Gatsby Final

 *A quick note in defense of some of the language in these chapters: this book was written and published well before WWII, so don't hate on Fitzgerald for using words like "holocaust" and "swastika" - they didn't carry the weight then that they do now (I only mention it because I read those and I was like "whoa man slow down that ain't cool" and then I remembered that actually it was cool in his time so yeah)

Congratulations, team, we did it. Far from being a sprint, AP Lit has been a marathon, but we have finally crossed the finish line of eight novels, countless poems, and prose passages which now all run together in our memory. To quote Ms. Meltesen, "ta-da."

As I finished this book, I found myself musing (get it? Like middle school English? Full circle y'all) upon the title - The GREAT Gatsby. What made him great? Was he really all that great?

It strikes me that he's more of a tragic character (with maybe some redeeming qualities) than a gallant hero (with perhaps a flaw or two). More of a Dimmesdale than a Darcy if you will. I mean this man pined after a woman he thought he could never have for like five. years. In that sense, he was a victim of the society which unfairly boxes people into social strata based on generational wealth. But when this same woman actually speaks her mind (which, it feels important to mention, didn't happen until the two men in the room talked OVER HER HEAD FOR LIKE A PAGE AND A HALF about HER FEELINGS) and tells him she's never going to choose him over her husband, he will not let it go. Poor Nick, who has somehow become for Gatsby what a freshman's Stanley cup means to her (i.e. emotional support), must watch as Gatsby pathetically insists that "Daisy'll call too" (Fitzgerald 154). He even leaves his line open all day for her to no avail. 

But you have to admire his persistence. There's something tragic but sweet about his continued belief in his love for Daisy...until we find out that he only really fell for her because she represented everything he wanted in life: houses that "amazed," "shining motor-cars," basically a "rich, full life" (148). It makes Gatsby's "love" for Daisy feel almost narcissistic and entirely self-serving, and perhaps the fact that he never ended up with her is a metaphor for the status he never achieved (evidenced by the fact that he had no friends to come to his funeral). 

I think what made Gatsby great was his ability to dream. Where no one saw anything but "a penniless young man without a past" (149), James Gatz saw the American dream at work. Perhaps his methods were questionable, but I can't fault him for his capacity to dream. It reminds me a lot of the titular character from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, if any of you have read that one. She dreams of making it in Hollywood and makes lots of questionable choices in the process. But you always get the sense that she never lost belief in herself or in her dream, a necessary quality for anyone trying to do something new. Just a thought for y'all on a Monday.

Switching gears, I thought it was very interesting how George Wilson's last act on this earth was to kill Jay Gatsby. Now don't get me wrong - I neither expected Gatsby to survive the novel, nor did I expect Wilson to emerge from it anything less than a felon, but I am surprised that it was Gatsby, not Tom, who ended up with a bullet in his chest. After all, Tom was the one sleeping with Myrtle the whole time. I guess it does make sense when you take into consideration that Gatsby's car was the one that killed Myrtle, but it really seemed to me that what broke Wilson first was his wife's affair. In any case, the man was clearly off his rocker when he referred to our friend TJ Eckleberg's eyes as God's. 

I think what I'm trying to say here is that I'm struggling with the greatness of Gatsby. He was a dreamer, but he lost out ultimately. He was ambitious, but he was a bad enough person that someone hated him enough to murder him. He created a life for a woman he loved, but he was too insecure and held back by society to see their relationship clearly at any stage. What do you guys think?

The Great Gatsby Chp 5-7

 These chapters revealed the answers to a number of questions we had in the class prior. Although a number of notable events happened in these chapters, I want to highlight what I found most profound: Gatsby and Daisy's interactions.

After sending over a man to cut Nick's grass, Gatsby showed up for tea with Daisy (which he initiated), obviously very nervous. With some forced conversation and "an abortive attempt at a laugh" from Gatsby, Nick was essentially a third wheel to Daisy and Gatsby's rekindling (Fitzgerald 86). We also learn that it has been "'Five years next November'" since the ex-lovers had conversed, and Gatsby's quick note of this seemed a bit, well, specific and creepy (87). The audience can tell how awkward this time spent is, and it even got briefly emotional when Nick re-entered the room and "Daisy's face was smeared with tears" (89). Despite this, Fitzgerald makes it quite clear that Gatsby was ecstatic over their exchange. He seemed to have a new glow to him, and Nick noticed how he often wouldn't be able to take his eyes off of Daisy. Gatsby proceeds to show off his home to Daisy, which I expected but was also questioning. Is his materialistic house tour a way to impress Daisy, or was it all initially for Daisy?

Gatsby is a strange man in this regard, as it comes across as if he has been pining after this woman and built a life around her. If some man did that to me, I would probably call the police. His infatuation with Daisy is seen in the regular parties that he hosts. After their 'tea' with Nick, Gatsby invites them to one of his infamous parties. When they arrive, Gatsby is noticeably uncomfortable around Daisy's husband, Mr. Buchanan, probably because he is still desperately in love with his wife. Nick is a kind enough 'friend' (are they friends?) that he stays and observes Gatsby's reaction to Daisy at the party, noting how "He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: 'I never loved you.'" (109). Following this party, Gatsby stopped having parties! Oh no! We love parties! So I am speculating that the parties were for Daisy, which I don't love because maybe he should have just tried to have a normal conversation with her instead. Gatsby clearly has unrealistic expectations for Daisy and his relationship because, unlike him, Daisy went on with her life and found a husband. 

Ironically, this husband doesn't stop her from kissing Gatsby at another one of their shindigs. I also always imagined Nick's presence to be one of like a pastor or strict parent, that they kept around so they wouldn't do anything bad, but obviously I was wrong. She just "pulled his face down, kissing him on the mouth", and I was like okay, hold it together for just a minute your husband is in the other room (116). AND THEM PAMMY COMES RUNNING IN THE ROOM AND I AM SO OVERWHELMED. 

Not to mention Tom can notice Daisy and Gatsby's inability to restrain themselves, Gatsby confessing he only went to Oxford for five months following the war, and a car crash?! Everything is unravelling quite quickly and I'm still thinking about how Pammy needs more screen time. 

And then it ends with Gatsby alone in the moonlight once again, and I'm over here like maybe he could host another party, that would be fun. Regardless, these chapters hit a major climax and I am finished writing because I need to study for my two tests. Happy 30th birthday Nick! Hope it was a good one!

 We started The Great Gatsby! So exciting. I probably won’t get to everything that happened in these first four chapters, but I will highlight what stood out to me and what I found interesting. 

The first “event” to happen is that Mr. Nick Carraway goes to dinner at Daisy and Tom Buchanan’s House, where he meets Ms. Jordan Baker for the first time. In these scenes, I couldn’t help but notice how different Nick seems than Daisy and Tom. Tom talks about how he’s a “pessimist” (12) and Nick talks about how he feels “compelled” by Tom, “as though he were moving a checker to another square” (11). In comparison, Nick is described as “[innocent]” (14). Nick may seem to be friends with Tom, but this man seems to be more manipulative and cunning than friendly, and, to me, Nick seems awkwardly out of place with this set of people. 

Nick’s difference from Tom is further revealed as we learn about Tom’s affair with Myrtle, picking her up right in front of her husband’s face and showing her off at the restaurants. Tom seems to be flaunting his dishonesty, which makes me like him even less. He acts above the rules and does not give his crowd of people a good look. Once again, in comparison, later on, Nick remarks that he thinks he himself is “one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (59). 

After the chapter about Myrtle, we start to learn more about Gatsby’s parties. Once again, I get the feeling that Nick is out of place there. He describes fantastic parties, but his descriptions are full of how (at the first one he attends) he feels awkward because he doesn’t know anyone there, and he offers details like “most of the remaining women… now having fights with men said to be their husbands'' (51). Upon giving a list of people who attend the parties, he tells the reader about a man who drowns, a man who strangles his wife, and a man who commits suicide by jumping in front of a train. It seems that the reader is being warned…these people, with their parties and fun, maybe aren’t having nearly as much fun as they seem. There is something amiss. 

I am glad that Nick realizes that something’s a bit off. It seems that he’s still holding out from this whole society he’s slowly becoming a part of. Do you think he’ll be able to keep his own sort of “independence”?

I didn’t even get to talking about Jordan or how many times I saw stuff about “roses” throughout the chapters. We’ll just have to talk about it in class. :)

Beloved Ending

The beinging of the final pages of Beloved definitely felt as though things were coming undone. At the start of chapter 26, I couldn't help but feel just so sorry for Denver. Her whole life has been about Beloved. Everything she had lost was because of Beloved, and now that Beloved is back, Sethe, the only thing Denver ever had, begins slipping away too. I feel as though Denver often goes unnoticed because her pain and trauma isn't as visible as the scar on Beloved's throat.

Sethe and Beloved have begun to unravel. I always thought their lovely relationship would take a turn for the worst because Sethe did kill Beloved and when we first saw Beloved, there was violence in the shadows. It feels like in chapter 26 the feelings hidden in the shadows are coming to light. I'm glad Beloved is expressing the pain and trauma she felt being murdered and left behind by her mother. This whole time Sethe has allowed herself to justify her actions but now she must face the consequences of them in a much more real way. She cannot reason away the pain Beloved felt. 

Having gone into this chapter feeling sorry for Denver, it brought me so much joy to see her finally venture out into the world. After being lonely for so long, she bumps into strangers in the road and exchanges pleasantries and gets to see what is beyond 124 once again. More so, her time with Lady Jones feels like the beginning of the end, as Denver begins to step up. I also love how the community comes together in such a relaxed way to help Denver out. She has finally been able to re-enter a community and find people, something she cannot receive at home where Beloved and Sethe are seemingly going mad whilst ignoring Denver. I am also so happy she found what I would imagine to be love. I like to imagine it as an easy love, not one as overpowering as her mother's, but easy and kind and pure.

“This Sethe has finally lost her wits” (299).

Sethe has finally come undone. The torment and tragedy of her past has finally caught up with her and she can no longer ignore it. When the women come to send Beloved away and Sethe attacks the “man without skin” it is clear that this is it. With her past at sweet home and school teacher and Beloved, seeing Mr. Bodwin is too much and Sethe fights one more time. Sethe thus gives herself up to the colors leaving Denver to note “I think I've lost my mother” (314). I loved the final words in her exchange with Paul D just being “Me? Me?” I’m not sure what it was, but to me it felt like finally Sethe was able to claim her identity. With no plans and nothing to do, Sethe can finally breathe.

The main question on my mind was the significance of my Beloved being pregnant and this passing on of motherhood. What do you think was the message and importance of this detail? Also, how do you feel that Sethe’s last moments in the book are with Paul D?

Beloved 236-237

 

Even though this wasn’t our longest reading assignment, I feel like there was a lot that happened and there’s definitely a lot to unpack. We see a stream of consciousness/monologues from Sethe, Denver, and Beloved (plus a weird mixture of the three) and we also find out more about Paul D’s past at Sweethome as well as what he’s up to right now. 

Okay so jumping straight in with Sethe’s monologue, I’ll be honest and say that my first thought when I finished reading it is that Sethe is literally freaking unhinged. I mean understandably, but still. I think part of it was because Morrison wrote it as one long paragraph that didn’t break until basically the last page, so it felt like a madman’s ramblings. I also thought it was interesting that Sethe says that she’ll “[E]xplain to her, even though I don’t have to,” (Morrison 236), referencing that she’ll explain to Beloved why she killed her even though she doesn’t owe anyone her reasoning. I found this ironic, because even so, Sethe goes on to explain herself for basically the whole rest of the chapter (aka leading her to ramble and sound CRAZY): “How if I hadn’t killed her she would have died and that is something I could not bear to happen to her,” (136), “I have felt what [slavery] felt like and nobody walking or stretched out is going to make you feel it too,” (239), “My plan was to take us all to the other side where my own ma’am is,” (240), etc. etc. you get the idea.

From all of this, I basically gathered that even though Sethe has defended herself and maintained her stance that what she did was right to Paul D, the townspeople, and even her own family, she still has some doubts. I think that although she blames the institution of slavery and the townspeople for not warning her about school tecaher’s arrival for the infanticide, she still blames herself, second-guessing her actions and even going so far as to justify them to herself.

As much as I would love to spend more time on this chapter because there are just so many things going on, I’ll move on for time’s sake and also because I have a math quiz tomorrow that I have yet to study for. That being said, let’s move on to Denver’s monologue. My biggest reaction to learning more about Denver and her perspective on her life is that I just feel so bad for her. We start off strong with, “I swallowed [Beloved’s] blood right along with my mother’s milk,” (242), which is just ew, not to mention very intense, and then we go right into how scared Denver is of Sethe. She says that “I love my mother but I know she killed one of her own daughters, and as tender as she is with me, I’m scared of her because of it,” (242). I mean that is just so terrible. Later on, I got the idea that she really only loves Sethe because she is scared of her, and is also terrified of the idea that Sethe/whatever made Sethe try and kill her will come back and make Sethe try again. Additionally, Denver constantly mentions her father and how he’s coming for her (“I always knew he was coming,” (244)), which is basically what keeps her motivated to keep living with Sethe. Knowing what we do now about Halle, this just made me feel so bad for her all over again. 

Next up is Beloved’s chapter, which I have to admit was totally confusing and I really didn’t know what was going on half the time to be honest. This section also made me second-guess Beloved’s origins, though I know this ambiguity was totally purposeful on Morrison’s part. A large part of this made me think of the Middle Passage from Africa to the United States. For example, she often talks about “men without skin”, which I took to mean white men, and she also talks a lot about death, sickness, and how she is “always crouching” (248). All of this led me to think about the Middle Passage, and how even though she might be telling her own story, Morrison made it as though she is telling the story of millions of slaves as well. Additionally, the untraditional way in which this chapter was written gave me the idea that Beloved’s experience is one that cannot be conveyed justly through regular prose, and in fact goes above and beyond any sort of written word. 

After this part ended and she started talking about Sethe, a woman with her face, and how she is “looking for the join” (251), I became totally lost so I would love to talk more about this section of the chapter.

After all of this, we go to chapter 23 which is also just so confusing, but I thought it was like a mix of Sethe, Denver, and Beloved’s voices (“You are my sister/You are my daughter/You are my face; you are me,” (255)). Sethe tries to comfort Beloved because she is scared the white men will come back while Denver warns Beloved not to get too attached to Sethe. Because you cannot always tell who is saying what in this chapter, it feels like their identities as people become less defined and mix together, possible representing how white people did not see slaves as their own entities but rather one collective group, or it could go along with the continues theme of how the characters in this novel often have incomplete identities and don’t really know who they truly are.

Speaking of incomplete identities, Paul D can certainly relate as is conveyed to us in chapter 24. He recalls how he didn’t know much about his family other than his two half-brothers and how “[h]e watched [families] with awe and envy, and each time he discovered large families of black people he made them identify over and over who each was, what relation, who, in fact, belonged to who,” (258). I found this interesting, because like Sethe, he has no real familial identity. This leads him to lose a fundamental component of his humanity and therefore unsure of who he is as well as his masculinity. 

Finally, Stamp Paid discusses what made him choose his name and why he changed it. He had to give up his wife for his master’s son and thought it was an act so terrible that he decided all of his debts had been paid and he no longer owed anything to anyone. When his wife, Vashti, comes back to him, Stamp Paid tells Paul D that he wanted to “snap” her neck but instead decided to change his name and is reborn into a new identity free of his old life. 

Okay that’s all I have (sorry that it’s literally a mile long but there was a lot) so I will leave you with some parting questions: Who is Beloved and where did she really come from? How do you feel about Sethe’s actions after hearing Sethe’s justification of it and Denver’s point of view? What do you think Paul D’s future holds for him? Will he be able to come to terms with his humanity or will this prove to be impossible?

Beloved 147-195

Well, this section finally gave us some of the answers we were looking for! So much happened, so let's just start from the beginning. 

First things first, Paul D is left to question his manhood right off the bat. With the memories of school teacher and how he treated him and the recent actions of Beloved, he begins to compare the two relationships. School teacher led him to think, "Was that it? Is that where the manhood lay? In the naming done by a whiteman who was supposed to know? Who gave them the privilege not of working but of deciding how to? No" (Morrison 147). For so long, he had convinced himself that school teacher was wrong, but with the presence of Beloved bringing back these feelings from his past, he begins to question if school teacher was right all along. While discussing what makes him question this, Morrison writes, "It was being moved, placed where she wanted him, and there was nothing he was able to do about it" (148). In order to stop Beloved, Paul D believes that his best option is to tell Sethe. While he isn't able to confess that he is losing his manhood, he is somehow able to just go right on ahead and ask her if she will have another baby! Unsure of what to make of this, the two laugh it off, but this is not the last time Sethe thinks of this conversation. Eventually, she decides that she can't have a baby with Paul D because she was scared of "Needing to be good enough, alert enough, strong enough, that caring - again" (155). Finally, she questions Paul D's intentions, but winds up deciding that this is her way of justifying not wanting to have this baby. 

The next chapter is brief, yet still jampacked. Sethe leaves the room and Beloved manages to pull a tooth out of her mouth in the short time she has been gone, leaving her to believe that "Pieces of her would drop maybe one at a time, maybe all at once" (157). Beloved is not complete without Sethe, and she will simply fall apart without her...interesting. I'm curious what y'all think the significance of this seemingly simple moment is?

Anyways, moving on. In the next chapter, we are taken back to a time where Baby Suggs is hosting a feast. As time passes, those who attended the feast grow mad at Baby Suggs, as they equate the feast with a boastful sense of pride. If I'm being honest, the "dark and coming thing" (163) that Baby Suggs senses confuses me. What is it that y'all think she is sensing? 

This next chapter is where it gets heavy. The imagery is vivid and the scene is laid out in front of us. We see her sons, "[bleeding] in the sawdust" (175) and Sethe holding "a blood-soaked child to her chest with one hand and an infant by the heels in the other" (175). Later in the text, we discover that Sethe felt that she was saving her children from the trauma and horror that she had experienced in her own life. With some time to think, Paul D shows sympathy and understands that "to go to a place where you could love anything you chose - not to need permission for desire - well now, that was freedom" (191). Though the decision seems absolutely absurd to us, this is a situation of which we cannot even imagine. I have trouble even wrapping my mind around how Sethe must have felt and what must have been going through her mind at this moment. 

Morrison essentially leaves us with a quote from Paul D, that came out of nowhere. Just when you think he is sympathizing with her, he says, "You got two feet, Sethe, not four" (194). He is suggesting that Sethe was acting "animal-like" when she killed her children. I applaud Sethe for her composure, yet I wonder what is truly going through her head. Is this just the pure shock factor of the statement talking, or is she truly unaffected by his comment. What do y'all think?

Beloved 101-146

I will not lie. This reading left me quite uncomfortable. Let’s dive in.

After contemplating the disturbing information about Halle and his buttered face, Sethe returns to the Clearing as it is her place of refuge. The Clearing used to be a space where Baby Suggs would encourage the Black community to embrace their flesh and most of all, their hearts. The personification here is really beautiful. The woods almost come to life just like the “laughing children, dancing men, [and] crying women” (Morrison 105). The trees are described as “ringing” and the groundlife as “shuddered.” I love how well the setting captures the tone of this passage. 

Sethe then shares her last memory of Baby Suggs, who on her deathbed said, “There is no bad luck in the world but white folks” (Morrison 105). As Denver, Beloved, and Sethe walk towards the clearing, we are transported to another of Sethe’s flashbacks. This one is a story of how Stamp and Ella helped Sethe and Denver reach 124. When Baby Suggs first catches a glimpse of Sethe’s back, we are captivated by the euphemisms of the description. Sethe’s back is described as “roses of blood blossomed in the blanket” (109). I find it interesting how Morrison chooses to describe something so disturbing with a plant so beautiful.

Ah. I love this next part. We’ve seen this type of syntax before, but it’s back again. When describing Denver as a baby, the sentences start off with a lowercase letter. I have compiled these sentences into the following list for your pleasure: “girl were brought in,” “baby blinked,” and “girl in her arms” (110). This might just be a me thing, but this choice makes this moment feel so tender and precious. After hearing about Sethe’s strenuous journey, we finally find a moment of peace, and here we find proof that the journey was worth it. 

Okay pause. I need to speed this along because I’m only on page 110 right now. I’m going to go ahead and assume y’all don’t need a plot summary because y’all actually read the book, so I am going to skip to the parts of this reading that made me want to squeeze lime juice into my eyeballs. 

Denver accuses Beloved of being the one who choked Sethe. I believe her. This Beloved character is way too impulsive, which leads me to another scene. Beloved, who we think is the “true-to-life presence of the baby [ghost],” (141) tries to seduce the man whom her basically-mother is bedding. She demands, "I want you to touch me on the inside part and call me by my name” (137). Absolutely disgusting. To make matters worse, Paul D. succumbs, not once, but multiple times! 

Personally, I am not a fan of Denver, and here is some proof to support my opinion. Denver cares more about Beloved than her own mother, and regarding the choking scene, “Denver was alarmed by the harm she thought Beloved planned for Sethe, but felt helpless to thwart it, so unrestricted was her need to love another” (123). Denver apparently feels shame for this choice. Well duh, of course, she should.

Let’s also look at this quote about Denver: “The present alone interested Denver,” (141). Good for her for living in the moment, but I feel as if her having no interest in the past, specifically her mother’s past, is the reason for her lack of empathy. Sethe has given so much for Denver, and unlike Paul D, who only shares small amounts of love with the people around him, Sethe gave all her love to Denver. How does Denver pay it back? She picks a reincarnated baby ghost over her own mother and basically becomes a simp (for lack of a better word) for Beloved. However, this is just my opinion. I will never be able to understand how Denver feels, and there is probably a greater meaning behind Denver, Paul D, and Beloved’s poor choices, but this is my blog post, so I have the right to share my opinion.

Toodles,

Lena