The Great Gatsby Chapter 2 p22-38

The Great Gatsby Ch 2 p22-38

Summary

            Nick comes across a desolate area of land which he calls “a valley of ashes” which holds a load of New York’s ashes, and he sees the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. The train that runs through this area goes to New York where Nick first met Tom’s woman, Myrtle Wilson, who is married to George Wilson. She takes Tom and Nick to her apartment where Nick meets Catherine, Myrtle’s sister, and their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mckee, and at the house, the group gets drunk. Nick sees the different behaviors the Mckee’s and Tom have while they’re drunk, and Myrtle starts to shout the name “Daisy”, much to Tom’s dismay. Tom punches Myrtle, leaving her with a broken nose, and Nick leaves with Mr. McKee taking a train to Long Island.

Myrtle Wilson

            “‘I want to see you,’ said Tom intently. ‘Get on the next train.’ ‘All right.’” (26)

Myrtle is Tom’s other woman; she is married to George Wilson. Nick describes her as “faintly stout” and not beautiful. When she speaks, she has a soft voice. She owns an apartment in New York with her family, the Mckees. She has one sister named Catherine, and both of her parents are still alive in the chapter. She also bought a dog to keep in her apartment.

            Like Tom, Myrtle is also a cheater. In this chapter, we see Myrtle as a woman who follows what the man does. The man, Tom, is sort of her leader. He tells Myrtle what to do such as not talk about Daisy, which led to the punching of her face. We also see that Myrtle always gets what she wants, and she is also a party girl because she likes to get drunk.

“Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” shouted Mrs. Wilson. “I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai--“(37)

Even though Myrtle was still drunk at the moment, I see it as her trying to stand up for herself. From what I’ve read in Chapter 2, Tom is the leader in their relationship, and he always decides for Myrtle. Myrtle’s chanting of “Daisy” is her rebelling against her relationship with Tom.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 1 p1-21

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 1 p. 1-21

Summary

            The novel starts out with the narrator, Nick Carraway, reminiscing about his father giving him advice about keeping judgments to himself, and in addition to his past, Nick mentions graduating from New Haven in 1915 and serving in World War I. He goes to the East to study bond business and finds a house next to the Gatsby mansion, all located in West Egg. Nick goes to East Egg to have dinner with married couple Daisy, his cousin, and Tom Buchanan, along with Jordan Baker. During dinner, Baker tells Nick about Tom having a woman in New York. When Nick gets back to West Egg, he sees Mr. Gatsby stretching his arms out towards a green light.

Daisy Buchanan

“Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.” (11)

            Daisy is a person who tries to make good in a bad situation. She always seems optimistic no matter what the situation is. Daisy knows that her husband, Tom, is having an affair with another woman, and even though Daisy is appalled by this, she stays happy. One example is after talking about Tom’s other woman; Daisy mentions the romanticism of the outdoor world. 
           From what I've read in the novel, Daisy is a character who represents the feeling of optimism. Yet, on the inside, she keeps her anger and despair to herself. She's a person who wears a mask to hide her feelings. 

“Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.” (2)

            Judgments are very similar to stereotypes, and both can very much hurt a person. It should be best to keep judgments instead of expressing them because it’s a form of labeling a person or giving a reputation without knowing the person.