Blog Post 14

In chapters three and four Gatsby is built up as a mysterious character, with much speculation and rumors from characters about his past and the reason behind his fortune such as some people thinking he comes from a wealthy background and others suspecting is a bootlegger. When he is finally introduced in chapter three he seems very confident and charismatic, making him more mysterious. His shady background is further implied because of his association with Wolfsheim and him going to the secret speakeasy. In chapter five we see his more sensitive and vulnerable side, and his confident facade drops away, as he wants to reunite with Daisy but he is embarrassed and reluctant about it, with him being described as "pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets... glaring tragically into my eyes." (Fitzgerald 86). This makes him seem like a completely different person compared to the Gatsby seen in chapters three and four, and suggests that his confidence is just an act and that he is more down to Earth than he appears, despite his fortune. It humanizes him as it shows that all his actions in the book were motivated by a desire to reunite with Daisy, and shows what a sensitive and loving person he is, and also makes him a sort of tragic character, as he was separated from someone he really loved only to find out that she got married. Gatsby is portrayed as a likable and sympathetic character, and makes the readers want him to win and get together with Daisy again, as he seems to be a much more pleasant person compared to Tom. Daisy is also portrayed as tragic, as she was separated from someone who treated her well and is now stuck with a cheating husband.

Blog Post 13

The fact that we learn about Nick's through Tom suggests that Nick is not very assertive or confident or maybe that he is not the main character, and that he is just there to observe and narrate the story. This could also be supported by the title of the book as it implies it is about someone named Gatsby.
In the first chapter there is a lot of symbolism concerning white and red. White suggests wealth because of its association with cleanliness, and is used to describe the mansion, while red is a vibrant color and is associated with roses which suggests romance.

What we learn about Tom is that he seems to be an unpleasant person, as he is described as having "two shining arrogant eyes" (Fitzgerald 7), has never seen his own child, and is a racist, as he says "It's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things." (Fitzgerald 13). Daisy is described as sweet, but she also seems very cynical as she says "I'm pretty cynical about everything." (Fitzgerald 16), and that she hopes that her daughter will be a fool as well as saying says "I think everything's terrible anyhow", which shows she has a very pessimistic outlook and suggests she is unhappy or depressed about her marriage with Tom.

Jordan seems to like drama and gossip as she tells Nick about Tom having an affair with someone and she plays in golf tournaments.