Meaningless Chatter

Fitzgerald uncovers one of the underlying themes in The Great Gatsby in one of the final scenes with Mr. Wilson.  Michaelis attempts to distract Mr. Wilson from the awful accident by getting him to talk and demanding his attention.  "'Come on there, try and sit still a minute and answer my question...Come on, George, sit still--I asked you a question'" (Fitzgerald, 157)  If George is talking, then he won't be thinking about the accident.  This may be the reason why Gatsby's parties were always so full.  People distract themselves and go to parties, drink, dance, and talk in order that they do not have to think about their problems.  Daisy probably talked so often and so erratically in order to not have her thoughts dwell on her poor marriage.  Everyone does this; we all look for escape.  Not necessarily an easy way out, but an escape for a few hours.  People come together to forget their problems and enjoy themselves in the company of their friends.  This time is obviously needed.  For George could not escape the thoughts of Myrtle and drove himself mad thinking about her. 

Wharton vs. Fitzgerald: Round II

While the writing styles of Fitzgerald and Wharton differ drastically, there are similarities between The House of Mirth and The Great Gatsby.  The character development of the two novelists are nearly the same in that there is none.  No one truly changes.  Nick's life changes for three months, but he never changes as a person.  Gatsby continues to chase Daisy until the bitter end.  If any character develops drastically in The Great Gatsby, I would say it was Tom Buchanan.  His losing Myrtle and nearly losing Daisy showed him how he was barely hanging on a thread.  If he did not change for his wife, then he would be left bitter and alone.  I think Fitzgerald intended to convey this change in Tom in his last scene with Daisy.  "He was talking intently across the table at her, and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own" (Fitzgerald, 145).  Overall, the protagonists in both novels never change.  In the end, I believe they end up causing their own demise.  

How the Time Flies

After reading the bulk of The Great Gatsby, I felt as if Nick had been in the company of Mr. Gatsby for at least a year.  I was shocked to learn that it had barely been three months.  Nick gets tangled into this world.  At one point, he is able to name nearly every person attending one of Gatsby's party which could only result from celebrating many parties with Gatsby.  He is completely taken from his reality and placed into another man's reality.  He becomes a key player in a game that he did not even know existed until he met Gatsby.  At one point, he completely loses touch with all sense of time when he says, "'...I just remembered that today's my birthday'" (Fitzgerald, 135).  Once one gets tangled up in this fantasy-like world, it is hard to bring oneself back to reality.  For Nick, the only realistic way of doing this was to move back home.  He finds tranquility in that he will not return to the East side suggesting how deceptive it may have been. 

Tom & Mr. Wilson

The last person Tom Buchanan would claim to have similarities with in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby would be Mr. Wilson.  Tom always thought himself way above his mistress' husband.  He was a coward, but so was Tom.  Cowards hit women, but Tom did not think this way.  In reality, very few men of this time thought this way.  However, as the story develops, parallelism between the two characters is easily found.  Both of them lose their spouses, though one figuratively and one literally, they both lose the person they once loved.  Now, they join Gatsby's company and are completely alone in life.  Tom lost everybody: Daisy and Myrtle.  Mr. Wilson loses the only thing he seemed to care for.  The juxtaposition of these two men's lives is made obvious when Tom confesses to Nick, "'I told him the truth'" (Fitzgerald, 178)  I feel as if he would not have said this if he did not believe he owed something to or could empathize with Mr. Wilson. 

Driving Miss Daisy

Daisy could be viewed as the root of all problem's in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.  She drives Gatsby crazy in his quest to find her.  This, in turn, creates a whole new chapter of life for Nick for the time he was Gatsby's partner in crime.  I think she lets things overwhelm her too easily.  This feeling of being overwhelmed manifests itself in her speech and apparently her driving as well.  Both become more erratic as she experiences an influx of emotion whether it be happiness, sadness, or confusion.  This distracts her so much that she cannot even create sensible thoughts.  This--the inability to think clearly--ultimately destroys her relationship with Gatsby but possibly restores her marriage.  She chose Tom at the end, in my opinion.  She knew that life would Gatsby would be an adventure and that would be to much for her to take at this point in her life.  There was always a part of her, even when she was with Gatsby, that knew of the comfort found in life with Tom: it was predictable.  Life with him wasn't necessarily good or bad, but it was what she needed.  "They weren't happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale--and yet they weren't unhappy either" (Fitzgerald, 145). 

Lonely at the Top

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (Fitzgerald, 180).

Another repetitive theme in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is the "fake popularity" of Jay Gatsby.  The money, cars, clothes, and houses seem to create a very fulfilling lifestyle.  However, until Nick, I do not think Gatsby had friends that truly cared about him.  The people that came to his party were either people he was trying to impress or glitzy, glamorous representations of his wealth.  After gaining all the money, he found himself alone and began searching for the life he used to know and attempted to re-create it, but this time he had money.  I think everyone during the twenties and even now believes that money solves not all, but most problems.  Money obviously creates problems too.  In Gatsby's case, wealth takes him away from the happiness he once knew.  In attempt to recreate this happiness with money, Gatsby loses himself.  I think, given the choice, Gatsby would have rather been happy and impoverished than wealthy and alone.  

Gatsby's "Old Sport"

At first, I thought Fitgerald's use of the nickname "Old Sport" in The Great Gatsby was really annoying.  However, I have a theory for what the phrase may signify.  He only uses "old sport" when referring to Nick and Tom.  Gatsby looks at his dealings with these men as a game.  He befriends Nick just to get to Daisy.  Tom, to Gatsby, is simply a joke because, in his mind, Daisy never loved Tom.  Gatsby has the role of navigator which allows him to manipulate in order to get exactly what he wants.  He uses the infamous smile and his endless resources to shield people from his real intentions.  Unfortunately for Gatsby, he has not experienced failure in quite some time; therefore, he does not expect it, especially from Daisy.  However, when she says, "' I love you now--isn't that enough?  I can't help what's past...I did love him once--but I loved you too'" (Fitzgerald, 132), Gatsby has now failed, not completely, but enough.  I think this chaotic point in the novel could destroy every ongoing development.