2. Is Tom most responsible for Gatsby’s death? Daisy? Myrtle? Gatsby himself? Give reasons why or why not each character is implicated in the murder.
In my opinion, multiple characters share the blame for Gatsby’s murder. However, I personally feel that Tom was the most responsible for Gatsby’s death. Tom once stated to Nick, “What if I did tell him? The fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s, but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle just like you’d run over a dog and never even stopped his car.” (178) This quote shows readers the intensity of Tom’s dislike for Gatsby by the very fact of Tom’s persistence on being sure that Wilson knew that Gatsby was the owner of the vehicle that had run …show more content…
Is Gatsby a Christ figure? Why or why not?
In my opinion, Gatsby was not a Christ figure. I agree with the fact that he was a wealthy, worshipped man. I can also see where some could say that he “died for Daisy’s sins” because he allowed the blame of Myrtle’s death to be put on him.
However, he was a liar, as is evidenced by the fact that he never claimed his true heritage. Gatsby hid the fact that “his parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents. The truth was Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his platonic conception of himself...So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.” (98) He never let anyone know his “true” self – giving lavish parties just across the bay from Daisy. He eventually lured her to his parties, where he flaunted his wealth and self-worth. This was certainly not Christ – like. Jesus never flaunted himself or tried to be someone he was not.
Though Gatsby presented himself as a prosperous and upstanding business man, his wealth was actually a product of bootlegging and shady business deals. The numerous crimes he committed were certainly not Christian acts of …show more content…
Some critics maintain that the characters of Gatsby and Myrtle are similar. What do you think?
I do see many similarities between Gatsby and Myrtle. Both of them were having affairs with married people, both were committed to protecting their lovers, both wanted a future with their lover, and both ended up being murdered as a result of their infidelity.
It was apparent that Tom and Myrtle were in love – they had their own apartment, a puppy, and entertained together, even if they were not married to each other. Their life was not normal, but their time together seemed happy. This was illustrated best when Catherine stated that “It is really his wife that is keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce.” (33) Even though Daisy was not really Catholic, that was the reason people assumed that Tom and Myrtle were not married.
Gatsby was single, but the entire novel demonstrated his eagerness to become the man that Daisy could love. She was the reason he threw the lavish parties. “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay… I think he half expected her to wander in to one of his parties, some night”, went on Jordan (78-79). Daisy was the one he evidently spent his entire life trying to impress. She was the one that he protected by saying he was driving when Myrtle was
In my opinion, multiple characters share the blame for Gatsby’s murder. However, I personally feel that Tom was the most responsible for Gatsby’s death. Tom once stated to Nick, “What if I did tell him? The fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s, but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle just like you’d run over a dog and never even stopped his car.” (178) This quote shows readers the intensity of Tom’s dislike for Gatsby by the very fact of Tom’s persistence on being sure that Wilson knew that Gatsby was the owner of the vehicle that had run …show more content…
Is Gatsby a Christ figure? Why or why not?
In my opinion, Gatsby was not a Christ figure. I agree with the fact that he was a wealthy, worshipped man. I can also see where some could say that he “died for Daisy’s sins” because he allowed the blame of Myrtle’s death to be put on him.
However, he was a liar, as is evidenced by the fact that he never claimed his true heritage. Gatsby hid the fact that “his parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents. The truth was Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his platonic conception of himself...So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.” (98) He never let anyone know his “true” self – giving lavish parties just across the bay from Daisy. He eventually lured her to his parties, where he flaunted his wealth and self-worth. This was certainly not Christ – like. Jesus never flaunted himself or tried to be someone he was not.
Though Gatsby presented himself as a prosperous and upstanding business man, his wealth was actually a product of bootlegging and shady business deals. The numerous crimes he committed were certainly not Christian acts of …show more content…
Some critics maintain that the characters of Gatsby and Myrtle are similar. What do you think?
I do see many similarities between Gatsby and Myrtle. Both of them were having affairs with married people, both were committed to protecting their lovers, both wanted a future with their lover, and both ended up being murdered as a result of their infidelity.
It was apparent that Tom and Myrtle were in love – they had their own apartment, a puppy, and entertained together, even if they were not married to each other. Their life was not normal, but their time together seemed happy. This was illustrated best when Catherine stated that “It is really his wife that is keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce.” (33) Even though Daisy was not really Catholic, that was the reason people assumed that Tom and Myrtle were not married.
Gatsby was single, but the entire novel demonstrated his eagerness to become the man that Daisy could love. She was the reason he threw the lavish parties. “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay… I think he half expected her to wander in to one of his parties, some night”, went on Jordan (78-79). Daisy was the one he evidently spent his entire life trying to impress. She was the one that he protected by saying he was driving when Myrtle was