Thursday, March 10, 2011

Monday, April 11: Gatsby, Chapter 3

What are you starting to finally figure out about this Gatsby character?

Although you probably still have many, many questions, hopefully you can start brainstorming some possible answers and connections today.

Enjoy, and get yourself into a hotseat!

86 comments:

  1. Do you believe that nick is a little disappointed in what Gatsby is? Plus nick said Gatsby was wearing spectacle's the first time he meet him and described it like the one billboard in chapter two do you think theirs a connection with that or symbolize anything?

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  2. Do you think that Gatsby purposely tries to be isolated from the party or does he not even realize it? Also why does he keep leaving to take phone calls from all over the world?

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  3. Why do you think that Gatsby just watches the festivities at his parties instead of joining in and drinking too?

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  4. Jay Gatsby doesn’t drink and seems out of place at his own parties. Why does he throw these parties if he doesn’t enjoy himself?

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  5. Cory-
    I think that because Gatsby's life is the party he drifts around unknowingly separated from his guests. I feel as if he is an observer in this environment he has created.

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  6. Nick was the first person to be invited to Gatsby's party, do you think that Gatsby knows Nicks secret disliking towards him?

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  7. I have a quick question: What is with eyes in this book? Between the eyes on the cover of the book, in Chp. 2 when they mentioned Dr. Eckleberg looking over the area and the glasses and now Owl eyes. Do they represent something?

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  8. Cory i think that Gatsby does keep himself isolated on purpose because he is a mysterious character. Like the girls in the yellow dress said,"i think he killed a man" if it wasn't true Gatsby could very easily say that it wasn't true but he is so isolated from everyone else that he doesn't know the rumors about him.

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  9. Cory- I think Gatsby just drifts from place to place, trying to fit in. (Symbolism much?) Gatsby seems like he's so busy, and I think the calls are to make him seem even more mysterious for the guests. I thought it was great when they were speculating on how Gatsby got his money. The parties are just a way to make him seem even more mysterious.

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  10. Grace-
    Do you think Gatsby is just observing or is he using these parties to create some sort of advantage for later on in life? Say leverage for business deals in the future?

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  11. I also noticed that Gatsby was almost out of place at his parties. It say on pg 50 “ Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps….”

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  12. @Cory: I think Gatsby is secretly disgusted with his guests and he enjoys sitting on the outside looking in at their lack of moral and rowdy behavior.

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  13. Moe- I think that Gatsby doesnt know about Nicks secret dislike of him and even if he did he probably doesnt care. Gatsby has so many people at his parties and tries to have a good time so Nick's dislike of him wouldnt matter. Also Nick probably shouldnt go to Gatsbys partys unless he likes him.

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  14. Hunter and Earl:
    you both have about the same question so i will answer you both. I think that Gatsby doesn't join in the party because it is hos form of entertainment. He enjoys seeing peoples reactions to his extravagant affairs and is amused by the scene from a far. I also think he enjoys leaving mystery and hear people wondering about him.

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  15. Why do you think the majority of the people that go to the parties have been "brought" by someone else? Nick was one of the few people invited to the parties. It seems as though Gatsby is building himself an empire of party guest, but for what reason?

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  16. Did anybody else think the end of the chapter with the drunk guy crashing the car seemed a bit out of place? Like, I felt it didn't have anything to do with the rest of the chapter other than the owl eyes guy being there. Was it possibly an attempt at, IDK, foreshadowing or something? Because it just felt out of place...

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  17. Cory, I feel like Gatsby just enjoys overseeing the people interact with eachother and having that atmosphere in his house, but for that he want's to not be innebriated.

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  18. Brett-
    Good job noticing the eyes or vision motif, i think they represent the watchful eyes of the people around Nick and how they know everything that is happening in the city and they are powerful enough to know what was happening, or they symbolize Gatsbys' watchful eyes, like when Nick came home from Tom's house and he was looking over the harbor.

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  19. I do agree that nick is an unreialble narrarator, it seems that after every person he talks to his opinion changes about gatsby, that might be why we do not know so much about gatsby because the reader cannot get any solic information about gatsby because his opinion is constantly changes.

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  20. I think the reason why Gatsby stands all alone at his party is because watching his “friends” have fun may make him happy.

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  21. Brett-

    The Eyes seem to me to symbolize Gatsby's ways. How he's always watching but never actively participating. It seems like all he does is watch.

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  22. moe-
    I don't think Gatsby is aware of nicks dislike. Gatsby probably just invited him because nick is gatsby's neighbor.

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  23. I believe that Gatsby sits aside during the parties because a majority of the people at the party are just followers and random people who have heard about the party and decided to join without an invitaion. By standing aside and watching the party happen, Gatsby is removing himself from the followers and in a way making himself stand out as the individual that although doesnt say alot to the fake people around him, but is still a leader that controls everything.

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  24. willie- i think it is because all these people are coming uninvited and lots of people dont know him

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  25. Brett
    Eyes are probably a theme in the book. Eyes are said to be the window into the soul and they see everything. Maybe eyes keep coming up because you see the surface of all the characters but never really into their personality. no one is as they seem.

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  26. Grace- I think Gatsby is lonely and he is filling his house full of party guests to cut some of that loneliness. He has a huge mansion, but he's the only one who lives there, other than the servants. I really think that would be a lonely life. So in order to make himself seem popular and not alone, he gets people from everywhere to go to his parties. And people want to go, just to get more information on Gatsby. So that's my opinion on that. He seems really alone. The moment when he was standing on the stairs is what really made me think that.

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  27. What do you believe Gatsby does for a living because he gets calls from like Chicago and Philadelphia which is strange no one just gets calls from the state or are the just code names for some kind of smuggling ring?

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  28. I agree with Jacob, if Gatsby was a spy, how could he get all his wealth, and if he was a spy he would not want to bring alot of that mysterious attention to himself. He is a quiet person so i believe that is why we do not know alot about him.

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  29. To add to Molly's response and the current question in the inner circle I think Gatsby loves to hear the gossip about himself and observe the party without engaging in the conversations. Also I think he doesn't drink at the parties because he is a business man and has to stay clear and level headed for his calls from around the world.

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  30. Katie I agree I feel like as Nick goes to more parties his drinking will get worse and maybe, he too will end up in a car accident just like Owl eye's did. But it seems like it was just showing how drunk some people got at those parties

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  31. Willie- I do agree with you that Gatsby just sits on the side at parties and does nothing. I think people dont really know who he is so they kinda just ingore him and let Gatsby be Gatsby. I think Gatsby just has parties to try to fit in and be part of a social group but its hard for him.

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  32. I think as the book progresses he will end up revealing to Nick how he gained his wealth. I personally think he gained all his money by selling alcohol during the prohibition.

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  33. Hunter i think Fitzgerald was referring to what Gatsby does which could be illegal because around that time Al Capone the gangster was living in Chicago and could be foreshadowing what Gatsby did for a living.

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  34. seanf-

    That statement is true and i agree with it about Gatsby is just being a good neighbore but although Nick is Gatsby's neighbore dont you think that Gatsby would feel any tension at all with all of Nicks hesitation to be around Gatsby.

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  35. earl i agree because nick maybe getting a drinking problem would relate to fitzgeralds life and how he had a drinking porblem

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  36. I disagree that gatsby is a spy. If gatsby was some kind of secret agent, then he wouldn't want to draw that kind of attention to himself. he would lie low and be mysterious.

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  37. Is Gatsby maybe using Nick or Jordan as a connection to Daisy and Tom? Because they are all mutual friends, and maybe Gatsby wants to be in that circle. That could be why he invited Nick and Jordan to his party.

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  38. cory
    Gatsby watching his guests seems a bit creepy. It connects to the books theme of eyes and watching. I think he does it to get a feel for the general society so he can fit in better. Meld into the neighborhood. seem less suspicious.

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  39. Hunter-
    It almost seems to me that he is part of either the mob or a large operation where they do quite a lot of shaky things. Because calls from multiple cities would make it seem like he is the connector between say two different mobs and what not.

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  40. sean- maybe gatspy is a spie but is spying on his neoghbors and that is why he throws the parties and then is quiet at them

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  41. moe-
    maybe gatsby just think nick is just getting used to gatsby. like a new neighbor thing or somthing like that.

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  42. Sean- I do agree with you that Gatsby would try to lay low and be mysterious. I also believe though that nobody knows who he really is. I think he just throws parties to have fun and fit in so he doesnt look to weird. We still dont know a lot about him yet to know if he is a spy or not.

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  43. Laura-
    Why would Gatsby be suspicious I remember the stuff about being a German spy but why would someone who has enough money to an untouchable need to worry about being suspicious?

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  44. There is no question that Gatsby has extremely extravagant parties. my question is why? he does seem to enjoy hearing about the gossip, but this sort of reminds me of the movie/ book The Count of Monty Cristo. In that movie, the count has extravagant parties and he also doesnt socialize, but instead he watches. However it is all apart of a major plan to ruin a specific man's life. Does Gatsby also have a secret plan? any thoughts or predictions as to what this plan could be?

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  45. Katie-
    I think that Jordan could be using her connections to get to Gatsby, However there has not yet been any indication that Gatsby knows of their tight nit circle of "friendship" but if he did I'm not sure why he would want to be part of their drama.

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  46. Willie-
    I think that gatsby will tell Nick about how he got his money and it will be from something illegal, but i don t think it will be prohibition because in the book it said that Gatsby doesn't drink, then Nick will see how he could become rich by those means and he will kill the copmpetition so he can profit.

    Could the reason gatsby doesnt drink be because he went down the same road Nick is going down?

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  47. Owl Eyes has to have a connection to the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg. They both are looking over things, with Owl Eyes the books and with Eckleburg, the Valley of Ashes. Owl Eyes is a drunkard though, and the Valley of Ashes is full of people who should be drunk. (Considering how much life sucks for them.)

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  48. I believe as the story unfolds and Gatsby becomes more comfortable with Nick, I believe that Nick will see that Gatsby is a nice person and Gatsby will reveal to him how he gained his riches. I personally believe that Gatsby gained his money through illegal manuvers such as selling alcohol, drugs, or foriegn substances used to make illegal drugs.

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  49. Carlos
    - So what do you believe he does for a living? because he has a dock and a new hydro-plane so I believe he smuggles drugs into the state which is maybe why he throws big party's to get everyone out and the can smuggle the drugs through with out anyone noticing because their at the party and drunk

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  50. Katie
    I agree that Gatsby is lonely so he throws elaborate partys and on pg 43 he sends a brand new dress to a guest who spilled something on her old one. He sends her a new one so he can be remembered as a kind man and extremely generous host. I think he wants to fit in and be popular so he buys people into being his friends.

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  51. tyler-
    I see where you are going with that. that is a good point. he might just be drawing them in to spy on them and their personalities at his parties. that could be why he needs Nick. he is spying on people from the other egg, the people that nick knows.

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  52. Maybe Nick is setting Gatsby as a goal kind of in the way that he wants to wealthy and popular like Gatsby in the future.

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  53. Molly-
    I think that Gatsby could be planning something like in that movie. i think he could be trying to ruin Nicks life by getting nick to party, he will throw away his life and then Nick wont be able to know who he actually is becaus ehe lost himself at the party

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  54. Grace- Maybe he has some sort of secret past with one of them. Personally I'm leaning toward it being with Daisy, but I don't really know. Gatsby does seem to have a lot of connections and he might have found out about their group through some of his other friends. But I dunno, I wouldn't want to be a part of their drama either.

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  55. Molly-
    I like your reference to Monty Cristo and yes I think that Gatsby has an alternate motive it seems like he is going to try and use his status from the parties to have leverage with business deals later in life.

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  56. Molly-
    I think I agree on Katie's comment that Gatsby is lonely in his giant mansion. I've noticed a motif of solitude and Gatsby has been seen standing alone; he looks from group to group approvingly. He seems like a caretaker or overseer to me.

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  57. At the end of the chapter do you think Gatsby is being stuck up or humble when he says, "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."

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  58. Gatsby is being almost too generous to his guests. Pg 43 has two guests talking about how he doesn't want trouble with anyone. Also thats probably why complete strangers come to his partys. He allows it instead of just inviting his friends.

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  59. Hunter i think you are right on the smuggling and how Nick said that they had to do a lot of management after the parties, thats how he could get the drugs out, and i wonder what happened when Gatsby told Nick that he should come on a ride in the hydroplane. Maybe he filled him in on his plans and asked if he would join him.

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  60. I believe that although the Valley of Ashes is a dark depressing place to live. I think that in the end Gatsby will visit there and see the saddness that everyone there has to go through and then will give his riches to the people of the Valley of Ashes and find out that money doesnt bring happiness but just followers that only appriciate the value of his dime.

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  61. So what does colors play a role in this book their seems to be a lot of deep colors in this chapter for example the two girls with yellow dresses, Robin egg blue, Gas blue and etc...

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  62. Hunter-
    I think that would be a great cover up for him to sneak whatever he is shipping in out of his house. Maybe He gets everyone drunk so the people might buy some from him or they will tell people they were at a party that had alcohol or whatever drug and then the people they talk to will spread the word that they can buy those illegal things from him

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  63. Laura- I definitely agree with that. Another way you can see him doing that is when he calls Nick "Old sport," which is like a nickname. So he wants people to think of him as a nice, personable man who cares about everyone. But at the same time at his parties he stands to the side, barely introduces himself. He seems really shy, like he doesn't know how to act around other people. Which is really sad.

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  64. Sean f
    Gatsby could be a spy. this would be a great cover for it. No one really knows him, and drawing attention is the opposite of what people would expect.

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  65. trent- i think that NICK is being both honest and stuck up because it kinda true that he is honest because of how he got his money but is being stuck up because hes saying he is better than almost everyone else at the party

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  67. Are the phone calls real, or is gatsby such an akward person that he has people call him or just says he has calls to make to escape certain situtations. Maybe gatsby is just socially stupid.

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  68. Do you think that maybe he has parties because he is trying to find his own happiness? If so, do you think he is finding it?

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  69. Katie-
    I agree; I think Gatsby could have a connection with one of the group, or at least one of the people living close to him. He might be trying to reconnect through his extravagant parties trying to find someone he used to know.

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  70. So far in The Great Gatsby, I cannot tell if it is a mystery, love story, comedy, i have no clue! but if there is any type of love story in this novel, who would it be between? Do you think Nick and Jordan will have a serious relationship because he seems attracted to her, as dishonest as she is. Will he fall for someone else? I am wondering why Gatsby doesnt have a wife and if he will have a relationship with anyone? any thoughts?

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  71. Trent i think that Gatsby is being Humble because he watches over his party and knows the people there even though they don't know him and he knows all the lies that they say, even lies about him that aren't true. Also we don't know what he does but has anybody asked him because he could be so mysterious that nobody has asked what he does for a living, and if somebody did ask he would tell them the truth.

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  72. Laura-
    I agree that he invites everyone because he doesnt want trouble. i think he probably wants everyone to be there so everyone likes him and they dont go looking into his life because they will figure out what he does and how he got his money

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  73. Earl
    I think that Gatsby is just shy in a way and as the book progresses he will begin to open himself up more to the reader. I also think and I said this earlier but I think Gatsby like to watch the guests at his party have fun because that’s fun for him.

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  74. Kaitie
    Why do you think Gatsby has more conversation with Jordan and Nick than the rest of his guests? He does seem shy with almost everyone else but those two. I think he probably wants something from them. Especially since he knew nick in the past, or at least remembered him.

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  75. Molly, i agree with you, there is not real indication of which genre fitzgerald is writing about. I think Fitzgerald is mixing some of these genres, that at the time he wrote the book, were an influence in what was going on in his life.

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  76. sean- i dont think he is looking through happiness through the parties or we would see him having fun with his guest and not just standing alone

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  77. Sean- I agree that he is looking for happiness because he seems alone all the time. He also has a lot of parties so he is trying to meet new people but isnt very good at it. No one cares that he can throw parties, everyone in the east egg can. He is just trying to find his ownself.

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  78. sean F
    It almost seems like he is looking for something and he throws parties to find a person or a feeling of some sort and that's why he throws so many because at the last one he didn't find what he was looking for

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  79. Brett-
    I dont know if the phone calls are real, but I dont think he takes these fake calls because he is awkward but for suspense. I think he likes to add more to his image and make himself appear important and involved in big business affairs.

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  80. Hunter-
    I think color represents the emotion of the characters and the situations that they are in.

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  81. i think nick is getting very jelous of gatsby even though he didnt show it. i didnt think he was happy while he was alone, even though he said he was. i think if he was jelous that is what made him unhappy. i think if he was happy he would be talking to more people

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  82. Laura- That's exactly where my theory of him wanting to get to Tom or Daisy came from! Haha.

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  83. How do think that the second chapter leads into the third?
    -I think that it introduced him to the parties of the rich and all of the drinking that went on. Also, it made us want to meet Gatsby and told us what others thought of him(When Catherine mentioned Gatsby). And in chapter 3 page 44 when one of the girls mentioned that him also.

    I agree with Katie’s comment about the drunk guy at the end of the chapter on page 58. The man seemed so out of place and didn’t seem to fit. He wasn’t aware of what happened and was going to go on like nothing ever happened. I think that this might symbolize how most of the rich don’t even know and even care about their actions.

    Is Jordan using Nick?
    - I do think that Jordan is using Nick as a stepping stone. At first she seems to attach herself To Nick at the party. Then as soon as Gatsby shows up she leaves with him to go and talk and jus leaves Nick. She makes herself seem very trustworthy to Nick and he seems to look up to her as a person. I think she is going to use this to her advantage in the future.

    What was the significance of the man in the library?
    -I think that the man is there to show us that the library is like the world, and the books are like people. The man in the library is so used to “empty books”. The people he goes to parties with seem to have no depth to them and there is noting to their lives except for partying and money. He keeps telling Nick and Jordan “They’re real.” (Pg. 46) Maybe it connects how Gatsby seems to have more depth than the others and he actually has something about him.

    To Trent’s comment
    -I think he is being neutral when he says “"I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."(Pg. 59) Because his character seems to see both sides of the wealth. He seems like a window where we just see the actions that go around him and he is not weighted to a certain side.

    To Seans question-
    I do think that Nick is going to the parties to find happiness. In this chapter, he seems to be watching the people around him and watching them have fun. He seems to be looking for something to fill the emptiness that his character has.

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  84. TrentF11
    If Gatseby is looking for happiness in freinds, why does he only socialize with few people? he has all these guests and doesn't even try to get to know them.

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  85. Are there any changes in Nick since the first chapter?
    - I do see some sublte changes in Nick since the first chapter, the most noticable change being that he seems much more comfortable around those who have more mone than him. At the begining he seemed very intimidated by the people of East and West Egg but after living there for a few weeks and interacting with them he seems to be more at ease with them. He used to never drink and stated that he had only been drunk twice in his life, but now he has no problem having a few drinks. I also think that since he was invited personally by Gatsby he feels more welcomed into the circle of the rich, " I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited-they went there." (pg41)

    Why is Gatsby always alone?
    -Since chapter one there has been a mystery surrounding Gatsby and who he really is. So many stories about his life have been passed around from person to person but no one every really knows what is true. I believe that Gatsby is hiding some part of his life, hiding out at his own parties and keeping his distance from other people help to show this. We also know that Gatsby doesnt come from old money like many of the people from West and East Egg do so there it's always possible that he doesnt feel comfortable around them.

    What are Jordan's intentions with Nick?
    -As of right now it is difficult to tell wat Jordan really wants with Nick. He doesnt have a lot of money, his house is no where as nice as Gatsby's, and in a community where being well known is everything, Nick is no one. The only reason I can see Jordan wanting to be with Nick is because she knows he lives next door to Gatsby and may be able to help her climb up higher on the social ladder. Although she has already made a name for herself in the golf community, being able to say you know Gatsby means more.

    Why is Gatsby reaching out to Nick as a friend when he tries to stay away from everyone else?
    -I think Gatsby wants to be friends with Nick because they share something in common, neither of them come from extreme wealth. While Nick does come from a "well to do family" it is no where near the wealth of other from East and West Egg. While others are intrusive when it comes to getting to know Gatsby, Nick is more subtle about it and I think this is why Gatsby wants to be friends with him.

    Is Gatsby really hiding something?
    -Due to the fact that Gatsby hides from people even at his own parties and tries to stay away from the public he does seem like he has something to hid. Gatsby tries not to have any problems with anyone such as the time a woman tore her dress at his house and he paid over $300 to get her a new one, "There's something funny about a fellow that'll do a thing like that," said the other girl eagerly. "He doesnt want trouble with anyone." (pg43) Gatsby tries to keep the peace with people who he comes into contact with which makes it seem like he tries too hard to cover his tracks.

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  86. As Katie mentioned the owl eyes appeared again in this chapter. The owl eyes could symbolize the failure of Fitzgerald’s father. Fitzgerald was so determined to succeed because he hated that his father had completely failed. The owl eyes are always connected to something shameful such as the ash covered city and the drunk man. These things could represent the shame the Fitzgerald felt of his father and the eyes could be the feeling that his father is watching him fail as well and Fitzgerald is trying to prove him wrong.

    Nick seems to be an unreliable narrator. As a character he seems like he is constantly telling you that he is different from all the rich, but he goes and acts just like them, partying all night, drinking too much and judging everyone else. This makes me not trust him as a person. Also he gives the impression that he doesn’t actually know what he is talking about on page 48 when he is talking to Gatsby he doesn’t even recognize him. Because Nick doesn’t know what is going on it makes me think that he is leading the reader astray as to what is actually going on.

    Gatsby is still a very mysterious person. Nobody at his party even knows him and he doesn’t seem to actually have any real friends. I think that Gatsby stands off to the side and in the shadows because he doesn’t want people to know his past. Page 48 says “ I got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care” I think that because he didn’t grow up rich he is afraid that he might not act right so he tries to stay quiet so that nobody suspects that he is a poser. I think that Nick will be the first person that will actually get to know Gatsby.

    I wondered what Gatsby had to tell Jordan when he pulled he aside. She came out an hour later and he had surely told her quite the story. Maybe Nick will learn Gatsby’s story through Jordan. But I don’t know why Gatsby would have told Jordan in the first place, or why he thought it was necessary to pull her from the party right then and there.

    I think that Nick was actually invited to the party because Gatsby wanted to befriend him. I think that the motivation behind befriending him was because they are neighbors so Gatsby wants to make sure that what ever he is hiding is not turned in by Nick. However I think that the relationship will end up being much more than Gatsby expected, I think that eventually Gatsby will rely on Nick for something and he might become the first real friend that Gatsby has.

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