Hook and Thesis Statement

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Among others, these are a few ideals that most people strive for to achieve the American dream. Others include: Luxury, wealth, and being sophisticated, which all appear in The Great Gatsby. While some of these examples of the American dream are achieved, some die. In this paper, I will discuss how certain images or symbols from The Great Gatsby reflect the death, or corruption of the American dream.

Chapter 9 Journal

Summary: For the rest of that day, police, photogrophers, and newspaper men were swarming Gatsby's house. Nick wanted to get some friends there for Gatsby, so he called Daisy and Tom, but they were away. He also tried Wolfsheim, but it was too late. The next day Nick sent the butler with a letter to Wolfsheim explaining everything to him, and that he should come out on the next train. Wolfsheim explains that he can't get caught up in Gatsby's drama right now because he is tied up in some very important business. The phone rang that afternoon, and it was one of Gatsby's business partners, and he started talking to Nick about their business thinking it was Gatsby, then Nick informed him that Gatsby was dead. Three days later, he received a telegram from Gatsby's father saying to postpone the funeral until he arrived. His father arrived, and he said that Gatsby could have been a great man. Klipspringer called, and Nick told him about the funeral, and he said he wasn't going to be able to make it, he was just calling for a pair of tennis shoes he left there. The morning of the funeral, Nick went to New York to see Wolfsheim because he couldn't get ahold of him anyother way. Wolfsheim said he wasn't going to go to the funeral, so Nick drove back to West Egg in the drizzling rain. When he got back he visited with Gatsby's father, and he said that the last time he had seen Gatsby was two years ago. Then he showed Nick the picture of his house that Gatsby bought him. He put the picture away, and pulled out a book titled Hopalong Cassidy. It was a book about everything that Gatsby wanted to get accomplished during the day as a little boy. As they arrived at the cemetary, there was a total of three vehicles attending the funeral, one of which was Owl eyes from Gatsby's party a while back. After the funeral, he moved west and went to school. Nick talked to Jordan about what happened between them, and she told him she was engaged. One afternoon in late October, Nick saw Tom Buchanan who turned around and started talking to him. Nick asked him if he told Wilson who owned the yellow car, and Tom said he did tell him. They shook hands and went their seperate ways. Nick spent Saturday nights in New York, until he decided to move.

Characters: Nick, Wolfsheim, Mr. Gatz, Klipspringer, Jordan, Owl Eyes, Butlers, Minister,

Motifs: Owl Eyes- shows up at the funeral, Rain It poured rain when Nick drove back from seeing Wolfsheim, and during the funeral.

Allusions: James J. Hill, who was worth $53 million at the time of his death. Mr. Gatz compared Gatsby to being capable of living up to him if he would have lived a full life. Someone in Meyer Wolfsheim's office was whistling The Rosary, which refers to prayer. Nick said that West Egg reminded him of a night sene by El Greco who was a painter of the Spanish Renaissance.

Chapter 8 Journal

Summary: Gatsby arrived home late, and Nick went over to talk to him. Gatsby said nothing happened, he waited there and she turned her light off, which indicated that they were over. Nick told Gatsby that he should go away now so they don't recognize his car, but Gatsby says he can't because he couldn't leave Daisy until she knew what she was going to do. Gatsby told Nick about his story of how him and Daisy came to be. He explained how they fell in love in just a month, and that he had to go to war. Daisy and Gatsby stayed in touch by writting letters, but Daisy couldn't wait any longer, and she started going to dances, and one spring, she met Tom Buchanan and they decided to get married. She wrote Gatsby telling him that, while he was still at Oxford. After breakfast, Gatsby's servants told him they were going to drain the pool, but Gatsby told them to wait because he wanted to go swimming. Nick skipped his first two trains he was supposed to be on and went swimming with Gatsby instead. Finally it was time for Nick to leave, so he thanked Gatsby for his hospitality and he left. When he got to work, he fell asleep, but was awoke by a phone call from Jordan Baker, who was saying that she wanted to see him, but it ended with them hanging up on each other. He tried calling Gatsby, but his line was busy because he was talking to his business partners from Detroit. Nick went back to the night that Mrs. Wilson got murdered, and explained that Mr. Wilson thought someone murdered her. He went searching for the yellow car that hit her. He was soon in West Egg, and was asking for directions to Gatsby's house. In the mean time, Gatsby was getting ready to get back into the pool, and he told his butler that if anyone called for him, to bring it to him at the pool. The chauffeur heard the shots, but didn't think too much about them. Nick arrived shortly after, and they all rushed out back to the pool and found Gatsby laying in the pool, dead. Off in the distance they saw Mr. Wilson's body a ways off in the grass.



Characters: Nick, Jordan, Gatsby, Mr. Wilson, Michealis, Daisy, Catherine, Butler.



Allusions: Beale Street Blues was playing at a dance that Daisy was at. This song alluded to the blues, and Daisy was sad because she wasn't with Gatsby.

Symbol: Daisy's light shut off, just as the green light had.

Motifs: Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, Time, Valley of Ashes