Fitzgerald wanted to name to the novel "Trimalchio of West Egg". As the single reference to classic character Trimachio, remains in our most recent chapter, I today provided more detail on how Gatsby resembles Trimalchio and why this reference perhaps gives us insight into the author's predominant theme. We discussed the paradox of Gatsby's "innocent corruption" and why the narrator ,Nick, holds all of the very rich in contempt except for Gatsby. I then broadened the thematic focus to include the notion of America as a corrupted Eden, as symbolized by the Valley of Ashes that Gatsby passes through multiple times yet somehow maintains his idealism(or fantasy). We studied the tense NYC scenes wherein Gatsby confronts Tom and examined why Daisy ,when faced with the truth about how Gatsby acquired his wealth, retreats back into her monied cloister, her marriage.Last we studied the author's diction ,specifically Gatsby's "dead dream" and the car's "driving onward toward death " as both indicative of the destruction of Gatsby's fantasy and a foreshadowing of the novel's conclusion. We further reviewed Nina's homework study guide answers.