english

Upon reading the 2^nd section of The Sound and the Fury when Quentin narrates, I find it to be a much easier read. However, it’s just as messed up and twisted as the first section with Benjy as narrator. Both characters choose to tell the reader about past memories without actually telling the reader when they are switching back and forth, except with Quentin, its much easier to tell when he does so. I did find it really interesting that with both narrators, whenever they talked about past memories they almost ALWAYS mentioned Caddy. Its almost a little weird how much each narrator does talk about Caddy, especially because they are both her brothers. In the first section, when Benjy narrators, its seems as though he is almost obsessed with Caddy. He wails when going to the golf course because the term ‘caddie’ was thrown around and it reminded him of her. He also got so upset he got when she lost her virginity and he cried when Caddy told him that they cant sleep in the same bed anymore. It seems as though Caddy has an unhealthy relationship with her family members and it really creeps me out. Especially, in the second section Quentin tells the reader how he falsely tells his father that he committed incest with her. Why would anyone on earth ever want to tell someone that they committed incest especially when it wasn’t true?…(another part that completely freaked me out). I also thought it was really weird that on Caddy’s wedding day, Quentin tries to convince Caddy not to marry him and she responds with the fact that she has too because she is pregnant..although she does make it clear that she isn’t sure who the father is. Later on, Quentin also suggests running away with Caddy, and they could just live off of his life savings that he had for his education at Harvard. All of these past memories that the narrators keep telling the reader just keep adding up to GROSS! Its just so weird.

Upon finishing The Great Gatsby, I noticed that within this novel there are many symbols. Just like many other pieces of literature, these symbols hold a great significance to the novel as a whole. There were two symbols in particular that I noticed that hold great meaning throughout the story. The first symbol that was introduced to us as a reader was the “green light” that is introduced to us on page 20.

“Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself….But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone- he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way…involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, that must have been at the end of a dock…”

The reader later finds out this this green light was at the end of Daisy’s dock over in East Egg. This symbol can be read in many different ways but the way I took it was that he was reaching out to Daisy. That he so badly just wanted to trap the light in his arms as though it was Daisy herself. The symbol can be said to represent Gatsby’s hope that someday in the future Daisy will be in perfect reach, instead of being way across the river in her home with another man. It also struck me that this all happened in the middle of the night only enhancing the green light and making it more clear to see. It was as though Daisy is drawing Gatsby in by this one light. Making him yearn for her more then he already does.

The second symbol that immediately caught my attention were the “eyes” of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. These eyes were introduced to the reader in the introduction of Chapter two. “The eyes are blue and gigantic-their retinas are one yard high, they look out of no face, but, instead from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose.” These eyes, are placed on a billboard high up in the Valley of Ashes. Which is where the poor town in the novel that resides in-between West Egg and New York City. These eyes are said to represent god staring down at this waste land judging not only it but the people in it as well. The reader isn’t the only one to get this interpretation either, some of the characters even make vague comments about how the eyes seem almost real and how they just stare down on you like they are the eyes of god himself.  Nick states, ” I followed him over a low whitewashed railroad fence, and we walked back a hundred yards along the road under Doctor Eckelburg’s persistent stare” (pg 24). And again on pg 26, “Terrible place isnt it? said Tom, exchanging a frown with Doctor Eckelburg.”  I feel as though every time the eyes are mentioned its because the characters are doing something they shouldnt be doing.  Both times in this chapter the eyes were mentioned when Tom was seeing his mistress and its as though the eyes were judging them.  The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg are not only mentioned here in the beginning of the novel, but they are also mentioned in the ending of the novel as well. Right around when all the deaths start happening. Which also makes this symbol that much more significant to focus in on.

While finishing reading, The Great Gatsby, and thinking back on the novel as a whole the first things that come to mind are lies, deceit, and cheating. It seemed as though nothing good came from this novel, whatsoever. I also noticed that it typically depicts Americans and the lifestyles they choose. If you think about each character separately you will come to realize that these characters are real. Sometime in every one of your lifetimes, there will be people that enter it that portray the exact same characteristics of the characters in “The Great Gatsby.” So as disgusted as some of us might be with what these characters did in this novel, its real life in a way. Its you, me, friends, family, strangers, doctors, famous people etc. It’s the way of American life, and this novel just brings it out in words.In the novel, Each character has some sort of secret or lie that they kept to themselves that eventually caught up to them in one way or another. Gatsby lives one big lie for almost the entire novel. He tells everyone things about his life that aren’t true just to make himself look good and keep up with the upper class society of West Egg. He states, “I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West-all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years, it’s a family tradition.”

The reader later finds out that this statement is nothing but a lie. Why Gatsby feels he has to lie about his wealth and past just to win Daisy back into his heart is unknown, but I see it as being somewhat pathetic. Gatsby continues to use the people around him, kind of like pawns in a game, just to get Daisy in his arms again. He does go about this in a very sneaky/creepy way. But when I think about it, that’s what most people in the American culture do. They don’t care about how selfish they are or who they may be hurting in the process, as long as they get what they want in the end, its fine and acceptable. Also, while reading this novel the phrase “What comes around, goes around” passed through my head a couple times. In the end it seems that everyone got what they deserved for all the lies and horrible things they did.. But it’s not fair to say that they fully deserved it, because personally I don’t think that Myrtle or Gatsby deserved to die for what they did. However, Tom and Daisy will continue to spend their lives miserable together, which I think is fit punishment for them two. The only victim of the novel, is poor Wilson, who Tom unfortunately lied to, just to save himself.

When thinking about american literature the first thing that comes to mind is american culture.  America is mostly about “freedom of speech,” to say and think how you feel and when thinking about american literature i think of all the different possible opinions and thoughts authors will have in their novels and how they are for the most part accepted by the many different types of people that read them.

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