship, he was too poor for her, and when he saw her again, she was married with a child. He worked incredibly hard to make money so that he could impress her, and he threw parties in the hopes of catching her attention. He, quite literally, recreated himself for her by changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby. Deep down, he knew she would never love him, but he never stopped trying to ignore that fact. Gatsby died because he took the blame for Daisy's crime and with it, the blame for her husband's crime of adultery. He died ignorant of the truth that she would not love him, just as Fitzgerald died ignorant of the truth of God's existence. The moral of this story speaks of the American struggle for money and prosperity and how, in that struggle, we lose ourselves. The final sentence of The Great Gatsby embodies this truth. "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past
Jenna, your blog is very detailed and the ending is spectacular. I liked how you really highlighted Fitzgerald being away from God, and Gatsby being ignorant of the truth.
DeleteJenna,
DeleteYour blog this week is very good. You took a different approach than most people by looking more into Fitzgerald's view of religion. You made really good connections between the novel and his real life.
In this novel, Gatsby is a character that, you could say, is obsessed with the thought to live a fabulous and glamorous life. Gatsby is so consumed by this thought that he would do anything to achieve his personal goals. This quote can portray to both Fitzgerald and Gatsby because of how they both lost their way on trying to find their happiness. Everyone is figuring out how to live the life they want and how to accomplish their goals and dreams. The main way to get their is to find the path. Fitzgerald found and had God to steer him in the right direction, he had his faith to believe in something much bigger than himself. Gatsby was living his life as his himself, but wanted so much more so he steered himself into a life of lies. Gatsby changed his name and let go of everything in his past life to achieve a glamorous lifestyle. We're these two men really happy?
ReplyDeleteGatsby and Fitzgerald both shared very common lives. They both fell in love, went to war, and tried to develop a very fascinating life for themselves. Fitzgerald displayed this in his story because he needed to people to feel his story, and he needed to maybe feel as if he wasn't the only one searching for something more. From this story I received that the moral is finding your dream and doing whatever you can to achieve it, but it must be done right. Sure, Fitzgerald and Gatsby both got what they wanted, but the way the got there was not the most gracious way. This story is a life lesson of working hard, the right way, and conquering your goal in life.
Reilly,
DeleteAt first glance, we had some different opinions on the moral of the story, but I think your moral is a more positive way of viewing things. I really liked looking at the story from a different perspective. Also, I enjoyed how you showed how Gatsby and Fitzgerald were on the right paths, but they later strayed. Great job!
Reilly:
DeleteI enjoyed reading this. You did a nice job explaining Fitzgeralds life, and how he turned away. It was important that you put that in your blog, so nice work. I also really appreciated your view on what the moral of the story is, becuase this is not the usual moral people would get. I agree though, if you can dream it you can do it! Solid work.
Reilly,
DeleteYour blog is great, it shows a great compare of Gatsby and Fitzgerald. I really enjoy for life lesson at the end it really completes the blog.
I think this quote can be related to both Fitzgerald and Gatsby because Fitzgerald is essentially Gatsby in this novel. The truth that he refused to be live was that Zelda never loved him, their relationship is based on the lie that he was rich just like Gatsby and Daisy's was. If Zelda truly loved him it would not matter that he did not have enough money to support the lifestyle that she wanted to live. Gatsby poured his entire life to be good enough for Daisy which caused him to live a lonely life. He literally gave up him life for her and she did not even come to the funeral. His love was so sincere for Daisy and although it motivated him he did not get the thing that he wanted to most, Daisy.
ReplyDeleteThe moral of this story is that we can not love or expect to be loved based on what material things that we have in our lives. Daisy made a mistake by marrying for money because she was never truly happy and neither was Gatsby. We must love with our hearts, not out of greed.
Mackenzie,
DeleteI like how you brung about the logical points of love. If someone truly loves someone else, money should not be a factor. You make very good points about his lifestyle and also his funeral. I wish you would have made more points similar to this. Overall, good blog!
Mackenzie,
DeleteI liked how you pointed out that material things should not matter in love. I think that this shows that Daisy is not a perfect person everyone makes her out to be because she based her life on material things. Very good point!
Mackenzie
DeleteI agree with the fact that the women were only looking for money. There love for each other should not be based off the weath of the man.
The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place during a period of time known as the Roaring Twenties. This period of time saw young people beginning to break out of the conformity of life. More people began to attend parties, and speakeasies became a place to escape reality. Throughout the course of the book we see a reoccurring pattern begin to unfold, which is people running from their troubles. One character that this is most guilty of this charge is Gatsby himself. Gatsby was the son of a poor farmer. His entire life he wanted to be something more than what he was. So, he moved the the East. World War I broke out and Gatsby found himself having to go overseas to serve in the army. There was just one issue though. He had to leave the love of his life, Daisy. While away at war Daisy began to become lonely and sought a man who would love her. She found that man to be Tom Buchanan. Tom was a wealthy man, unlike Gatsby was at the time he left for war. Daisy became happily married to Tom for many years. Once Gatsby returned from the war he saw that Daisy had fallen in love with another man. Determined to gain back her love Gatsby turned away from all things in life except one thing, money. He figured if he became a man of high stature and wealth then he could win back the heart of the women who loved him so many years ago. Soon Gatsby began dealing in fraudulent Ponzi schemes that allowed him to gain his riches. He became so engrossed in gaining back the heart of his past lover that he lost sight of everything in his life.
ReplyDeleteSoon Daisy and Gatsby meet through the help of Nick Carraway. Nick is Gatsby's neighbor who soon comes to the realization that he is actually his only true friend. Which become very evident at the end of the story. When the two lovers meet for the first time since Gatsby left for the war, they are uneasy and feeble towards each other. But soon, they open up and regain the love they once had. Gatsby believes he has taken back the heart of sweetheart, but again runs into another road block, Tom Buchanan. Daisy has married Tom and loves him as well. She is at an impasse and does not know which way her heart is leading her. She runs away from her trouble and goes to Chicago with Tom after some shady events occur.
Poor old Gatsby who spent his entire life chasing his dream got all caught up on trying to impress his love that he lost sight of his life. He let money and material possessions rule his life and in the end lost it all. His greed for wealth ultimately sent him to his grave in a series of ironic and heartbreaking events. If that wasn't the worst thing to happen, only two people showed up at his funeral, his age decrepit father and his neighbor Nick. All of those people who were his "friends" were to cowardly to show their faces at the procession of a man who showed them so much cordiality. Old Jay Gatsby must have lived by the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
Dan,
DeleteI love the ending to your blog. That last quote brought everything together. You also tie the culture of the twenties to the story, which pertains to the reality of this story.
Dan,
DeleteFirst of all, your blog is well-structured and it certainly looks like you invested a lot of time. It is really good. The first two paragraphs contain most of the content and the conclusion sums everything up in an eloquent fashion.
I did not know that Gatsby ran Ponzi schemes so that was interesting. I also thought it was a bold move to title his so-called friends "cowards."
The quote that was said at Scott Fitzgerzald's funeral by his friend Dorothy Day can relate to many aspects of Fitzgerald's life, including The Great Gatsby. The quote is evident in the life of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby was in love with a girl named Daisy Fay, who was already married to a very wealthy man named Tom Buchanan. Although she was already married, Gatsby believed that Daisy still only truly love him, and was only with Tom because of his wealth and fortune. Gatsby dedicated a large part of his life to Daisy. Gatsby, with the help of Meyer Wolfsheim became very wealthy and powerful, and also purchased a large and beautiful mansion in West Egg, in order to be closer to Daisy. Gatsby had many parties at his mansion in the hope that Daisy may someday attend one and see how successful Gatsby has become. Lots of people Gatsby did not even know attended these parties, and just took advantage of him. The moral of this story and quote is to not waste your whole life longing for something you can not have, and accept the truth and move on from it. Gatsby did everything for Daisy and really never experienced or appreciated life. Gatsby could have done many different things throughout the course of his life, but instead only focused on Daisy. An example of this is that Gatsby did not really have any friends, and that shows when basically no one attends his funeral that Nick arranges. Fitzgerald, in his real and personal life, had a similar situation with a woman named Zelda Sayre. Sayre refused to marry Fitzgerald because he was not wealthy at the time. Both the relationships between Gatsby and Daisy, and Fitzgerald and Sayre are forms of irony that occurred in Scott Fitzgerald's life.
ReplyDeleteFrank,
DeleteYou make some very good points! I agree with you that the truth should be accepted, but I disagree with you when you say we should not waste our lives longing for something we cannot have. I believe that we should have goals and work towards them, as Gasby did with his money. Overall, I agree with most of your blog and you make very arguable points!
Frank,
DeleteI do have to agree with Kara. If you are trying hard for something, even if you do no end up with what you wanted, that time was not wasted. Through the rest of your blog you made great statements, though.
Frank,
DeleteI have to agree with you concerning how Gatsby should not have wasted his entire life in Daisy and should have moved on. While goals are important, I think that Gatsby's situation was more of an obsession than a goal. His life could have amounted to a lot more had he moved on to love a happy life.
Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most well-known authors of all time. In his piece "The Great Gatsby," he mirrors his own life. Essentially, this book could be seen as an autobiography. Scott Fitzgerald went to war and then fell in love, just as Gatsby does. He portrayed himself as Jay Gatsby, who was obsessed with wealth and riches in order to impress the one he loved. This obsession took over his life, and got in the way of the goal he was trying to reach, her love. In this sense, Fitzgerald became consumed in his own life and opinions and lost sight of what truly was important. Fitzgerald lost sight of his love, Zelda Sayre, and also his religion. Obsession with worldly things and items steered both Fitzgerald and his fictional character Gatsby down the wrong path. In the book, this is exemplified by Daisy. Daisy's character mirrors Zelda, who only wanted to marry Fitzgerald if he had money. After the war, this drove Gatsby to use his money for benefit. He threw extravagant parties with lavish amenities and gifts just so that Daisy would once again notice him. Meanwhile, Daisy marries Tom Buchanan for his money. After many years, Gatsby and his once lover are reunited with one another and fall in love. Unfortunately, he pays for the crime she committed. The overall message is that even though Daisy and Gatsby loved each other, she had her eyes on money because that was what he projected. He refused to understand that people were using him for his parties. He let money define him, and it ended up counting against him.
ReplyDeleteKara,
DeleteThe meaning you got from the book is one I hadn't yet considered, and I agree with you completely. I like how you sort of put more of the blame on Daisy instead of solely on Gatsby. Nice job!
I have been obsessed with the 1920s era ever since I can remember. It was a time when beauty, success, love, and having a great time were some of the most important things in your life. I think what fascinates me is that these people wanted money and parties, but it was still a time of no modern technology and they were still formal in their language. That is why when I first watched The Great Gatsby, the movie, I instantly fell in love with the story, and Leonardo DiCaprio was never harsh on the eyes. I knew I had to read the book because it would continue my passion for this era and this story. Scott Fitzgerald became my favorite author, and I found out his own life was put into his story through Jay Gatsby, I liked him even more. Even though Fitzgerald was raised a Catholic, he was not fulfilled by this religion as it was a minority, he thought. Even if he wanted to stay faithful to the Catholic religion, the truth haunted him that it was not what he truly was. The same goes for love in Fitzgerald's own life and story. His beloved Zelda would not marry him. He would not accept the truth. He did everything in his power to marry her. In the story, Jay Gatsby is in love with Daisy, but she married Tom because of his wealth. Gatsby will not believe for a second that he lost his Daisy to another man. He tried to find happiness in his wealth and his exuberant parties, but nothing could fill his heart more than his love for Daisy. When Gatsby finally realizes Daisy loves him back, he is killed because of a crime he did not commit. Gatsby not only would not accept that at first Daisy did love him, but he also would not accept the person he had become trying to win Daisy back. Nick was the only person in the story that truly listened to Gatsby and treated him like a friend, not for his money. The saying "money can't buy happiness" is relevant because wealth did not make anyone happy. Jay was miserable with his wealth because he was without Daisy. Daisy did not know what she truly wanted even though she married Tom because she would be wealthy. Nick was not wealthy, had the tiniest house at 80 dollars a month, yet out of everyone in the story he seemed to be the most content. The person who has everything might not actually have anything at all.
ReplyDeleteMorgan,
DeleteI laughed when you put in Leonardo DiCaprio, it is the only reason we watched this at Allegra's. Our blog's are very similar, we both pointed out the similarities with the Fitzgeralds and Gatsby and Daisy. I really like how you put in "money can't buy happiness", because with regards to this, it is really relevant. I love how you put in Nick, more people should be like him.
This quote by Dorothy Day really relates to Fitzgerald's work in The Great Gatsby, and it works more towards Gatsby's feelings for Daisy. He always longed for her and constantly pondered her and what would have happened with their relationship. He was lying to himself about Daisy. He was in denial even though he knew the truth that Daisy loved Tom and that she had a child. At one point Nick says that Gatsby only realized she truly had a child when he saw it with his own eyes. He was so far in denial he believed what he wanted and it warped his reality of what Daisy's real life was. Fitzgerald's life greatly mirrors what happens in the book, his story of how and when he met his wife and his struggles of finding wealth to support his love, the stories are almost identical. Dorothy, it's seems was quoting him, "The poor son-of-a-bitch," is exactly what Owl-eyes said at Gatsby's funeral. She was sort of showing that his life will be forever passed on through his story. The meaning, or one of the meanings, I received from the story is to not let your vision be clouded by desire. Gatsby worked throughout his life to be successful and all he ever wanted was Daisy. She was unavailable so he did whatever he could to get her to notice him. He took risks, made questionable decisions, and it cost him his life. In the end, it showed who he really was, no one was there for him. He left everyone behind chasing a dream that was too far away, and he was the one that ended up alone, too afraid to face what was real.
ReplyDeleteRachel,
DeleteI really like how you included what owl eyes said at his funeral it really brought the quote home for me. I also really like your last sentence it really did a great job finishing up the blog.
I like how you stated that he did not truely believe Daisy had a child until he saw it for the first time. As the Polar Express taught us, seeing isn't believing. But it is much easier to believe in something when you see it. I like how you brought desire into the meaning of the story. It really makes the overall story tragic.
DeleteA character that exemplifys this quote in The Great Gatsby is Jay Gatsby himself. Mr. Gatsby loved a girl, and was always followed by the truth that he could not be with her, even if he did ignore it. At first, Gatsby chased Daisy when he was a member in the army. He was poor, and he knew that he could not marry her. He was haunted by the idea that he was too poor for this girl, and so he did whatever he could to gain more money. While we never were told how Gatsby really obtained most of his fortune, or made a living afterwards, we know that his determination came from not having enough money to marry Daisy. He continued to chase her when she was already married, ignoring the fact that it was hopeless.
ReplyDeleteAnother was that Gatsby embodies this quote is how he never realized that Daisy was not a perfect person. He failed to see how she played on the affections of men, and how she eventually married someone she did not originally love. To even have anything to do with Gatsby, Daisy had to have corrupt values. Running from the truth that Daisy wasn't perfect led Gatsby to his depression and eventual death in the end.
The moral of this story can change depending on which character you follow. By following Gatsby's character, you learn not to fill life with things that don't matter in the end, and you learn to let go of things that will only cause you and others pain. A lesson learned from the character of Nick could be that regardless of how careful you are, bad things can happen. To have a good life one must react to these bad situations in a good manner. If you look at Toms story, you see how the phrase "Everything that goes around comes around" applies. If you would not like bad things to happen to you, do not do bad things to others. Each character portrays their own message, which leaves the story to be interpreted by each individual who reads it in their own way.
Catherine,
DeleteYou made a good point by saying that the moral of the story is dependent upon the character that is examined. When I studied Gatsby, I noticed two lessons: sometimes having faith is the only option and money cannot buy what our hearts truly seek.
Also, I think it was important that you noted that Daisy was not perfect, despite the fact that Gatsby adored her as the love of his life.
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s not matter-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…and then one fine morning- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” This is the last line from The Great Gatsby. The idea of the green light is brought back from the beginning of the book. Gatsby reached out to the green light, reaching and waiting for the day Daisy would walk into the party and they would fall in love all over again. The idea of the green light is unclear at the beginning but it is made clear at the end. Gatsby’s dream was Daisy. The end of this quote (beginning with so) is on Fitzgerald and Zelda’s grave. Fitzgerald kept beating on after Zelda left him because of his financial status, like Gatsby and Daisy, despite the currents fighting against the men. But no matter how hard the two men tried, they were taken back to the past.
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, you would not think Gatsby to be a religious man, nor would you think of Fitzgerald to be religious either. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald has references to religious life. An example is the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, the eyes on the billboard in the Valley of Ashes, also shown on the cover art. Gatsby was the poor son-of-a-bitch. Gatsby did everything he possibly could to show Daisy how much he loved her. Did Daisy really love Gatsby, or was she too scared to leave Tom? Gatsby ceased to believe that Daisy would not leave Tom; it was part of the plan he created for them. Fitzgerald once said, “and in the end, we were all just humans… drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness.” Gatsby wanted Daisy to love him, the way she used to. He wanted Daisy to fill the house the way the parties did. He wanted her to fit into the dream he created for his life. Gatsby was the recreate the past, something Nick told him could not be done. But in the end, Daisy did not want Gatsby’s dream. She disappointed Gatsby, like all humans disappoint each other. The moral of the story are these two quotes.
m.sparknotes.com/lit/Gatsby/quotes.html#explanation2
*Gatsby wanted to
DeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteGatsby was totally in denial the whole book and you did a really good job pointing that out. I could not remember who said, "poor son-of-a-bitch" but it was Owl Eyes. I like how you said he made decisions that affected his life.
(had to put my comment here because it would not let me hit reply)
"We are all unreliable narrators, not just in the way we tell our stories to others, but how we tell them to ourselves," once professed Deb Caletti. This profound meaning is thoroughly portrayed in the Great Gatsby, particularly by Jay Gatsby himself. He is bound by illusions, fantasies, and empty wishes that leave him oblivious and scared to face the truth, of all which are centered around the love of his life, Daisy. When he was due to deploy for war, Jay hoped that she would wait until his work was finished. Back home, however, Daisy was lonely and desired true love. Who can really blame her? She found someone, Tom Buchanan. They got married, had a daughter, and despite Tom's aggressive and hostile nature, Daisy was happy to say the least. When Gatsby returned home to see that Daisy was married, he was devastated. His worst nightmare became reality, and evidently he was not ready to concede.
ReplyDeleteUnable to move past Daisy, Jay began to self-destruct, so to speak. This took a toll on his moral and religious life as well. He began making a lot of immoral decisions. Even though he was reluctant to admit it, Jay knew that someone was always watching, and that someone was God. God was represented through the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg. Anyways, he got involved in bootlegging business which allowed him to adopt a lavish, luxuriant lifestyle, but "the end does not justify the means." He hosted extravagant parties, hoping that one day he would spot his lover in the crowd. Why was Gatsby so discreet and conservative? Why didn't he go get her himself? He was afraid, but most of all, he knew deep down that all the aspirations and dreams for the couple could never happen because Daisy had a family. As Dorothea Day said, "What he knew was true hounded him, no matter how much he believed that he had ceased to believe it."
In my opinion, two lessons embody the moral of the story. Sometimes, the decision to have faith is the only choice to be made. Under an unfortunate set of circumstances and unable to attain what he desired most, that being Daisy, Gatsby managed to be optimistic throughout the story's entirety. In the end, he perished, but he went down bravely. The second is that Gatsby thought his riches would win over Daisy. Not the case. What does this teach us? Money cannot buy what our hearts truly seek.
Dorothy*
DeleteScott Fitzgerald is one of the greatest authors in American history. He wrote many masterpieces, including The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is parallel to Scott Fitzgerald's life. It shows key points in his life, like love, parties, war, and wealth. The quote ties in the most with the funeral of Jay Gatsby, who hosted parties fro hundreds of people every weekend, had only a handful of people at his funeral. The only true friend he had was Nick. The quote shows that Gatsby was trying to fill up his live with fake friends who only cared about his parties and not his health, and in the end they all left him. The quote is also shown in the pursuit of Daisy, which was the loves of his live. Gatsby was too poor to marry her, and he married to Tom. They latter with all his wealth and a past filled with love for her, he attempted to steal her back. It gets him killed and Daisy does not leave Tom. In the end his great wealth did not win back his past lover, and it show that money can not buy anything. Also, Daisy did not really enjoy Tom, but did not leave him after Gatsby's death. Nick was the only one who was somewhat happy at the end of the story. He was saddened about Gatsby, but realized important lessons in life.
ReplyDeleteMitchell,
DeleteYou went with an interesting approach and I don't think many people tied that quote into the funeral. It was nice reading someone's who was different than everyone else's. You did a good job when talking about the funeral and saying all the friends who attended his parties were fake because they never showed up.
Mitch,
DeleteI agree with Brad, the funeral aspect was interesting. I also enjoyed how you explained the moral of the story, money can buy a lot of things but happiness is not a guaranteed result.
Funerals help the living the realize what is important in life and how they want to live theirs. Not many people cared that Jay Gatsby had died. I agree with how that relates to the lesson Nick learned through the story.
DeleteThe Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel written during a time period known as the roaring twenties. In this time, people began to break away from the "norm" and start to have fun by attending lavish parties, and secretly drinking alcohol at speakeasies due to the law of prohibition. The main character in the novel is Jay Gatsby, and all eyes are on him throughout the entire novel. Jay was born in a poor family, and eventually broke away from his family learning the style of the wealthy. That is until his mentor died leaving him back to where he began, poor. Jay fell in love with a woman named Daisy, but he was sent to war forced to leave his love behind. After the war, he spent some time away from Daisy working to make enough money to win her heart, but instead Daisy married a wealthy man before Jay's return. The early journey of Jay Gatsby resembles that of young F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald also fell in love with a woman named Zelda Sayre at a young age when he was in the war. Although, Zelda was part of a wealthy family, and Fitzgerald was not as wealthy as she was. He worked to try and make enough money to win her over, an eventually did until Zelda gave up on her hope for him. She did not think that Fitzgerald could support her. This part of Fitzgerald's love life reminds me a lot of what he portrayed in his magnificent novel. Gatsby fell in love with Daisy, but Daisy began to be confused about Gatsby and wasn't sure of who he was once she found out about all of his secrets. Neither Fitzgerald or Gatsby could completely hold on to their true loves. The quote spoken by Dorothy Day at Fitzgerald's funeral "What he knew was true hounded him, no matter how much he believed that he had ceased to believe it" truly spoke about both him and Gatsby. They both had lovers, and what they new was true was they could never truly have what they wanted which hounded both of them. Overall, Fitzgerald's real life resembled a lot of his writings in the Great Gatsby, making it resemble that of an autobiography.
ReplyDeleteBrad,
DeleteConnecting Fitzgerald's life to the novel does a great job explaining Dorothy Day's quote and its significance. It was a good blog other than it doesn't really discuss the moral of the story, rather, it just explains the plot and the connections surrounding it.
Dorothy Day's statement about Fitzgerald is exemplified in The Great Gatsby as the story tells of Fitzgerald's life through the conflicts of several characters. It is noticeable in Tom, Tom is having an affair and he knows it's wrong, he keeps pushing the tougher out but in the end he knows he is wrong. Daisy portrays the quote as well. Daisy loved Gatsby but when Gatsby left for war she married Tom. Daisy knew she didn't love Tom, it was sort of a gold digger situation other than the fact that Daisy was already very wealthy. Daisy knew Gatsby was her true love but she kept evading the thought. Finally, Gatsby exemplifies Day's quote. Gatsby loves Daisy but he knows he isn't financially stable enough for her, also he learns that she is married when he returns from the war. Gatsby pushes out these thoughts and continues to long for her. He now has the money but she is married, he can't openly love her without Tom finding out yet he continues to anyways. Although the novel focuses on moral values of its time period, the moral of the story is somewhat of a money can't buy you happiness. Gatsby acquired a fortune to be with Daisy and was then killed because of her. Daisy was able to marry a rich man only to be cheated on. Tom was able to marry Daisy because of his wealth, but became bored of her rather quickly. An Nick watched as all of those close to him did not benefit from their wealth.
ReplyDeleteIn The Great Gatsby, Tom exemplifies this quote. Throughout the second half of the novel, Daisy has an affair with Gatsby. Tom and Daisy attend one of Gatsby's parties, in which Gatsby and Daisy sneek off. During this Tom is searching for his wife. After the party Gatsby and Daisy begin their affair. Gatsby stops having parties, and Daisy was always leaving the house. Tom had to suspect that she was having an affair but didn't want to believe it. The moment when the Daisy looked to Gatsby and meant "I love you," is when the truth finally became real for Tom. As much as he wanted to not believe it. Daisy was having an affair. The moral of this novel is that we should let our dreams control us, but we should stay anchored to reality.
ReplyDeleteZac this is an interesting view on the meaning of the quote. I didn't think of it this way but you're right even when daisy was in an affair she couldn't contain her love for Gatsby .
DeleteIn the novel, Jay Gatsby creates a totally fake person out of himself. He personifies a version of himself that is far from the truth in order to trick others into believing he is a completely different person with a different character than he actually is. Why? It is because he is in love with Daisy and wants to be with her again, regardless of the fact that she is married. Eventually, she begins to have an affair with Gatsby as he continues his fairytale lifestyle. He makes changes in his life to please her, such as firing all his servants and hiring new ones. Is she really getting to love the real Gatsby or is she falling for his personified version?
ReplyDeleteGatsby lies throughout most of the story about his early life before he lived in his mansion. Nick is skeptical about Gatsby's stories as they seem to much like a dream. Soon, Gatsby is murdered for a crime he did not commit. He did, however, take the blame for a hit and run accident that Daisy committed. Daisy still does not leave Tom, even after Gatsby takes the responsibility for the Daisy's hit and run crime.
The moral of the story, in short, is this: do not pretend to be something you are not. Gatsby creates this entirely new person of himself to get Daisy to fall in love with him. Did she fall in love with the real Jay Gatsby? Probably not considering she did not come to the funeral and stayed in an unhappy marriage instead of being with him. Nobody that came to the parties every weekend came to the funeral or was even greatly concerned with what had happened to him. They did not like him, they liked his persona and his parties. In the end, his only true friend was Nick.
You've confused Dorothy Day with Dorothy Parker, who knew Fitzgerald. Day never met him, to the best of my knowledge. See F. Scott Fitzgerald - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._Scott_Fitzgerald
Wikipedia
For F. Scott Fitzgerald's daughter, see Frances Scott Fitzgerald. ..... held at a funeral home was Dorothy Parker, who reportedly cried and murmured "the poor ...
Thank you for your correction! Dorothy Day might have been able to straighten Fitzgerald right out! Too bad they never met. I love her book "The Long Lonliness". She is sure to be canonized sometime soon, right?
DeleteThe Great Gatsby depicts Fitzgeralds almost exactly. When he was at the age of 22 he met the love of his life named Zelda, they could not marry because she didn't except his financial problems. Then once Fitzgerald found his wealth she agreed to marry him. This relates to gatsbys situation because he also met daisy while his was in the war and she also was looking for wealth, so even when she loved Gatsby she married Buchanen. Gatsby, based of Fitzgeralds life, also searched ways to gain wealth and once he did he formulated a plan to gain daisy back because she was truly still in love with Gatsby. Even though Gatsby dies both he and daisy known they loved each other. This quote relates to Gatsby because he never gave up on his loved one. No one could cease his love for daisy as Fitzgeralds love could never be broken for his wife Zelda.
ReplyDelete