The Great Gatsby: Chapter 8

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

What is the significance of this image to your reading of chapter 8? 

Characterisation Nick 

“They’re a rotten crowd…You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.’ I’ve always been glad I said that … because I disapproved of him from beginning to end.” pg 146 – 147 ​

Is Gatsby ‘worth the whole damn bunch put together’? What quality is it that makes him different?​

Is Gatsby ‘worth the whole damn bunch put together’? What quality is it that makes him different?​

Goals for today 

Exploration of the American Dream

Consideration of some symbols in the novel 

Explore the text types of obituary, eulogy and elegy and write one for Gatsby from Nick's point of view

Start considering chapter 9  

Extract analysis practice plan

• In MB => files=> paper 1 folder and in Teams => content library => paper 1
  
• Generic guiding questions 
  
• graphic organiser for planning 
  
• Take no more than 20 minutes 
  
• Take an extract from our current novel or one of your choice 
  
• Extract no longer than 30 lines 
  
• Plan a response including thesis statement, topic sentences and evidence. 
  

www.wgtn.ac.nz

AWL

The American Dream what is it? 

American Dream is the ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed.

adapted: britannica.com 

 1776 Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

The loss of The American Dream 

Gatsby is a symbol for America in the 1920s. The American Dream has, in the pursuit of happiness, degenerated into a quest for mere wealth.​

Gatsby’s powerful dream of happiness with Daisy has become the motivation for lavish excess and criminal activities. ​

Consider the following characters in the novel. For each one note down how they symbolise different elements of the American Dream.​

Gatsby

Daisy

Tom

Jordan

Gatsby fails to achieve the American Dream. Why? 

Some suggestions might be: 

1. He is a criminal. 
2. He can never gain acceptance into the American upper classes because the social class system prohibits that. 
3. His  new identity is only an act and not the reality.
4. His dream is unattainable because it is attached to a shallow, self-centred person. 

All of these points question the idea of America as a place where all things are possible if one tries hard enough. 

The American Dream is the potential for unlimited advancement, regardless of where you come from or how poor your background is. 

Gatsby's failure suggests it is impossible to disown your past completely. 

SYMBOLISM – Weather ​

pathetic fallacy ​

“The night had made a sharp difference in the weather and there was an autumn flavour in the air.” pg 146 ​

The ‘fire’ has gone out of Gatsby’s life with Daisy’s decision to remain with Tom. This is symbolised by the cooling weather and autumn slowly creeping in.​

SYMBOLISM – The swimming pool​

‘I’ve never used that pool all summer?’ pg 146 ​

In some ways Gatsby is clinging on to the hope that Daisy will love him the way she used to symbolised by his insistence on swimming in the pool as though it were still summer.​

Important – both his downfall in Chapter 7 and his death in this chapter result from his stark refusal to accept what he cannot control – the passage of time​

SYMBOLISM – Eyes of Dr T J Eckleburg​

“But you can’t fool God!... Doctor T.J.Eckleburg …God sees everything,’ repeated Wilson.” pg 152​

George takes this to be the all-seeing eyes of God.​

He mistakenly believes that Myrtle’s lover must have been her killer and must be punished by “God”.​

SYMBOLISM – Eyes of Dr T J Eckleburg​

BUT remember that these eyes are blind – they are the advert for an opticians/oculist 

The connection between these eyes and ‘God’ exists only in Wilson’s grief-stricken mind.​

How important has been the idea of eyes/seeing within the novel? Give examples ​

Symbolism - the rose 

“He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is …” pg 153 ​

The rose has been a symbol of beauty for centuries, but Nick says that they are not inherently beautiful, and people only view them as beautiful because they choose to.

Symbolism - the Rose 

Daisy is grotesque in the same way. Gatsby has made her beautiful and the object of his dream but in reality, she is an idle, bored and rich young woman with no moral strength or loyalties.​

 How do you now feel about Daisy? Consider that she has abandoned Gatsby in his hour of need.​

SYMBOLISM - Holocaust​

“…gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete” pg 154​

Indicates the wholesale destruction of Gatsby’s life, of his dream and his love for Daisy.​

Also indicates the destruction of Wilson’s life, his dream and of his world.​

Holocaust = destruction or slaughter on a mass scale

Death of Gatsby 

Look again at the oblique (indirect) description of Gatsby’s death. pg 154

How far do you think that it is a ‘fitting’ end for the character?  

Why do you think that Fitzgerald illustrated Gatsby’s death with the chauffeur hearing a ‘few shots’? Why do you think that Fitzgerald chose to portray Gatsby’s death the way he did?  

RIP Gatsby

     "There was a faint, barely perceptible movement of the water as the fresh flow from one end urged its way toward the drain at the other. With little ripples that were hardly the shadows of waves, the laden mattress moved irregularly down the pool. A small gust of wind that scarcely corrugated the surface was enough to disturb its accidental course with its accidental burden. The touch of a cluster of leaves revolved it slowly, tracing, like the leg of transit, a thin red circle in the water.

     It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete." 

RIP Gatsby 

In order to lament Gatsby’s death and explore Nick’s complex attitude toward Gatsby in light  of his death, you will write an obituary, eulogy, or elegy for Gatsby, from Nick’s point of view. 

 

Text types 

OBITUARY: a notice of a death, usually in a newspaper,  that includes a brief biography of the deceased person. It also gives a reader an idea of what the person was known for and the loved ones the person is “survived by” or “leaves behind”.  

 EULOGY: a speech, usually given at a funeral, that praises a deceased person. 

 ELEGY: a poem that laments or memorialises a deceased person. 

plan and prepare 

Before you begin, you need to do some pre-thinking and pre-writing to make sure your obituary, eulogy, or elegy truly represents Nick’s attitude toward Gatsby. Use these guiding questions to prepare: 

 1. Explain Nick’s complex attitude toward Gatsby. Support your answer with textual evidence

2. What made Gatsby great? Support your answer with textual evidence. 

Some ideas 

Nick is fascinated by Gatsby, and seems to admire his devotion to Daisy, although he is able to recognise the flaws of Gatsby’s unrealistic dream. At times, he is skeptical of, annoyed with, or disgusted by Gatsby, but by the end, Nick seems to admire him, even though he “represented everything for which [he] had an unaffected scorn”. Gatsby embodies the alluring Eastern lifestyle that Nick grows to hate, but he knows that the real reason behind the mansion, the parties, and the material items is Daisy. In Chapter 8, he compliments Gatsby, saying, “They’re a rotten crowd…You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together”. Even though Nick does not agree with Gatsby, he is captivated and inspired by his sense of hope. 

Some ideas 

Gatsby is great because of his devotion to his dreams. Even though he is clearly out of touch with reality, his unwavering dedication to his dream is admirable. He is great because he is full of hope, even until the very end. 

Act 1

Human Experience concepts Literature  

The Great Gatsby 

Human Experience Concepts: 

Belonging    Dreams    Authenticity    Insecurities