The Great Gatsby

I. Introduction

a. Fitzgerald

Famous for depiction of the Jazz Age

When he was 13, published first story in the school newspaper

Attend Princeton, writhe musicals and publish

3 years in college, met his wife in the army but not rich enough so don’t have
courage to propose to his wife. His wife wait for him

Discharge in 1919 and move to NYC to earn more money

The Side of Paradise a year later (first and most successful novel) -> Got enough
money and courage to propose his wife

1924, move to France, want to change the atmosphere

1925, The Great Gatsby

1937, came to Hollywood to write screenplays. Want to earn as much as

possible

1940, die, heart disease

b. The Great Gatsby

- Published in 1925

- Portrait the Jazz Age

II. Plot

1. Exposition

Setting: New York State, Long island on both West Egg and East Egg

Time: In the summer during 1920s

2. Rising Action

Gatsby got the chance to talk to Nick (Daisy’s cousin) at his party. Then, he
meets Daisy at his house.
3. Climax

At the plaza, Tom and Gatsby fight over Daisy. Gatsby follows Daisy and tries
to control the steering wheel from Daisy in Gatsby’s yellow car. Daisy
accidentally runs over Myrtle.

4. Falling action

Daisy rejects Gatsby’s offer of having a life together. Wilson shoot Gatsby in
the pool, then takes his own life by shooting himself.

5. Resolution

Gatsby’s funeral, no one but the press, who want to get more information about
him, show up. Daisy chooses to go with Tom and they plan to move their house
to a new place. Nick returns to Midwest.

* Conflicts

- External:

+ Tom vs Daisy: a marriage of wealth, fame, pride, status

They are inseparable because their marriage is not out of love but wealth, fame,
pride, status, which is their way to maintain their place in the society.

+ The West vs The East:

Lifestyle:

East: Superficial society without true love or real affection for each other;
Pretentious (came to G’s party without knowing a thing about him and even
spread rumors) -> The reason Nick was so bored and scared of this society and
came back to the West

West: People stay true to their emotions, still embracing the old values

+ New Money vs Old Money: (Gatsby vs Tom & Daisy)

The difference between Gatsby vs Tom & Daisy: not only the matter of money
but also behavior and lifestyle.
-> You try so hard to get your dream doesn’t mean that you can achieve it at the
end -> Go against the American dream.

. Chapter 6, page 4-5: Mrs. Sloane invite Gatsby to her house and Mr.Sloane and
Tom doesn’t think that Gatsby should be invited.

-> The fact that Mr.Sloane murmured to his wife -> impolite -> The reason
behind it…

-> “He won’t know a soul there” -> He cannot belong to that world because he
doesn’t understand the code of communication.

. Chapter 7, page 7: The pink suit

-> Too bright -> Gatsby doesn’t understand that because he doesn’t belong to
that class from the beginning. That is why Tom questioned Gatsby background,
because if he was born rich like Tom, he should have known all of these
etiquette.

- Internal:

+ Gatsby vs Himself:

American dream: firm belief in oneself that they can achieve what they want

Gatsby can never achieve what he wants – changing the past. (Unattainable,
unrealistic dream)

III. Settings

- Gatsby’s mansion before and after (Chapter 3 and Chapter 9): The promise of a
dream comes true and the shattering of a dream

- How important is the social settings? The Jazz Age, Prohibition, The Roaring
Twenties, …

These changes shape the characteristics of the American Dream, of which dark
side causes people to do illegal things to achieve their dreams, consequently,
ruins their life.

Those who have the American dream: Gatsby, Nick, Myrtle

- How important is the cars? (Beside symbolizing the characters’ wealthy and
status)

- The speed of the car represent the speed their life. -> They move on with their
life so fast without caring about other people.

- Show how reckless, careless and heartless people live their life

- “It takes two to cause an accident” -> You can be careless; others would take
care of themselves.

- Wilson buy old car, repair them and sell them -> The gap in the rich and the
poor. What the rich gives up become a piece of living for the poor.

IV. Characterization

Main characters: Nick, Gatsby, Daisy, Tom,..

1. Nick – The Narrator:

- Unreliable:

- Last page, chapter 9:

. Gatsby represent everything he unaffected scorn. Nick scorns dishonesty (his

obsession of Daisy, his past and his effort to pursuit his dream justify this
dishonesty), materialism (the motive: his true love, same as above),
consumerism

. Gatsby has everything that he scorn but on the other hand, he still has
sympathy for Gatsby because he knows the motive behind them.

. “unknown world”: unknown to Nick, to Gatsby because there can be a lot of

risks, dangers, unexpected accidents waiting ahead of them, but they have no
idea of that, they only go for their dream.

. brooding: totally devastated, disappointed

. Nick has some kind of sympathy for Gatsby. He knows that people like him
and Gatsby mislead by the promise of life, of the American dream.

Minor characters:
Homework

1. In what way is Tom considered a child by Nick? (may need to discuss about
Daisy too)

- A child is irresponsible, cannot think of the consequences of his actions,

thoughtless

- Careless and confused

- Have no self-control, ngoại tình 1 cách rõ rang, không giấu diếm.

- Dùng violence để giải quyết vấn đề

2. Consequences of American Dream

- Besides visible consequences like corruption, moral decay, there are other
consequences that only those who involve in American Dream can have:

+ Loneliness:

Gatsby: surrounded by a lot of people but they don’t know him; his lonely death

Nick: “I was within and without” (Chap 2, p.9)

He’s a part of that society and witness a lot of things happened around him and
unconsciously he belongs to them. But still, he doesn’t feel like one of them.

+ Emptiness:

Gatsby: In some point, it seems that Gatsby has earned what he desires, but it
comes with a price.

2. What can be the consequences of the American Dream ? (Based on the novel)

11/10
A. The Green light

- Hope & dream of Gatsby (Hi vọng tình yêu của Daisy và social upward
mobility)

- The American Dream (cách xa ổng 1 vịnh, untouchable)

- To Gatsby, it represents Daisy (thấy đèn đằng xa biết Daisy ở nhà)

- The American Democracy: It’s something the Europe people admire. It

breaks down every wall that separate people, it’s a fair society. -> Turns out to
be an illusion

B. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg

- They have eyes, but they cannot see what they are, who they are, etc. Like
Tom and Daisy, they never use their eyes to see what they have done to others -
> The eyes lose their function

- You are the God yourself

C. The Moon (It appeared 3 times in Chap 3, p.3, 6, 11; Chap 7, p.5, 22;
Chap 9, p.9, 12)

- Chap 7, p.22: The moon represents the truth. Gatsby is in the moonlight but he
cannot see it.

- Chap 7: “A silver curve of the moon hovered already in the Western sky.”

+ Foreshadow that something (conflict) is about to happen

- Chap 9, p.12: “And as the moon rose higher…. new world.”

+ Illusion

D. The Valley of Ashes

- A reminder that everyone will end up the same. People from the Eggs go pass
this area every day, but they fail to see that because of their blind pursuit of the
American dream.