The Great Gatsby: Craft Post-Analysis

IB English HL 1

Craft: Characterization

Directions: Work with your team to analyze each name and determine underlying
nuances that Fitzgerald intentionally conveys to the reader. While doing so, consider the
root words of each name, or the materialistic objects that it may represent, or the social
connotation that it conveys. Afterward, review this Prezi Lecture and add to your
notes—though, you should definitely find other nuances than what is explained in this
presentation!

1. James Gatz/Jay Gatsby: The surname “Gatz” happens to be of a German descent. With
this introduction and the fact that America, at the time of the novel’s era within the
1920’s, World War I was not the best association to be assigned with with the heavy
involvement and dangers of the Germans. With the names, “James,” which essentially
means one to be protected by God, just displays his own vulnerability to the reality of
realism. Gatsby cannot accept the fact that Daisy does not love him anymore and
therefore holds onto the notion that she does so that he can properly function within a
normal lifestyle of breath and exhale. His own hope and illusions, which also trails back to
the illusion of God’s truths for Wilson, protect him for the melancholy thought of
loneliness. When shortening his original name, it appears as he cuts off a portion of his
life in order to start anew. By adding onto his original last name, he plans to add onto his
life through forward intentions rather than backhand of reversed motives. He simply
wishes to move forwards, but nonetheless, with the focus of the back, or the past, he
cannot live within the present or the future, as he aspires with past dreams and fantasies
through the eyes of the future that have high chances of undoing rather than the opposite.

2. Daisy: “Daisy” is a flower species, exemplifying the symbol of innocence and purity
with its absolutely clean white petals and a golden center. With the gold color in mind, it
displays both Daisy’s desire for money and glory as well as her symbolization as the
“golden trophy” within the eyes of all men, including Tom and Gatsby. The consistent
descriptions of Daisy usually incorporate her white choice of dresses with her pale hair
and skin. On the contrary, this deceiving exterior hides her cynical abuse of status as she
refuses to believe any life higher than hers as she willingly sacrifices another life in order
to save her own. She schemes with her husband to frame another potential replacement
in her own crime, that she should be taking liability for, while concealing the ugly and sin
in order to maintain the untrue record of a straight and guiltless character.
3. Nick Carraway: As, “Nick,” by itself defines the victory of the people, it seems as if Nick’s
name is a play-on of words as the novel itself, The Great Gatsby, displays the moral or
theme that the American Dream is no longer within the hands of the people themselves as
they cannot attain it with their feeble minds of entitlement and selfish greed. With their
utter dishonesty all throughout the storyline and the contradictory thought of innocence
and sinless characters, Nick does, in some twisted ways, represent the honest character of
them all. He is the one to tell everyone’s stories and is the one to show their untruthful
minds through the passage of thought and storytelling.

4. Jordan Baker: The name “Baker” refers to a maker or creator of some sort, and in this
sense, it can be inferred that Fitzgerald purposefully gives her the name “Baker” in order
to emphasize her influence on Nick’s life and how she has shaped his adventure, which in
some aspects, can be considered the novel. She gives him a different angle to look at the
storyline from with his switch of a more calm and collected attitude compared to his
former pessimistic and reproaching attitude. But also, she is the one that also makes Nick
switch his perspective once again with the annoyance he feels towards her once they
become distant and isolated from one another. Also, with the unisex facet of her name,
Jordan, she is not one to be a stereotypical woman, but a woman with some masculine
features or a sense of toughness to her.

5. Tom Buchanan: Tom in complete definition is a male dominant that reigns over its
peers and species in general and Buchanan defining a canon storage holder. Also, in
modern days, Buchanan is an alcoholic beverage. With Tom’s overbearing and utterly
barbarous attitudes to Daisy and essential, unchanging personality, he is the
superior-complex chosen character of all select characters of The Great Gatsby. He is the
cheater of his family, caring no value of attention to his wife, let alone his toddler
daughter. His racist views are of the popular opinion, going with the flow of society and
trends and seeing those as the righteous opinions of the world. His overdramatic psyche
of double-standards and arrogance showcase his own character of true masculine, as with
his lack of empathy and sympathy, unless in the eyes of himself. Distanced from the idea
of materialistic mindsets, he is flaky and cannot commit to one topic or person, seeing all
those around him as his own toys and experiments to play with.

6. Owl Eyes: The wisdom within the owl aspect and the large eyes emphasizing his ability
to see the larger picture, symbolically representing truth and candidness. He is almost
like the “wise old man of the forest” who alienates himself from the rest of the crowd. In
this scenario of The Great Gatsby, he promotes the lack of attention to education and
rather the blunt representation that the upper class of New York at the time was rather
ignorant and foolish with their constant need for reputation and opinion rather than the
desire to seek more knowledge and educate themselves. The idea of prejudice also comes
into light as Tom, for example, refuses to believe anything other than that the white race is
superior and sticks to that notion with unwavering dedication, unable to accept the
possibility of another answer.

7. Michaelis: He is the witness that perceives the secrets all those of the wealthy status try
to hide. With, “Michaelis,” the name itself is a symbol of God or a person almost
resembling God, so with that point in mind, he is the one person that sees all that
humanity tries to hide, he is the one person to contradict all sinful actions with just his
witnessing and vision.

Craft: Imagery/Colors

Directions: Consider Fitzgerald’s repetitive use of each of these colors throughout the
novel, deciphering what connotative ideas and moods the author is associating with each.
Attempt to go beyond the standard associations we make with these colors and
determine at least THREE connections for each, with paraphrased examples from the
text. Once you have exhausted your efforts, review this Color Lecture and add to your
notes.

1. White: In popular presence, white emphasizes the immaculate cleanliness of a sinless

subject or individual. Within the Great Gatsby, not only does it showcase a descriptive
sense of purity, but it also unveils the hypocriticism of the believed-to-be innocent. Even
when Nick is first-off pronounced as the veracious character everyone goes to because
they find him the most comforting outlet to vent their frustrations to, he is the first one
who physically meets Tom’s mistress and is the first one to really take the opportunity to
report this back to Daisy, which he carelessly does not (59). On another note, he
organizes a meeting between Daisy and Gatsby, already aware of Tom’s insecurities
concerning any topic surrounding Gatsby’s presence, and proceeds to let their
relationship blossom and further strain Tom and Daisy’s marriage with the involvement
of affairs and kept secrets on both ends (83). Also, when Nick realizes his potential
outcome of finally meeting the mysterious Gatsby, he attires in white and gold to display
his own honest character and personality so that Gatsby can trust him, as Nick idolizes
him with intuition (41-42). And with one of the most iconic initial scenes within the
novel, Daisy and Jordan are introduced with flowy white curtains and light white gowns
as they joke with each other through laughter; in light of this, Nick describes them as
angel-like creatures in total bliss of what could be delineated as children playing within
the garden or enjoying the purity of life through laughter and joy (8). With all these,
Fitzgerald uses a reversed mentality of prevalent color opinion and completes the
thought of white as a disguise of virtue and chastity for the vulgar and venomous reality
of the wealthy class.

2. Yellow: Again, with the pattern of mirrored representations, Fitzgerald manipulates the
color yellow, a symbol of joy and brightness, he showcases it as an icon of death and
moral deprivation through the eyes of Gatsby and Wilson. Gatsby’s own car, a yellow
vehicle, is the sole murder weapon used to murder Wilson’s wife, Myrtle, as it is the only
murder arm that has killed another member of the novel. With T.J. Eckleburg’s yellow
eyes being the first prospect and method of realization for Wilson as he proclaims Gatsby
as Myrtle’s perpetrator, he also takes the effort to really emphasize his epiphany to God,
and thus, placing the disguise of God onto Eckleburg’s eyes as the false truth of Wilson’s
own ignorance. Just as murder is immoral and ultimately the utmost depraved action of
them all, it further brings the idea of a false God these people believe in as they do not go
to church, yet, they put so much faith into him as if connecting with him on a personal
level. On a brief note, Wilson’s house is yellow, and the only yellow house at that. Both
him and Myrtle, two very wrongful and unethical characters, live within that roof,
consummating the idea of a cage chaining wild animals without the teachings of modern
society and only those of savage minds roaming with sin.

3. Green: Contradicting the previous two wicked symbols, green is the color of nature and
wealth. In this sense, it is one of the true positive and romantic colors of the novel as it
bluntly symbolizes romance and hope. When Gatsby is first introduced, he is seen
reaching his arms out to an open green light across the lake, seemingly mesmerized by its
beauty and whimsicality. Other examples involve Gatsby and Daisy’s initial impressions of
love with one another as terms such as blossoming are utilized to describe the flower-like
appearance of a delicate, yet, a beautiful connection between lovers. However, the only
time it really takes a different turn for the worse is when Gatsby finally loses the Daisy he
truly aspired to be alongside with and his desperate hope leans out, in the same manner,
his arms do when Daisy reciprocated this love.

4. Gold: Gold is induced as the provocative icon of the novel. It is the symbol of wealth,
money, and glory, but it is also the symbol of greed, manipulation, and selfish entitlement.
Daisy’s own gold pen is a way of the bragging of her own worth and value within the most
random of times with no prior context or motive to provoke this. It is also seen as the
superficial aspect of the upperclassmen of New York as they view women as their prize or
grail to all their dreams and accomplishments, women were primarily sacrificed as
trophies to men who had money and wealth, as they represented the final pieces of the
make-shift checklist.
5. Red: With red, it is viewed within a normal stance: lust and violence. Myrtle is the first
and only character seen with red hair, red lipstick, and red dresses. As Tom’s mistress, it
brings out the sexual tensions between the two and their primal relationship connection
with one another. There is no romantic connection between the two other than the fact
that their physical intimacy and sex are what brought them together, to begin with. The
notion of violence derives from the color of Daisy’s and Tom’s house: with a house
scattered and covered with the deep shade of red pigment, it is bold, but yet, when one
sees this house on Halloween, it is also the perfect vision of blood and brutality. Not only
is red used to exemplify lustful natures, but it is also used to perfect Tom’s image of
brutality and fiery attitude as he is the manpower of the household and the weight
pulling Daisy down as an arrogant husband with only savage intentions.

6. Blue: Blue, the calming pigment of the rainbow is used to determine pacification and
the illusionary mind of Gatsby. Whenever blue is mentioned, Gatsby is always present
with it as well. His lawn is blue, displaying the visionary aspect of his dreams and wishes.
With T.J. Eckleburg, his wide-spanned eyes are blue of power resonance and nullified
presences as well. With the larger eyes, it points out the strong dreaming sense Gatsby
exhilarates as the illusionary, yet, pacifying effects of dreams and fantasies have on
Gatsby.

7. Grey: As the toned out and neutral color stands as, that is how it is revolved around in
the book. Grey is usually mentioned to only emphasize the bleakness and plain setting of
ash and death. With ashes, it is altogether blinding and killing with its foggy atmospheres
and breath-inhaling negative side effects. Just as the Valley of Ashes, where all the mines
and oils of pollution take place, is as you see it and imagine it, grey. Another peculiar
aspect of grey, Jordan’s eyes are silver, which also exemplify the depressed and empty
feeling she senses when around the richer classes as even a wide variety of individuals
with accomplishments and wealth cannot connect with another with the constant
argumentation of rivalry. She is unhappy with her own life, seeing only the blankness and
boring environments of New York that it so does not appear to be, it is disguising.

Craft: Setting

Directions: Fitzgerald uses these four primary locations within the novel, attaching very
specific concepts to each one. Analyze the literal name of each setting (except for New
York) and make pertinent connections to meaning; then explain what each location
represents in the context of holistic themes. Once you have discussed each one
thoroughly with your group, skim through Fitzgerald’s Use of the Four Elements and add
to your notes—it’s a long, but fascinating, article!

1. East Egg: With East Egg being the manifestation of “old money,” wealth gained from
family inheritance, it sets the stage of tradition and religious representation as well. With
eggs in the Christian religion, they symbolize the possibilities of fertility and resurrection.
With such interpretations within The Great Gatsby, it showcases the fantasies and
wide-spanned aspirations of New York with the American Dream and the Self-Made Man.
The older money would bring controversial and innovative ideas to the table with their
riches, making the city of Anew its own category of invention. They are the barbaric,
cynical, and cunning aspect of the spectrum as they manipulate and plunder the
lower-classes to satisfy their own wealth status so that it may continue and their reign
may maintain their abilities of cowardice and constant paranoia of change and
transformation. They were the opposite of what the world wished for them to be, and
therefore, brought about the worst qualities of the wealthy as their own selfish desires
blinded them from the potentials of progression.

2. West Egg: With West Egg, the idea of “newer money” manifested as younger folks
became rich with their own strategies without the kickstart of prior generations of
millionaires and billionaires. They would create their own titles with their own ways of
business and negotiation and yet again, bring about the value of the American Dream and
the Self-Made Man. they would bring a new generation of innovators that could change
the world with its stunted growth and dire need of transformation, whether it be the
strategy of the bank or the inventions of human ease. Contrary to the East Egg treachery,
the West Egg is indeed the definition of the Self-Made Man, however, in an antagonistic
manner as well. The West Egg practiced within the services of the mafia and bootlegging,
often rumored within the underworld aspect of New York or the illegal businesses.

3. The Valley of Ashes: The Valley of Ashes, in literal terms, is the decaying life of New
York within the story. A valley, although supposedly filled with pits and pits of flowers
that endlessly bloom throughout spring and summer, this valley filled with ashed exhibits
the decay and pitless characteristic of New York’s dying state of financial depletion and
the dog that prevents any of the lower class to leave, concreting them to their homes
without any source of adventure or contentment that ultimately either results in them
leaving or performing sinful actions within the city they live in. It deprives the class of any
sort of pleasure that robs them of any vivacious life to really reminisce by. They are the
forgotten class, the neglected and the aborted. The towns are filled with trash to express
the leftover characteristics of the valley, as the impoverished clases without wealth or
status are the waste products of the wealthy and their plunders of parties and
satisfaction. Their worth serves as utter uselessness and the trashed status with
members of the lower statuses constantly trying to gain higher titles over one another to
place some worth over their own lives and the possibility of being remembered in some
sort of way where they are not forgotten in the most sorrowful, forgetful methods.

4. New York: The term, “new,” refers to the freshness of something as it is meant to bring
about some sense of creativity and innovation not derived from the criteria. With this is
mind, it is the city of invention and artistic contemplation open to the ideas that go
against the norm and rival to those of the traditional mindsets.

Craft: Symbols & Motifs

Directions: Discuss the deeper meaning of each symbol and motif as implemented by
Fitzgerald in the novel AND support with a direct quote from the book. Each one conveys a
particular THEME, so also includes a theme statement in each response. You do not need
additional help with these, as we have been discussing them throughout the unit. Feel
free to even copy and paste previous responses from your analysis journals and class
Padlet.

1. The Green Light: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by
year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter – to-morrow we will run
farther, stretch out our arms farther…” (180) - the green light is the false hope of the
future that persons with the sole dependant mindsets of illusionaries and visions, there
will be no world to truly depend on without the thought of reality and with the constant
thought of more without the genuine consideration of how to get to that point, there is no
faith, and there is no hope. The dreams of the future are far out of our reach if there is no
true movement to transform or without the idea of change and only sticking to the
stereotype of what we have now will not suffice.

2. The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg: “‘You may fool me but you can't fool God!' " Standing
behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J.
Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night. "God
sees everything" (159) - Wilson’s own false sense and justification of God just exemplifies
religion’s own undermined value behind the worth of lies through the uprisal of biased
opinion.
3. Cars & Car Crashes: “The ‘death car,’ as the newspapers called it...” (137) - With Daisy
and Tom’s abrupt disappearance from the car accident, as the prominent subject the
readers immediately notice is that Daisy was the true driver of the accident and therefore
the perpetrator, it just goes to show of the upper classes complete inability to take care of
their own faults and instead, take the easier, untruthful path of framing and lying, when
conveniently blaming the incident on another person. Their incapabilities of taking
responsibility for their atrocious actions display from their true barbaric, cruel, and
cunning traits that derive from the uneducated, unsympathetic emotionless lessons of the
upper class.

4. Alcohol: “I’ve been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to
sit in a library” (45) - Just as the wise old man of the story, the owl-eyed man expresses
the stupidity of the wealthy class, even with the loads of money and wealth, they do not
take the time to really absorb ancient texts used to teach us the lessons of the past and
apprehend the wisdom of those before them. Instead, he reprimands them, saying that
the idea of capitalism and living life to the fullest within the perilous practices of life have
overrun common sense and ultimately taken over the natural popularity with its easier
efforts and humans visible laziness.

5. Clocks & Time: "Luckily the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously at the the
pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and caught it with trembling fingers and set it
back in place” (86) - With his tragic attempts to turn back time, Gatsby tries to rekindle
his lost romance with Daisy in order to satisfy the past desires of his frozen time and love
that oh so motivates him to continue through the future. With his complete focus on the
past and efforts to bring back the five years away from Daisy, F. Scott Fitzgerald tragically
and directly delineates time as the melting clock in the eyes of a dreamer, because as they
reach forward their time of relativity is forever in the past.

6. Rumors & Gossip: “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among
the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (39) - with the constant usage of
insects and gossip whisperings, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes the motif of rumors and gossip
in order to convey the idea that the truth is often obscured which leads to false
information being spread throughout communities. The folks casually float about the
garden, similar to moths, showing some peculiar attraction to the light, or in this case,
rumoring. Individuals express their own opinions with no problem whatsoever and
because of this careless and useless contemplation used to lower the reputation of
another, they manipulate their own society for the purpose of status conservation in
order to remain as dominant as possible when in comparison so that their entitlement
remains unharmed and permanent. The rumors come out with the simple movement of a
tongue and the gullible society takes this as either opportunity or truth, as the words of
one can apparently be trusted within a matter of seconds when it comes to the seemingly
perfection and rivalry of another.