Hello fellow group members! I was supposed to post over the weekend but I've been sick since yesterday, but I've got my post for you all today. Sorry for any inconveniences that may have caused. And wow people did a lot of stuff go down in Chapter 7!!
*Light:
--The beginning of this chapter starts off without much light at all. I found the darkness mentioned a few times there in the beginning.
>> "We pushed aside curtains that were like pavilions and felt over innumerable feet of dark wall for electric light switches..." (pg.154)
>> "Throwing open the French windows of the drawing room we sat smoking out into the darkness." (pg.155)
--Then he tells his story bout Daisy and we see some light com into the picture.
>> "Her porch was bright with the bought luxury of star-shine..." (pg.157)
--But not much because soon after Gatsby leaves for the War.
>> "Through this twilight universe Daisy began to move again with the season..." (pg.158)
--And back at the house:
>> "It was dawn now on Long Island and we went about opening the rest of the windows downstairs, filling the house with grey turning, gold turning light." (pg.159)
--At Wilson's garage we also see more light mentioned.
>> "About five o'clock it was blue enough outside to snap off the light." (pg.167)
I'm not sure exactly what was meant with this last mention of light at the garage so any ideas would be nice :)
*The Cars:
--When Gatsby talks about his time spent with Daisy, he mentions driving around to places in her white car. I believe this symbolizes the purity of the love the two of them shared at this time. Wealth didn't come between their relationship yet to change it's definition.
>> "He stayed there a week, walking the streets where their foot-steps had clicked together through the November night and revisiting the out-of-the-way places to which they had driven in her white car." (pg.160)
--This also occurred after Daisy had left with Tom. Gatsby was just coming back and revisiting all the places the two of them had been which I think strengthens the belief that the white car symbolizes their untainted love before everything else got into it and ruined it, making it a tainted yellow. I find it interesting that Gatsby and Daisy were driving together in a yellow car when they struck Myrtle. I think it shows what a giant mess their love has become.
--George Wilson mumbles on about the yellow car that struck Myrtle. He talks about how he has ways of figuring out who owns the car (pg.164). To him, all the car symbolizes is the death of his wife.
*Doctor T.J. Eckleburg:
>>" 'I spoke to her,' he muttered, after a long silence. 'I told her she might fool me but she couldn't fool God. I took her to the window-' with an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it, '-and I said 'God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing. You may fool me but you can't fool God!' ' " (pg.167)
>>"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." (pg.167)
--Michaelis told Wilson it was just an advertisement but even he had to turn away from the billboard after looking at it for a few minutes.
--The eyes obviously represent "God" watching over what people are doing. I think it's placement in the Valley of Ashes makes sense as it's the place everyone has to pass in order to get to NYC or back to the Eggs. You have to pass by these eyes in order to do either. You can't escape judgement. You can't totally escape from your sins without being seen by at least one pair of eyes.
-Kelli <3
*Light:
--The beginning of this chapter starts off without much light at all. I found the darkness mentioned a few times there in the beginning.
>> "We pushed aside curtains that were like pavilions and felt over innumerable feet of dark wall for electric light switches..." (pg.154)
>> "Throwing open the French windows of the drawing room we sat smoking out into the darkness." (pg.155)
--Then he tells his story bout Daisy and we see some light com into the picture.
>> "Her porch was bright with the bought luxury of star-shine..." (pg.157)
--But not much because soon after Gatsby leaves for the War.
>> "Through this twilight universe Daisy began to move again with the season..." (pg.158)
--And back at the house:
>> "It was dawn now on Long Island and we went about opening the rest of the windows downstairs, filling the house with grey turning, gold turning light." (pg.159)
--At Wilson's garage we also see more light mentioned.
>> "About five o'clock it was blue enough outside to snap off the light." (pg.167)
I'm not sure exactly what was meant with this last mention of light at the garage so any ideas would be nice :)
*The Cars:
--When Gatsby talks about his time spent with Daisy, he mentions driving around to places in her white car. I believe this symbolizes the purity of the love the two of them shared at this time. Wealth didn't come between their relationship yet to change it's definition.
>> "He stayed there a week, walking the streets where their foot-steps had clicked together through the November night and revisiting the out-of-the-way places to which they had driven in her white car." (pg.160)
--This also occurred after Daisy had left with Tom. Gatsby was just coming back and revisiting all the places the two of them had been which I think strengthens the belief that the white car symbolizes their untainted love before everything else got into it and ruined it, making it a tainted yellow. I find it interesting that Gatsby and Daisy were driving together in a yellow car when they struck Myrtle. I think it shows what a giant mess their love has become.
--George Wilson mumbles on about the yellow car that struck Myrtle. He talks about how he has ways of figuring out who owns the car (pg.164). To him, all the car symbolizes is the death of his wife.
*Doctor T.J. Eckleburg:
>>" 'I spoke to her,' he muttered, after a long silence. 'I told her she might fool me but she couldn't fool God. I took her to the window-' with an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it, '-and I said 'God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing. You may fool me but you can't fool God!' ' " (pg.167)
>>"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." (pg.167)
--Michaelis told Wilson it was just an advertisement but even he had to turn away from the billboard after looking at it for a few minutes.
--The eyes obviously represent "God" watching over what people are doing. I think it's placement in the Valley of Ashes makes sense as it's the place everyone has to pass in order to get to NYC or back to the Eggs. You have to pass by these eyes in order to do either. You can't escape judgement. You can't totally escape from your sins without being seen by at least one pair of eyes.
-Kelli <3
3 comments:
Wow, nice work on checking for darkness; I didn't even think of that! It's like Gatsby without his dream of Daisy is in the dark but then the light comes on... And I love what you wrote about the white car turning yellow once their pure love turns messy. And I think your Eckleburg analysis is spot on.
I wonder if it means anything that the eyes of God are in the form of a billboard. If Fitzgerald chose an advertisement, a prominent symbol of capitalism, to represent a divine being, I wonder what he's saying about the degradation of society's morals/religion. Is a means to make money the supreme guiding force in the lives of Americans? It's something to think about.
I like the comparison between the white car from the past that Daisy drove in to the yellow car in the present! I didn't notice that before that really makes sense! I also noticed a lot of the light changes in this chapter.
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