Monday, April 6, 2009

Gatsby Fishbowl: Chapter 2


Please use this space for a meaningful conversation on Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby. Remember to participate frequently and thoughtfully, and to display professionalism. Hit the F5 key to refresh.


Enjoy!

52 comments:

KeriN said...

I was confused about the ash city. Can someone explain what it was for me?

kendlet said...

This is a twisted story and i feel bad for Nick because he's in the middle of this chaos. I'd feel wierd if i was with my cousin's fiance while he was having an affair. And i wonder why Tom and Daisy thought that Nick was engaged.

Eva said...

Do you think that the story so far, in terms of the affaiars and mistresses, has anything to do with Fitzgerald's life while he was writing this? (He wrote this during/after the affair Zelda had with anothe man.)

carlys said...

Does Tom still have an attachment to Dasiy? He lied and stated that she was Catholic and did not believe in divorce.

Lynch G said...

I am also curious why Tom and Daisy thought Nick was engaged. I think maybe this is the reason that he moved east.

ErinH said...

Why would Tom take Nick to go see his mistrees? I don't understand why someone who is their wife's cousin would take the cousin to the mistress. That seems like it would be breaking a bond

kendlet said...

Eva, yes but it's kind of backwards but then he eventually had an affair after Zelda, i think it fits.

KeriN said...

I agree with Kendle and also feel bad for Nick. What I got from the first chapter was that he was supposed to move out to this town with a friend and that person pulled out of the commitment. I feel like he is very alone and doesn't really fit in well with anyone either.

Stephanie C said...

Why do you think Tom and Myrtle were having an affair? Do you think that there is a bigger reason than just being bored with their spouse. Also I believe that something will come back and bite them for cheating. Especially if Mr. Wilson and Tom know each other, I think that their affair will become public and things will change.

hilary l said...

I think the valley of ashes represents what life was like back then. It may represent poverty. It is the poor part of the society instead of where they have been surrounded by mansions and a rich society.

Brianne D. said...

Well Eva when we were talking in our small party groups we were discussing the thought that Tom and Daisy were similar to the life of Fitzgerald and Zelda. Fitzgerald and Zelda both had affairs so I think that Fitzgerald brought in his experience of affairs into the story.

Margaret_O'B said...

Fitzgerald mentions eyes numerous times throughout chapter 2. What is their significance?

Eva said...

I think Tom is an extremely insecure character. Daisy clearly needs Tom because she refuses to divoce even though she knows about his affair. Tom probably realizes this and thinks he can hold onto her while still continuing the affair with Myrtle. Fitzgerald has told us that sometimes Tom is even mean to his friends. Bringing Nick along only proves his insecurity. Tom needs reassurance from a friend that this is acceptable. We have all seen the guys who get their friends behind them to making something unjust look just.

hilary l said...

I think the eyes are on a billboard. It may symbolize eyes looking down on the people.

Whitney C said...

Good question Eva. Well I think that it might connect a little with his life. The only difference is that he's more in the point of view of Nick in the story rather than being connected into the affair. I think that He could probably be telling the story of Zelda's affair but wishing he was noticing the affair rather than being a Mr. Wilson.

KeriN said...

I think he does use all the affairs in the book because of his personal experiences of Zelda cheating on him. It's something he knows well so I think it would be something that he uses to write about. I also noticed that Nick mentioned that he has only been drunk twice in his life, Do you think this relates to Fitzgerald being an alcoholic at all?

Lynch G said...

Here is link to map if you don't have it..

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_weDn2VI_LFQ/SBOk37eBRtI/AAAAAAAAAJw/oJ4ldeqdgH0/s400/map%2Bfor%2Bgatsby.jpg

kendlet said...

Does anyone else strongly think that Daisy should leave Tom? I mean he broke Mertle's nose(violence), and is having an affair, and he has a baby!But something tells me that Daisy is going to sit back and take it.

ErinH said...

Does Tom like using Daisy almost keeping her as a prize? Catherine says that Daisy is catholic but Nick knows that she is not. So Daisy would be willing to divorce Tom if she got up the courage. But Tom seems to have this power over Daisy, that makes her think that se cannot live without him

Sammi_S. said...

Well Steph, i think that boredom might be a reason that Tom cheats with Myrtle and maybe because Tom would just like something new and exciting. Maybe Myrtle makes him happier then his wife or maybe he is sick of his wife or angry with her and just wants to get her back at her. There is never an excuse for cheating of course, but maybe he has a better reason then we all think and we will find that out later in the book. I think that if they keep hooking up then Mr. Wilson and Daisy will find out what is happening and drama will be created.

Margaret_O'B said...

Eva, I think that this book could in a way relate to Fitzgerald's life when he found out about Zelda's affair. Also, it could possibly relate in the parties and drunk nights that the characters spend together.

KeriN said...

Do you guys have any guesses to what Gatsby has to do with any of this?

hilary l said...

The eyes are significant in this story because it is on the front painting of this book. I agree with Mallory because I think the eyes are looking down on Tom and his mistress and how morally wrong they are.

Brianne D. said...

I have the same question as Erin. It does seem wierd that Tom would invite his wife's cousin to meet the women he is having an affair with. I don't like how Tom doesn't care that he is having an affair. I think that is shallow and immature.

carlys said...

When I think of ashes, I think of a phoenix, the brid that is reborn through his ashes. Relating this to the story, the City of Ashes could relate where one relationship fails and another one is reborn out of the ashes left behind.

ErinH said...

Could Tom having a mistress give Daisy the "right" to cheat on Tom with Gatsby? Could this book be more or less about revenge

Stephanie C said...

I believe Fitzgerald wrote a lot about his life through his books. I don't believe he was happy because of his wife having an affair and her becoming mentally ill. He might have been writing the worst case scernario that could have happened with Zelda and himself. All in all, I believe that his life gave him a lot of ideas that helped him write this story. A lot of conflict is involved in this book as well as in his life.

Lynch G said...

I think the reason that daisy stays with Tom is because she is dependent on him for his money, and because she has the baby.

Whitney C said...

Keri, I'm totally wondering the same thing! I have no idea what Gastby has to do with any of this affair stuff going on.

smm said...

Carly-
Of course I think Tom still has an attachment to Daisy. He obviously loved her once, even if he still doesn't, he did. I don't think he is divorsing her, becuase as you said, he doesn't believe in it, but still wants to keep her as his, and own her in a way. I think that goes back to his desire to have a picture perfect life, and be the best and win at everything he does.

hilary l said...

Tom is a very violent man and he uses women which ever way he wants to use them. He doesn't care how these women feel. He will break his girlfriends nose if she says something wrong and he will have an afair on his wife and doesn't care how she feels about it. I think he likes having two different lives so he can have as much authority as possible.

kendlet said...

Erin,I think that his life with Daisy is the life that he wants other people to see, but then he obviously doesn't like her that much because he's having an affair.Tom also presents it like it's normal and everyone is having affairs, which seems to be sort of true.Does that make sense?

Lynch G said...

Keri I think that Gastsby is going to come in later, I think right now that he is just setting up the plot.

Whitney C said...

What I want to know is that if Daisy knows about the affair, then why isn't she doing anything about it? Why doesn't she just leave Tom when she knows she would be happier? I think she needs to stop thinking about her self/being so arrogant and leave Tom.

Margaret_O'B said...

I have a feeling that Daisy does know about the affair, but she has such a love for him that she refuses to accept the fact that her own husband may not love her nearly as much as she loves him. She seems to accept that she cannot keep her husband happy and chooses to ignore the major problems in her life.

Whitney C said...

Going off of what Allison commented about, why does Daisy want that lifestyle? What's so fantastic about it?

smm said...

Do you think the reason Tom told Nick about his affair is for man status? Daisy is beautiful, and to guys, when you have two women, your "the man". Could that be it?

KylaS. said...

Kendle, i agree that Daisy and Tom should get divorced but i think that she is afraid to get divorced because he is violent and loses his temper. Maybe that is why she doesnt ask for a divorse, and possibly because she doesn't want to lose her life style

kendlet said...

Keri,it's hard to tell what Gatsby has to do with this, but then it seems that Nick is the only one who doesn't know.

ErinH said...

Myrtle seems shallow and only materalistic. When she was talking about her husband she said that she was upset and mad that she married her. She only wanted to be with him because she thought he could provide her with a glorious life but instead she didn't get that.

Eva said...

At the moment Gatsby is just a random character at the back of my mind. It is called the Great GAtsby so I'm not worried about this mysterious figure. I do think that Daisy should leave Tom. That is absolutely ridiculous. I just jumped up in the inner circle, so basically everything I said there.

Stephanie C said...

I think that Gatsby will come in a be a big key character later. I mean the title of the book is The Great Gatsby. It is taking a long time for Gatsby to be introduced in the book.

kendlet said...

Sarah i think that "man" status has a lot to do with it, but it's wierd because almost everyone knows about it.

Whitney C said...

Eva is right about Daisy but if she really dows want someone to love her, why not find someone who truly does love her? I understand that it might be difficult to just leave and be vulnerable and not lovable but she needs to have the strength to find a guy who appreciates her and will love her.

KeriN said...

I agree with Eva, in the inner circle, that Daisy is very desperate. It also reminds me of high school because one of my friends knows that their boyfriend is cheating on her and she doesn't do anything about it because she really just doens't want to believe that it is happening. Maybe she's jsut in denial and even though people talk about it she still doesn't believe in her heart that he could do that to her.

JordanR said...

Do you think that the fact the Daisy is catholic is actually part of the reason why Tom doesn't divorce her? or do you feel like he really does love her?

Eva said...

Sarah, I completely agree with you. I may be judging as far as gender goes, but thats the only reason I can think of for Tom bringing Nick along to meet Myrtle.

hilary l said...

I agree with the inner circle that all the characters that Fitzgerald writes about has a little part of his own personality and life.

KeriN said...

I agree with Allison. I was so confused on the last page of teh chapter. I didn't even know what had happened when he woke up.

Brianne D. said...

I think Mrs. Wilson is an interesting character. She is always changing her clothes and her personality. I think she acted like a snob when she rejected Mrs. McKee's compliment of her dress and she seems very sure of herself. She should be ashamed of herself for having an affair with a married man while she is married.

kendlet said...

What do you do in that situation? It didn't seem like anyone did anything. Everyone else was like "Oh, she just got punched in the face, darn." Why doesn't anyone do something about it?

Unknown said...

I do not understand why Nick had to go with Tom and did not say any thing to him when he was with Myrtle, I did not understand if Mr. William was with them all along. And why do you guys think she wanted a dog. you guys think it had any significance? and I do not think Daisy and Tom love each other, I think they do not want to let go of each other because that is all they know and they do not want to start over. They some what feel safe with each other, I think when Tom is with Myrtle it his fun side that comes out but when is with Daisy its his parent/ serious side and I think he does not know how to put them together as one for Daisy.