As Fitzgerald's poetic lyricism infuses the novel with a tragic dimension, we today compared some of the metaphorical passages that describe Gatsby's predilection to fantasize not only about himself but also about Daisy.In this regard, I parsed and explained a specific passage wherein a young Gatsby ,ashamed of his humble origins, views himself as a Platonic creation, similar to a son of God. As Gatsby's sentimentality even overwhelms the narrator ,Nick, who calls it appalling, NIna stated her agreement with the narrator and discussed Gatsby as both a tragic but perhaps also a pathetic character who fails to recognize that people and circumstances change over time. Nina addressed Gatsby's naive insistence that the past can be recaptured by money. Given Gatsby's highly romantic notions, Nina interestingly compared the chimerical Gatsby to the parodied Tom Sawyer of "Huck Finn" who adores and mimics the contrived plots of romanticized fiction . Fitzgerald was not pleased with titling the novel,"The Great Gatsby." He had many other titles in mind ,and I placed them on the board focusing on Fitzgerald's favorite , "Trimalchio in West Egg." I provided background on Petronius' Satyricon and the character Trimalchio .We discussed how like Gatsby,Trimalchio was poor, gives lavish debauched parties, and lives in a luxurious home all to reenforce his status . He is like Gatsby, an archetype of "new money."
As Gatsby's delusion lunges him into a tragic quest to recapture the past, we first noted how symbols or representations of time appear . Nina did well discussing how Gatsby knocks an old clock off a shelf but manages to catch it and noted the reference to Gatsby's unwinding like a worn clock. This motif also appeared in yesterday's discussion in Nick's discovery on an old train schedule. We then examined some difficult segments of narration wherein Fitzgerald discusses how Gatsby's reunion with Daisy removes an illusion he long carried . We discussed whether at times the fantasy of a person or how one imagines another can be more satisfying than the fulfillment of the illusion which dissipates the dream . Nina offered many interesting comments as to how the novel and the movie differ and the significance of the director's emphasis .
During our first session, we reviewed last night's exercise that contained 5 quotes from the novel to analyze and then to predict what the quotes might foreshadow. For example, we discussed the ongoing metaphor of careless driving as a representation of the upper class' disregard for the consequences of its conduct and exchanged predictions how a car accident might play a decisive role in the novel. We then explored Gatsby's adopted persona as man of inherited wealth and noted how Nick, the narrator ,is able to see through Gatsby's facade. In fact, Gatsby is a bootlegger. As Nina was not familiar with this term , I discussed Prohibition in more detail and explained how organized crime burgeoned during Prohibition . We examined the single truth within Gatsby's fictional autobiography, his claim that he was trying to forget a painful past experience. In this regard, I noted the motif of time and the past as represented in Nick's reference to an old train schedule from 1922 . During our second session, we worked on essay writing by discussing and editing Nina's draft on "Huck Finn" as the Great American novel. I provided instruction on citing particular events or quotes and then formulating a comment that explains how the cited material supports the thesis that the novel,"Huck Finn" ,creates an American archetypal hero, independent , rebellious , yet righteous within his own moral code. While Nina has some difficulty in composing relevant commentary , we were able to complete the essay during class as I modeled phrases and sentences to help her essay maintain its focus .
During our first session we reviewed and discussed edits to Nina's final essay on "Huck Finn." I provided instruction on sentence clarity and punctuation. We then worked on redrafting sentences to improve and sharpen the essay's focus on the thesis statement.During our second session, we began our discussion of Chapter 1 of "The Great Gatsby." Nina discussed the character traits of Daisy,Tom , and Jordan Baker. I noted how both Tom and Gatsby are seeking to recapture their past and discussed the role of time in the novel. We then explored the use of color as a symbol including the famous "green light" of Gatsby's aspirations, the stark whiteness of Daisy's home , her dresses and the flowing white curtains, and last the raised gold printing on the cover of Nick's finance books. Nina further examined the social class structure references in the text including the geographical and social class separation of East Egg and West Egg and Fitzgerald's references to the rich upper class as members "of a distinguished secret society", one that Gatsby longs to belong to but to which he can not purchase entry .
I introduced our next novel, "The Great Gatsby" during today's session. First, I provided the historical background of the 1920s -the end of World War I and the advent of Prohibition, and discussed the era as one of both prosperity and disillusionment. I further provided biographical information on Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, and discussed how the novel is autobiographical as well as a chronicle of the "jazz age" , a phrase attributed to Fitzgerald. We then read together the opening pages to examine Fitzgerald's poetic style. Nina first discussed the role of the first person narrator. We then noted how the narrator explains that notwithstanding his non-judgmental nature, he has formed a negative judgment of the opulent old money society of New York. We analyzed the meaning of the metaphors in the opening pages, and discussed why the narrator exempts Gatsby from his negative judgments.
As Nina completed reading the novel over the weekend ,we had a dynamic discussion on the flaws of the final chapters as well as the novel's overall more than redeeming qualities. Like many readers, Nina voiced justifiable frustration with the tedious final chapters detailing Tom's melodramatic escape plan for Jim. I discussed these "flaws" in the context of a satire on the popular melodramatic prison escape novels of 19th Century. We then explored how Huck represents an American archetypal hero in his final rejection of society's norms, religions , and rules as evidenced by his "always wanting to start something fresh " and his declaration that he is "lighting out for the territories" rather than be adopted and become"civilized." In this regard, Nina pointed out many of the Edenic settings of the novel and we noted how the theme of America as a corrupted Eden manifests in the novel . We further discussed Huck's full recognition of Jim as a human being equal in dignity to any White member of society.
On the board, we explored the contrast between the characters, Huck Finn, and Tom Sawyer. We noted Huck as an American archetype :practical, unconventional, and independent . By contrast, Tom Sawyer has become (perhaps due to his new found wealth) a target of Twain's satire, well brought up but foolish and impractical without regard for the discomfort created by his convoluted and totally unnecessary escape plan for Jim. We discussed what might be the conclusion of the novel ,knowing that the conventional Tom has for some reason , agreed to commit a crime by helping a runaway slave. During the second segment, we worked on rewriting and editing Nina's rewrite of her essay on satire in the novel. I provided further instruction in smoothly embedding quotes into the argument, in reordering sentences within a paragraph , and in composing a strong conclusion .
We explored both Twain's uncharacteristic use of coincidence with the reintroduction of Tom Sawyer into the novel as well as Huck's final assumption of an identity or character distinct from his original self. Nina did well in recognizing the parallel development of the identity motif both in Huck's allusions to death in his description of the Phelp's farm and in Huck's struggle to "find out who is" when he is mistaken for an expected guest by the Phelps. We studied how the morally developed Huck feels pity even for the tarred and feathered "frauds" who plagued Jim and him over the past weeks and again noted Huck's condemnation of conscience, a force he has been struggling with and against throughout the novel. As the ending chapters of the novel have been long criticized by the academic community, we then exchanged ideas on why and how the novel could be concluded at this juncture rather than by the following chapters that detail Tom Sawyer's elaborate but impractical scheme to free Jim.
After Jim is "sold " into slavery by the con artists, the King and the Duke, Huck's moral development hastens as he wrestles with society's belief that God endorses slavery . Huck has been raised to believe that Huck's plan to free Jim not only violates Man's law but also God's. We studied how Huck's internal narrative is similar to a confessional memoir as Huck concludes that he would rather ,"go to Hell" than to allow Jim to remain enslaved. We further noticed Twain's unusual use of a Gothic setting in the plot sequence wherein Huck escapes the townspeople. During our second session, we worked on revising Nina's essay on satire . I provided instruction on eliminating awkward and wordy sentences and discussed how to self-edit. We further worked on how to smoothly embed quotes into commentary. Nina then worked on revisions and edits that she will finish this evening.
