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Kelso High School. English Department. The Great Gatsby. by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Chapter Seven. Characterisation Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick Style Theme American Upper Class, Importance
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Kelso High School English Department
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chapter Seven Characterisation Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick Style Theme American Upper Class, Importance of Time and the Past Structure Turning Point, End Symbolism Weather, Gatsby
Characterisation - Gatsby • “His career as Trimalchio was over” Trimalchio was a vulgar social upstart, therefore this description has negative connotations” • Task • Discuss why the description of a “vulgar upstart” might be an appropriate one for Gatsby.
Characterisation - Gatsby • “They’re some people Wolfshiem wanted to do something for” - this again adds doubt in our minds about Gatsby’s judgement and wisdom. • Wolfshiem is a shady character. What does it suggest about Gatsby that he is prepared to surround himself by people like this?
Characterisation - Gatsby • It is in this chapter that Gatsby’s fortune is revealed as illegally acquired - • “I found out what your drug stores were.’ He turned to us and spoke rapidly. ‘He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter...I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him.”
Characterisation - Gatsby • “He spoke as if Daisy’s reaction was the only thing that mattered” • Again, this conveys another negative aspect to Gatsby’s characterisation. He is only worried about Daisy and completely ignores the fact that Myrtle was killed • “Of course I’ll say I was” – shows how much he is in love with Daisy. He is prepared to take the blame for Myrtle’s death
Characterisation - Nick • Again this chapter calls into question Nick’s reliability as a narrator. • Discuss the way in which the following quote is significant in arousing the reader’s suspicions regarding his reliability: • “ I had one of those renewals of complete faith in him that I’d experienced before”
Characterisation - Daisy • This chapter again conveys Daisy’s lack of maternalistic qualities and again reinforces our impression of her being non-maternal • Discuss the way in which the following quote reveals this:- “The child, relinquished by the nurse, rushed across the room and rooted shyly into her mother’s dress”
Characterisation - Daisy • Consider the following quote. In what way does it convey negative connotations regarding Daisy’s characterisation:- “That’s because your mother wanted to show you off”
Characterisation - Daisy • “Daisy sat back upon the couch. The nurse took a step forward and held out her hand....”Good-bye, sweetheart!” • Her daughter’s “reluctant backward glance” suggests she would like to stay with her mother. However, Daisy simply dismisses her and does not even refer to her by her name. This again adds to our negative impression of Daisy.
Characterisation - Daisy • “Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly” • Gatsby’s description of Daisy again adds to our negative connotations. This description once again suggests a materialistic nature and a lack of emotion and spirit.
Characterisation - Daisy • Daisy’s negative portrayal continues when Gatsby’s past is revealed: • “ With every word she was drawing further and further into herself” • It is further reinforced at the end of the chapter- “I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight – watching over nothing” • Daisy has chosen to ignore the fact that Gatsby is prepared to take the blame for Myrtle’s death and has decided to stay with Tom
Characterisation - Daisy • Task Brainstorm the reasons why Daisy has decided to stay with Tom • What impression does her decision to stay with Tom make on the reader?
Characterisation - Tom • “Your wife does,” exclaimed Tom, startled”. • Tom has just heard that his lover is leaving him. In addition, his wife is having an affair. His world has crashed around him in one afternoon • Discuss - why the reader feels very little sympathy for Tom
Characterisation - Tom • “I’ll be damned if I see how you got within a mile of her unless you brought the groceries to the back door” • This is a clear example of class distinction. Tom tries to assert his superiority over Gatsby and emphasises how unsuitable a suitor he is for Daisy
Characterisation - Tom • Tom’s hypocrisy shines through in the following quote: • “And what’s more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time”
Characterisation - Tom • This is totally hypocritical of Tom. He has no qualms about his extra marital affairs, but feels a victim when Daisy’s affair is revealed
Symbolism – Hot Weather “The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest of the summer” In this chapter, the hot weather reflects the climax of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship
Symbolism - Hot Weather • “In this heat every extra gesture was an affront to the common store of life” • The oppressive heat adds to the uncomfortable atmosphere and contributes to what happens in the chapter – not just Myrtle’s accident, but also the confrontation between Tom and Gatsby • The fiery and intense sun symbolises Tom’s fiery confrontation with Gatsby
Symbolism - Gatsby in the bushes • “I hadn’t gone twenty yards when I heard my name and Gatsby stepped from between two bushes into the path” • This signifies the reality of his love for Daisy. She is not concerned about him, but he is still keeping watch. This makes the reader feel sorry for Gatsby and almost forget his criminal past
Theme: Shallownessof the American Upper Classes • “I’ve heard of making a garage out of a stable,’ Tom was saying to Gatsby, ‘ but I’m the first man who ever made a stable out of a garage.” • This symbolises his shallowness. The stables will be for his polo ponies as he does not need to work. Wilson depends on his garage for survival.
Theme: Importance of Time and the Past • “You loved me too?” he repeated. • Gatsby’s obsession with having a “blissful past” continue into the present makes him want Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved him.
Theme: Importance of Time and the Past • However, Tom reminding Daisy of their past, is clever. He is using their personal history to remind Daisy that she had feelings for him. • BY CONTROLLING THE PAST, TOM ERADICATES GATSBY’S VISION OF THE FUTURE
Structure/ Style • One of the most important moments in the chapter is when Tom becomes certain of Gatsby and Daisy’s feelings for each other – • “She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. His mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy”
Structure/ Style • The climax of the novel occurs with the line, “But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself” • This is the climax, the most critical part of the novel as it is now clear that Gatsby has lost Daisy for good
Structure/ Style • This is reinforced by Tom’s words “I think he realises that his presumptuous little flirtation is over” • Here, Tom feels secure enough to send Daisy back to East Egg with Gatsby. This confirms Nick’s observation that Gatsby’s dream is dead.
Structure/Style • The ending of the chapter with Gatsby hiding in the bushes clearly parallels Gatsby pining for Daisy at the end of Chapter One. • In Chapter One he was optimistic about their future, but now he has made it past the green light onto the lawn of Daisy’s house. However, now his dream is gone for ever as Daisy and Tom have reconciled their differences – “His hand had fallen upon and covered her own”
