"so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past"
Monday, 31 January 2011
An Awkward Social Gathering in Ch.2
What did we find really interesting about the party in New York? Have any new symbols been introduced? To what effect? And what more have we learnt about our characters / narrator?
On Thursday 3rd February we gazed back over chapter 2. We discovered the main themes were about materialism, photography, nicks sexuality and how he may be unreliable, obsessions and comfort as well as the relationship between Myrtle and Tom. Summary: Halfway between West Egg and East Egg (New York City) sprawls a desolate plain, a gray valley where New York’s ashes are dumped. The men who live here work at shoveling up the ashes. Overhead, two huge, blue, spectacle-rimmed eyes—the last vestige of an advertising gimmick by a long-vanished eye doctor—stare down from an enormous sign. These unblinking eyes, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, watch over everything that happens in the valley of ashes. One day, as Nick and Tom are riding a train into the city, Tom forces Nick to follow him out of the trainto meet his mistress. Tom leads Nick to George Wilson’s garage, which sits on the edge of the valley of ashes. Tom’s lover Myrtle is Wilson’s wife. Wilson is a lifeless yet handsome man, colored gray by the ashes in the air. In contrast, Myrtle has a desperate needy vibe however she strikes Nick as sensuous despite her stocky figure. Tom taunts Wilson and then orders Myrtle to follow him to the train. Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to New York City, to an apartment he keeps for his affair. Here they have a party with Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, and a couple named McKee. Catherine has a ‘sticky bob’ of bright red hair and wears a great deal of ‘milky white’ makeup. The McKees, who live downstairs, are a horrid couple: Mr. McKee is pale and feminine, and Mrs. McKee is shrill. The group proceeds to drink excessively. Nick claims that he got drunk for only the second time in his life at this party. The drunken and disorderly behavior and conversation of the others at the party repulse Nick, and he tries to leave. At the same time, he finds himself fascinated by the strange capacities of the group. Myrtle grows louder and more obnoxious the more she drinks, and shortly after Tom gives her a new puppy as a gift, she begins to talk about Daisy. Tom sternly warns her never to mention his wife. Myrtle angrily says that she will talk about whatever she chooses and begins chanting Daisy’s name. Tom responds by breaking her nose, bringing the party to an abrupt halt. Nick leaves, drunkenly, with Mr. McKee. Then we are not told what happens; ‘…’ then instantaneously he is ‘waiting for the four o’clock train.
Nick – Unreliable Narrator: Throughout chapter 2 we have this constant reminder of Nick trying to make us like him. He lies conferring he has ‘only drunk twice in his life’; this is to make us think he is not as materialistically profound as the rest of the people at the party. He also tries to prove this point by saying he wants to leave because he thinks everyone is ‘below [him]’. However intriguingly his dialogue suggests he wants to stay to watch over what his happening because he rather likes it. This constant demand for us to like him is what makes him unreliable as he tries to cloud out view on him by leaving parts of the story out and carefully plotting his opinions about people. Nick – Sexuality: At the end of chapter 2 we also come across innuendoes such as ‘keep your hands of the lever’; the ‘lever’ could be seen as a phallic symbol for his penis. As Nick says he’d ‘be glad too’ touch it and then wakes up in Mr. McKee’s bed suggests that they may have had a sexual encounter which nick refuses to tell us because he is ashamed. Photography & Obsession: In Chapter 2 they all have this obsession for things to stay the same. Photography catches the moments that seem memorable; however this idea is ruined by Mrs. Wilson’s mother being photographed 27 times since she had been married.
Ashleigh, the list of mistakes in your analysis is long. a few quick ones. You said, "He lies conferring he has ‘only drunk twice in his life'" Actually, Nick's use of drunk was not a verb, rather it described his state; he was only drunk twice in his life. Important difference.
You used that as proof he was a liar and you conferred that he lied because he was trying to impress us. Not sure where that comes from, somewhere inside your head, I suppose.
His flipping intentions and confusions come from the fact that he was a lightweight drinker who was drunk.
He didn't "wake-up" in Mr. McKee's bed. The book says nothing about him falling asleep prior to standing next to Mr. McKee's bed. Mr. McKee is in his underwear between the sheets. It is purposefully ambiguous. The elevator scene is extremely suggestive. Yet, McKee is in his underwear. Wouldn't they assume McKee's wife is going to walk in the door any moment? Maybe sex happened, maybe Nick wanted to but didn't, maybe he just helped a drunk man find his way to bed.
Or maybe it was just a dream as he slept on the train platform.
On Thursday 3rd February we gazed back over chapter 2. We discovered the main themes were about materialism, photography, nicks sexuality and how he may be unreliable, obsessions and comfort as well as the relationship between Myrtle and Tom.
ReplyDeleteSummary:
Halfway between West Egg and East Egg (New York City) sprawls a desolate plain, a gray valley where New York’s ashes are dumped. The men who live here work at shoveling up the ashes. Overhead, two huge, blue, spectacle-rimmed eyes—the last vestige of an advertising gimmick by a long-vanished eye doctor—stare down from an enormous sign. These unblinking eyes, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, watch over everything that happens in the valley of ashes.
One day, as Nick and Tom are riding a train into the city, Tom forces Nick to follow him out of the trainto meet his mistress. Tom leads Nick to George Wilson’s garage, which sits on the edge of the valley of ashes. Tom’s lover Myrtle is Wilson’s wife. Wilson is a lifeless yet handsome man, colored gray by the ashes in the air. In contrast, Myrtle has a desperate needy vibe however she strikes Nick as sensuous despite her stocky figure. Tom taunts Wilson and then orders Myrtle to follow him to the train. Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to New York City, to an apartment he keeps for his affair. Here they have a party with Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, and a couple named McKee. Catherine has a ‘sticky bob’ of bright red hair and wears a great deal of ‘milky white’ makeup. The McKees, who live downstairs, are a horrid couple: Mr. McKee is pale and feminine, and Mrs. McKee is shrill. The group proceeds to drink excessively. Nick claims that he got drunk for only the second time in his life at this party.
The drunken and disorderly behavior and conversation of the others at the party repulse Nick, and he tries to leave. At the same time, he finds himself fascinated by the strange capacities of the group. Myrtle grows louder and more obnoxious the more she drinks, and shortly after Tom gives her a new puppy as a gift, she begins to talk about Daisy. Tom sternly warns her never to mention his wife. Myrtle angrily says that she will talk about whatever she chooses and begins chanting Daisy’s name. Tom responds by breaking her nose, bringing the party to an abrupt halt. Nick leaves, drunkenly, with Mr. McKee. Then we are not told what happens; ‘…’ then instantaneously he is ‘waiting for the four o’clock train.
Materialism: In chapter 2 we are constantly reminded of material goods and how they affect materialistic people. It is interesting to see what matters to certain people. Myrtle almost instantly addresses her 1920’s Flipper stereotype by engaging in ‘scandal magazine’ and having bought a ‘small flask of perfume’ and ‘cold cream’. She also insists on having a dog as her ‘play-thing’, wanting to purchase ‘one of those police dogs’. This need to constantly have things bought for her, especially an animal shows the emptiness behind her. She is a fake character built on material goods bought by Tom; she covers herself in makeup and wears fashionable dresses. She is hidden by a mask of vanity and profane greed and has a constantly annoying need for love and attention. As for her sister, Catherine she is exactly the same as her ‘milky white’ makeup shows that she is not purely white but tries to be. Materialism is a disguise that highlights the boom in America and the care-free ‘drink and dance’ approach to life.
ReplyDeleteThe Relationship between Tom and Myrtle: Tom is Myrtles mistress and that is all she will ever be. He buys her things, keeps her quiet (sometimes) and for him she is something to have on his arm, a fashionable materialistic product. For Myrtle Tom is a fashionable cliché also however he is also someone to want her as she has this aching need to consistently be loved. First by her husband, then by tom and now by a dog. Their relationship shows no care or ironically, love for one another as Myrtle seems to fight for independence with him that daisy does not have. While she fights for her independence, all tom wants to do is relax and have fun away from his wife. However when Daisy’s mentioned Tom loses it completely becoming his naturally violent self breaking her nose to keep her in what he sees as her womanly place.
Nick – Unreliable Narrator: Throughout chapter 2 we have this constant reminder of Nick trying to make us like him. He lies conferring he has ‘only drunk twice in his life’; this is to make us think he is not as materialistically profound as the rest of the people at the party. He also tries to prove this point by saying he wants to leave because he thinks everyone is ‘below [him]’. However intriguingly his dialogue suggests he wants to stay to watch over what his happening because he rather likes it. This constant demand for us to like him is what makes him unreliable as he tries to cloud out view on him by leaving parts of the story out and carefully plotting his opinions about people.
Nick – Sexuality: At the end of chapter 2 we also come across innuendoes such as ‘keep your hands of the lever’; the ‘lever’ could be seen as a phallic symbol for his penis. As Nick says he’d ‘be glad too’ touch it and then wakes up in Mr. McKee’s bed suggests that they may have had a sexual encounter which nick refuses to tell us because he is ashamed.
Photography & Obsession: In Chapter 2 they all have this obsession for things to stay the same. Photography catches the moments that seem memorable; however this idea is ruined by Mrs. Wilson’s mother being photographed 27 times since she had been married.
Ashleigh, the list of mistakes in your analysis is long. a few quick ones. You said, "He lies conferring he has ‘only drunk twice in his life'" Actually, Nick's use of drunk was not a verb, rather it described his state; he was only drunk twice in his life. Important difference.
ReplyDeleteYou used that as proof he was a liar and you conferred that he lied because he was trying to impress us. Not sure where that comes from, somewhere inside your head, I suppose.
His flipping intentions and confusions come from the fact that he was a lightweight drinker who was drunk.
He didn't "wake-up" in Mr. McKee's bed. The book says nothing about him falling asleep prior to standing next to Mr. McKee's bed. Mr. McKee is in his underwear between the sheets. It is purposefully ambiguous. The elevator scene is extremely suggestive. Yet, McKee is in his underwear. Wouldn't they assume McKee's wife is going to walk in the door any moment? Maybe sex happened, maybe Nick wanted to but didn't, maybe he just helped a drunk man find his way to bed.
Or maybe it was just a dream as he slept on the train platform.