Unit 2 – Gatsby, Gin, Guns, Greed, & Gangsters Writers: Kendrick Lamar, John Cheever, Nas, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald Texts: “The Swimmer”, “The Great Gatsby” “Swimming Pools (Drank)” “Time” Please take out note-taking materials

The Great Gatsby Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald Country: United States State: Set in New York State Date: Written in 1925  20 th century Literary Era: American Modernism What is American Modernism? -- Pre Great Depression -- Post World War I -- Loneliness -- Fragmentation

The shallowness of the mega rich Trying to live in the past The consequences of crime, adultery, and alcohol Chasing dreams Love vs. lust Judgment of society and being watched by others Blinded by our own mistakes

Nick Carraway – The protagonist Becomes friends with his neighbor Gatsby The narrator – the story is told from his perspective as an observer He is cousins with Daisy Buchanan

Jay Gatsby – The millionaire Still in love with Daisy Buchanan, years after first meeting her Desperate to make people like him The source of his wealth is a mystery

Daisy Buchanan – The golden girl Daisy is the woman Gatsby loves and who once loved him She is married to an very wealthy, very unfaithful husband: Tom Buchanan She has one daughter with Tom, and she has a friend, a woman named Jordan Baker

Symbols in The Great Gatsby Cars represent wealth and recklessness/carelessness Green light visible from Gatsby’s dock represents Gatsby’s dreams The Valley of Ashes represents the destruction caused by chasing wealth The billboard for the eye doctor T.J. Eckleburg represents judgment and being watched Mr. “Owl-Eyes” in Gatsby’s library represents an all-knowing, all-seeing God-like figure

Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Decay, corruption and rottenness Lack of life and lack of spirit Chasing dreams Fake purity and false goodness

Jordan Baker – The golf star She and Nick develop a bit of a crush on each other She knows all about how her friend Daisy is being cheated on She wants to be a modern woman and drive fast cars

Tom Buchanan – The abusive adulterer His money comes from inheritance (old money) rather than recent acquisitions (new money) Cheating on his wife Daisy, with his mistress Myrtle Tom is wealthy but not quite as wealthy as Gatsby

Myrtle Wilson – The mistress In an extramarital relationship with Tom Wilson She is married to a mechanic in the Valley of the Ashes named George Wilson and is much poorer than all the other characters She has a sister named Catherine who she tries to hook up with Nick

Bible Verse to Study and Memorize for The Great Gatsby You will need to memorize the following Bible verse from Matthew, word for word, and explain its significance /connection to the story. “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” – Matthew 16: (New Living Translation)

Symbols in The Great Gatsby Eggs use color to show white false purity on the outside and yellow rottenness on the inside Gatsby’s pool represents a life wasted and could also represent alcoholism Gatsby’s books are a symbol of fraud and deceit Gatsby’s shirts are a symbol of the length to which he was willing to go to get Daisy The dropped clock off the mantle symbolize letting time slip through your fingers Gatsby’s mansion symbolizes loneliness and emptiness, much like the time period itself

Central Park Ground zero West Egg = New Money, recently acquired wealth EAST EGG East Egg = Old Money, wealth inherited from generations past

West Egg = New Money, recently acquired wealth East Egg = Old Money, wealth inherited from generations past