The Great Gatsby, written and published by Francis Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, portrays the meaning of love and sacrifice in the prosperous times of post-World War I United States. The story is told through a first-person point of view narrator by the character of Nick Carraway, a bondsman who resides in West Egg, one of two mirroring stretches of land due east of New York City and a direct symbol of the divide between “new money” representing West Egg and “old money” representing East Egg. Carraway’s cottage is nestled just left of the Gatsby mansion and directly across the bay from his second-cousin once removed Daisy Buchanan and her husband, Tom. Through reading, I believe Fitzgerald chose to use Nick Carraway as the narrator to show a direct parallel
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Upon arriving at the “Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay” (Fitzgerald 11), Carraway meets an estranged woman by the name of Jordan Baker who is described as having a “raised chin as if she were balancing something” (13). As the evening progresses, a conversation is sparked by Daisy about waiting for the longest day of the year (16). This instant in the story shows a direct viewpoint into Daisy’s life in that she views her life as an endless cycle of waiting for something greater but missing out on what she had been so waiting for. The chapter carries on with the introduction of Tom Buchanan’s affair as highlighted when the phone rings during dinner (20). Daisy later proclaims that she believes the “home influence would be very good on [Jordan]” (23). This statement is ironic in that Daisy lives in a life completely polar to that of a common “home influence”, for the Buchanan’s marriage is continuously tormented through Tom’s affair and Daisy’s constant longing for something other than what she has. The chapter concludes with Nick Carraway venturing back to West Egg where he catches his first glance of Gatsby and the first of many views with a single green light that Gatsby seems to be
Upon arriving at the “Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay” (Fitzgerald 11), Carraway meets an estranged woman by the name of Jordan Baker who is described as having a “raised chin as if she were balancing something” (13). As the evening progresses, a conversation is sparked by Daisy about waiting for the longest day of the year (16). This instant in the story shows a direct viewpoint into Daisy’s life in that she views her life as an endless cycle of waiting for something greater but missing out on what she had been so waiting for. The chapter carries on with the introduction of Tom Buchanan’s affair as highlighted when the phone rings during dinner (20). Daisy later proclaims that she believes the “home influence would be very good on [Jordan]” (23). This statement is ironic in that Daisy lives in a life completely polar to that of a common “home influence”, for the Buchanan’s marriage is continuously tormented through Tom’s affair and Daisy’s constant longing for something other than what she has. The chapter concludes with Nick Carraway venturing back to West Egg where he catches his first glance of Gatsby and the first of many views with a single green light that Gatsby seems to be