Faulkner's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

                “That Evening Sun,” set in the early 1900s in the South, introduces characters that display aspects stated from William Faulkner’s acceptance speech such as “courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion…” Nancy, a black woman who works for a white family, is one of those characters; she kept yelling “When you going to pay me, white man? When you going to pay me, white man? It’s been three times now since you paid me a cent—(Faulkner 168)” to Mr. Stovall even though he constantly attacked her and used her for sexual purposes. Nancy showed persistence and courage to Mr. Stovall.  Through Nancy, Faulkner demonstrates the theme of strength towards adversity.

                Faulkner also uses pity in “That Evening Sun,” especially when Nancy accepts her fate and becomes fearful of what Jesus could do to her. She talks about being gone and Caddy says, “Gone where, Nancy?” Caddy shows some pity for Nancy. However, the children only cared about the dishwashing that Nancy does. Faulkner, through the character Jason, displays pride in this story because Jason denies his racial background by repeatedly saying “I ain’t a nigger. (Faulkner 170-171)” Through these characters, Faulkner writes about courage, honor, pride, and pity because they “help man endure by lifting his heart,” because the heart is in conflict with itself. 

The Great Gatsby Chapter 9 p163-180

The Great Gatsby

Ch 9 p163-180

Summary

The final chapter starts with the setting two years after Gatsby’s death with Nick reminiscing about the days after. Nick remembers the many newspaper reporters storming in and out of Gatsby’s house. According to him the articles were untrue and grotesque. When Michaelis gave a testimony, there were suspicions about Myrtle, but her sister Catherine said nothing. When Nick found Gatsby’s body, he called daisy, but she and Tom left East Egg to an unknown destination. Nick tried to get someone for Gatsby, but he failed. The next day, he sent one of Gatsby’s butlers to New York to deliver a letter to Wolfsheim asking if he could come to Gatsby’s house. The butler came back with a letter from Wolfsheim, showing his sympathy and asking when the funeral would be. The phone rang, and Nick hoped it would be Daisy, but instead it was a random man who didn’t know Gatsby was dead. On another day, Gatsby’s father, Henry C. Gatz, sent a telegram saying he was leaving immediately and to postpone the funeral until his arrival. Gatz and Nick entered the house, walking through, having a conversation about Gatsby. At night, Nick gets a call from Klipspringer. Nick says that the funeral would be the next day at 3 o’clock. On the day of the funeral, Nick went to New York to see Wolfsheim, but a Jewish woman said that Wolfsheim was in Chicago. When Nick mentioned Gatsby, Wolfsheim appeared. He took Nick to his office, talking about how he made Gatsby. Wolfsheim also said that he can’t come to the funeral. Back at West Egg, Mr. Gatz walks through the hall of Gatsby’s house. He shows Nick a picture of the house with admiration. Gatz also shows a book Gatsby had as a young boy. It contained a schedule and a list of resolutions. When the funeral started, only a few people were there: Nick, Gatz, and the servants. Owl eyes came as well. Nick then remembers another time when he went back to West Egg, which is where he sees Jordan. They have conversation about Nick being dishonest. Nick doesn’t care because he’s thirty years old. Nick also remembers seeing Tom one day, and he doesn’t shake Tom’s hand until after their conversation. The story ends with Nick commenting on Gatsby and how he never gave up.

Henry C. Gatz

“…a solemn old man, very helpless and dismayed, bundled up in a long cheap ulster against the warm September day.” (167)

Henry C. Gatz is Gatsby’s father who came from a town in Minnesota. From Gatsby’s story in Chapter 6, he probably was a poor farmer and wasn’t liked by Gatsby much. Gatz is one of the few people who attend Gatsby’s funeral. He is also one of the few people who see past Gatsby’s own illusion.

Gatz is one of the few people who know Gatsby as James Gatz. He doesn’t see the illusion called Gatsby. Gatz saw the real Jay Gatsby since he was his father. He knew what Gatsby liked and how he acted, and Gatz knew he had a future because of his riches. He describes Gatsby as “great”.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (180)

To me, this quote has two meanings. The first one is that Nick’s life is normal now. I feel like he treats his time period with Gatsby like nothing, as if it never happened. His life continues as if he never met Gatsby. The other meaning is that our materialistic nature keeps us going back to square one. We always want certain things, and when we acquire one thing, we want another. We reach what we want, and get it, want another, and from there we get sent back to the beginning.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 8 p147-162

The Great Gatsby

Ch 8 p147-162

Summary

Nick, having this worried feeling about Gatsby, goes to Gatsby’s house to escape because his car might be recognized. However, Gatsby only wanted to be with Daisy so he could wait for her decision. Gatsby then goes on about his past with Daisy and Dan Cody. He mentions how Daisy was very nice and loving her was a surprise to him. He also compares Daisy to a holy grail. During the war, Gatsby and Daisy wrote letters to each other, but Daisy’s letters had a feeling of despair, but she still wanted to see Gatsby. Daisy wanted her life to be complete, however, which led to her meeting Tom. Gatsby thinks Daisy never loved Tom, but had a bit of doubt, thinking that she loved him when they were first married, but still loved Gatsby more. Nick didn’t want to leave Gatsby after listening to his story. Gatsby and Nick finish their breakfast, and Nick goes to the city. Jordan calls him, and the conversation they have is very mutual. After, he calls Gatsby’s house. While he is on the train, Nick hears a man talking about Myrtle Wilson. The story goes to Wilson and a crowd at his garage. Wilson, who was being cared by Michaelis, wanted to know who killed Myrtle. He also talks about Myrtle being unable to fool God, and he looks at the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg. Michaelis goes home for a while, but when he comes back, Wilson disappeared. Meanwhile, Gatsby goes to his pool to have a swim. A little later, Nick immediately rushes to Gatsby’s house finding Gatsby dead on the pool and Wilson dead on the grass.

James Gatz/Jay Gatsby

“If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream.”

Gatsby is a very rich man who came from a poor family. We see him as a person who sets his bar really high. Gatsby only wanted one thing in his life: Daisy. When she left him for Tom however, Gatsby went to extreme measures to meet Daisy’s standards. Gatsby got rich, moved to a house close to Daisy’s, and hosted weekly parties hoping for Daisy to attend one. Gatsby sets his goals to an unattainable level. He thinks of Daisy as equivalent to a holy grail, describing how great he thinks of her. Gatsby also hangs out with criminals, i.e. Wolfsheim.

This chapter marks the end of Gatz’s life, but more importantly, the end of the illusion called Gatsby. We see him come to reality, leaving his controllable illusion he created. In the beginning, Gatsby starts out as a mysterious figure reaching out for a green light. We see him throwing weekly parties with an endless guest list of unknown people. We see the people he hangs out with, and one of them is a criminal. As the story continued, we see the true nature of Gatsby’s parties and why Nick and Jordan were personally invited: they have a personal connection with Daisy. His one goal is to get Daisy to love him. Gatsby’s main role in the novel was to represent a person trying to achieve the American Dream. For Gatsby, his dream was Daisy. While trying to achieve his dream, Gatsby created an illusion where he could control everything, all to impress Daisy. Because of this, Gatsby lost sight of what’s real and lived in the dream.

“He had intended, probably, to take what he could and go—but now he found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail.” (149)

Gatsby treats Daisy as a treasure. However, a holy grail, even though extraordinary, is something that has never been found. Gatsby’s treating Daisy as something unobtainable. Gatsby describes her as a grail because even before she met Tom, she was a rich woman who was living a full life, and at that time, Gatsby had nothing to offer her. Daisy must be a worthwhile treasure in Gatsby’s eyes.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 7 p113-145

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 7 p113-145

Summary

Nick, thinking that Gatsby was sick, came to see Gatsby, wondering where he was. The servant was unfamiliar with Nick’s face; it was because Gatsby fired all of his previous servants and hired new ones. The next day, Gatsby calls Nick asking if he would come to lunch at Daisy’s house, which Nick agreed to. When that day came, it was boiling hot, and in Daisy’s house, Mr. Thomas Buchanan was on the phone. Jordan thought it was Myrtle on the other line, and all of them tried to listen. Tom comes barging in, seeing Gatsby and Nick. Daisy goes to kiss Gatsby, saying that she loves him. We then see a child with a nurse coming into the room, and this child has a white dress on. The child’s name is Pammy, and she is Daisy’s child. Everyone was dreading the heat, so Daisy suggested going to town. Gatsby tells her that she looks cool, and vice versa. To Tom’s dismay, he immediately agrees going to town and tries to get everyone to go. They take Tom’s and Gatsby’s cars to go to town. As they pass Dr. Eckleburg’s eyes, Jordan suggested getting gas, so they stop at Wilson’s garage. While getting gas, Myrtle creeps from her window looking at Jordan with jealousy, thinking that she is Tom’s wife. Nick and the others go to the Plaza Hotel. While at the hotel, Tom questions why Gatsby says “old sport”. Still dreading the heat, Daisy reminisces her wedding and the person who fainted because of the heat named Biloxi. Nick remembers a man named Bill Biloxi who was the other Biloxi’s cousin. Tom starts to question Gatsby more, and we learn that Gatsby did not really have a full time in Oxford. Gatsby and Tom start to have an argument about who Daisy really loves. Gatsby says that Daisy never loved Tom, but Daisy only left because Gatsby had no money. Gatsby then states that Daisy is going to leave Tom, which Tom doesn’t believe, but Daisy confirms this. After this, Tom tells Daisy to leave in Gatsby’s car. In all this commotion it was Nick’s birthday. At George Wilson’s garage, Wilson is sick, and his neighbor named Michaelis tried to convince him to sleep. Wilson said he locked up his wife, and after 2 days they would move away. A little later, Myrtle got out and ran outside on the streets, and all of a sudden a fast-moving car hits Myrtle, killing her. Tom, Nick, and Jordan arrive at the scene, and Tom goes completely in shock when he sees Myrtle’s body. Tom asks who did it, and a yellow car hit her. At Daisy’s house, Nick, Jordan, and Tom, but Nick doesn’t want to go in, but he does. Gatsby calls him, asking if there was any trouble, implying that Gatsby knew about Myrtle’s accident. Nick asks if Daisy was driving the car, and Gatsby said yes. Daisy locked herself in her room to avoid Tom. Gatsby said that he’ll wait there until everyone goes to sleep. When Tom and Daisy were eating dinner, there was a feeling of unhappiness. After all this, Nick left while Gatsby stayed.

Tom Buchanan

“’Listen, Tom. If you’re such a snob, why did you invite him to lunch?’ demanded Jordan crossly.”

Tom is (but probably won’t be soon) Daisy’s current husband. Daisy chose him over Gatsby because Tom had a lot of money unlike Gatsby at the time. Tom is very demanding and controlling. He is also cheating on Daisy with Myrtle Wilson. Tom has already reached the peak of his life, so he has nowhere to go but down. Tom is also very snobby and obnoxious.

In this chapter, we see Tom’s life go nowhere but downhill. Daisy admits that she never loved him. She will also leave Tom to be with Gatsby. Soon after, Myrtle gets hit by car driven by Daisy, killing her. Basically, Tom has no love. Tom’s life will probably get worse and worse until he’s nothing. Daisy’s even avoiding Tom in her own house.

“Your wife doesn’t love you,” said Gatsby. “She’s never loved you. She loves me.” (130)

This only proves that Tom’s life is going downhill. It also proves that Gatsby loves Daisy so much that he knows that Daisy loves him back and not Tom. Gatsby knows why Daisy left him, but deep down Gatsby still knew that Daisy had feelings for him, and she still does. It’s possible that a divorce following a marriage could come in the future. 

The Great Gatsby Chapter 6 p97-111

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 6 p97-111

Summary

A reporter comes to Gatsby’s door asking for anything he wants, and Gatsby starts to tell him a story about his finding of his true career. He talks about when he discovered his career when he saw Dan Cody’s yacht, how his family was poor and survived on farming, changing his name from James Gatz to his current name out of pure imagination, and other jobs that would lead to his dream career. The like “fairy’s wing” is related to Daisy Fay because she is the fairy for Gatsby. He also was a part of Cody’s ship the Tulomee. Gatsby actually could have inherited money from Dan Cody; instead, he received education because of legal devices used against him. Nick doesn’t hear from him for a while until he goes to his house on a Sunday, and to his surprise, he saw Tom there with a man named Sloane and an anonymous woman. Gatsby and Tom have a little small talk about Daisy, and Gatsby shows a little aggressiveness in his conversation. To see Tom more, Gatsby invites the whole party for supper, but the lady insists on supper with her, which they all agree to, yet Sloane does not want Gatsby to come. The story continues to the following Saturday night at another one of Gatsby’s parties, but this time with Tom and Daisy. This party had a lot of celebrities. The party continues with Gatsby and Daisy dancing and Nick knowing that Daisy was not having a good time. Tom also questions who Gatsby is only based on his impressions of rich people. After the party, Gatsby knew that Daisy did not have a good time at the party, and he felt far away from her. He and Nick talk about the past that went into loving Daisy. Daisy and Gatsby even share a kiss with each other.

Dan Cody

“…a product of the Nevada silver fields, of the Yukon, of every rush for metal since seventy-five.”

Dan Cody was a very rich person who worked a lot in the mines. He owns a yacht which inspired Gatsby to find his true career. His riches made him soft-minded, which led women to try to separate him and his money. Dan Cody put a lot of trust in Gatsby while Gatsby was working on his ship. It is said that Cody died a week after boarding in Boston when Ella Kaye boarded; it could be possible that she killed him for his money.

Dan Cody’s role in the book is Gatsby’s inspiration. He inspired Gatsby to find his true career and become rich. He really admired Cody, and Cody trusted Gatsby. Cody could be seen as a mentor to Gatsby. Having a large picture of him in his house could show his appreciation for Dan Cody.

“He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say; ‘I never loved you.’” (109)

This quote gives an idea about how desperate Gatsby wants Daisy. Gatsby probably suspects that Daisy doesn’t love Tom. It reminds him about how he and Daisy had a connection five years ago, and Gatsby wants to return to the past. Gatsby must have loved Daisy since that time. 

The Great Gatsby Chapter 5 p81-96

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 5 p81-96

Summary

            Chapter 5 begins with Nick coming home from his time with Jordan, and he sees Gatsby’s house illuminated with lights. Gatsby comes along, asking Nick to go to Coney Island with him or have a swim; Nick denied both offers. He told Gatsby that he’ll invite Daisy over for tea, and to prepare, Gatsby offered to cut his lawn. Gatsby also offered to do business with Nick, without Wolfsheim, but Nick didn’t take his offer, and both go home. Nick called Daisy to invite her over and warned her not to bring Tom, yet Daisy said, “Who is ‘Tom’?” It was raining when the day came, and the man who would cut Nick’s lawn came by, in addition to some flowers for Daisy. When Gatsby arrives at Nick’s house, he had extravagant clothing on, yet he looked pale and sleepless which displayed his nervousness. Gatsby even escaped Nick’s house when Daisy came, and he rang the doorbell after Daisy entered the house. It was very awkward when Gatsby and Daisy first met; Gatsby gets close to breaking a clock. Gatsby and Daisy are left alone for 2 hours, and they talk about Gatsby’s house. Nick comes back seeing them happy. Gatsby took Nick and Daisy to his house for a tour. They ran into Mr. Klipspringer doing liver exercises, and then they entered Gatsby’s room. He showed them his assortment of colored shirts which Daisy liked. Gatsby told Daisy that he could see her house from his own and the green light at the end of her dock. After, Gatsby forces Mr. Klipspringer to play the piano even though Klipspringer knew he hadn’t practiced in a while. Gatsby and Daisy forgot Nick was in the room, so Nick left.

Mr. Klipspringer

“…an embarrassed, slightly worn young man, with shell-rimmed glasses and scanty blond hair.” (94)

When Mr. Klipspringer is introduced, he is doing liver exercises in another room. He must live with Gatsby because he probably can’t afford a house. Gatsby treats him like dirt; he always interrupts Klipspringer and forces him to play the piano even though Klipspringer insists that he is out of practice.

Gatsby treats Klipspringer with no respect whatsoever with his constant interruptions and forceful attitude. I don’t even know why Klipspringer lives with Gatsby. He must be poor if Gatsby took him under his wing. Klipspringer could only be staying at Gatsby’s only to mooch off of his riches. Klipspringer could also be used to display a different side of Gatsby.

“Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry.” (88)

            This quote relates to how people who come to America to be successful and acquire their wants and needs. Gatsby is one of these people because he has riches and a big mansion, yet he wants one more thing: Daisy. He wanted to impress her by showing her his house. He tried to impress her with everything he had, and it worked.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 4 p61-80

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 4 p61-80

Summary

As Nick attends more of Gatsby’s parties, he records down names of any person who attended the party. One day, Gatsby takes Nick out to lunch, driving in his famous car, and while driving to West Egg, Gatsby tells him about his own life, but Nick notices some fibs in his story. Gatsby gets pulled over by a cop for speeding, but by waving a white card, he is exempt from a ticket. Around noon, Gatsby with a man named Mr. Wolfsheim meets Nick for lunch, and we learn that Mr. Wolfsheim seems to know a lot about Gatsby since they knew each other right after the war. Gatsby knows a lot about Wolfsheim as well, like how he fixed the World Series in 1919 and how he’s a gambler. After Nick pays for lunch, he sees Tom in another room. Tom gets introduced to Mr. Gatsby, but after that, Gatsby disappears. Jordan takes the narrator role for a while, explaining a little about her life. After her story, Jordan and Nick figure out the reason for Gatsby’s parties: to attract Daisy. The chapter ends with what seems to be a kiss from Nick to Jordan.

Meyer Wolfsheim

“It never occurred to me that one man could start to play with the faith of fifty million people—with the single-mindedness of a burglar blowing a safe.”

            Wolfsheim is a flat-nosed Jew who has tiny eyes. He is a gambler and is the one who fixed the World’s Series in 1919. Wolfsheim also seems to be sneaky and intelligent as he has not been caught by the police yet. He also knows Gatsby really well due to meeting him after the war.

            Since Nick knows Gatsby’s lying about some parts of his life, Wolfsheim could be the truth to Gatsby’s lies. Wolfsheim knows his real college, and he’s known Gatsby since the war. He could know about Gatsby as much as Gatsby knows himself. If I see Wolfsheim in more chapters, I could see him revealing more about Gatsby’s life that Gatsby wouldn’t want to confess.

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.” (79)

            This quote is a description of the many characters seen in the novel. The pursued is obviously Gatsby. The pursuing people are Jordan and Nick. The busy people are Tom and Myrtle because they deal with two relationships, and the tired could be Daisy and Mr. Wilson who don’t want to deal with their spouses cheating.