Journal 20

Journal 20 – The Great Gatsby Conclusion

Read the novel’s last passage (beginning with, “Gatsby’s house was still empty when I left”) and discuss the use of imagery and symbolism that is being employed by Fitzgerald.  In your response, specifically address what Nick is saying about the green light and the connection that he is making between Gatsby and the Dutch sailors who “discovered” Long Island. 

The last passage starts with Nick looking back on his time in New York.  He is getting ready to move back West after Gatsby’s death and takes the time to remember all he had done and all that his life was in New York.  He uses imagery to describe the glamorous lifestyle that he had experienced in the East Egg as Gatsby’s neighbor. He mainly described the wealthy and fancy lifestyle of Gatsby and the parties he threw.  Fitzgerald was able to create an image of these parties in the readers’ mind.  The last passage also used symbolism to connect Gatsby and the Dutch sailors who discovered Long Island.  These sailors started with nothing and became wealthy from the land they discovered and built upon. This journey was similar to Gatsby’s.  His house and his lifestyle was something he built from the bottom up.  Fitzgerald used symbolism and the story of the sailors to preface what was to come for Gatsby.  

Journal 19

Journal 19 - Characterization in Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby
Write a description for each of the following characters based on his/her first appearance in Chapter 1. Your description should include: -the character’s physical appearance; -the character’s actions/words; -an adjective that best describes the character based on his/her initial appearance


 Nick Carraway                Adjective: Quiet
 Nick is a seemingly normal guy. He tends to blend in and go with the flow. He is quiet and observant and doesn’t do anything to draw a lot of attention to himself. He is classy but not over the top. He is in the middle class over society and lives a low key lifestyle.

 Tom Buchanan                         Adjective: Conceited
Tom has a lot of confidence and thinks highly of himself. He comes across as overly confident. He is wealthy and it shows in the way he goes about his life.

 Daisy Buchanan                   Adjective: Outgoing
Daisy is over the top and seems to be extremely happy. She is loud and friendly when it comes to being social. She loves her lifestyle and the wealth that comes with it. In public, she acts as though nothing bothers her. She comes across as kind of fake and superficially nice.

 Jordan Baker                     Adjective:Confident
 Jordan Baker has a ton of self confidence and can read people well. She sees right through Tom and is apparent devotion to Daisy. She doesn’t feel as though she needs a man in her life and never lets what people think get in her way. She is also wealthy and a member of the upper class.

Jay Gatsby                        Adjective: Determined
 Gatsby is very flashy in his possessions. He is always dressed perfectly and spends whatever he needs to in order to impress others. He is determined to get Daisy to fall in love with him again. There is no doubt in hid mind that as soon as they meet again, everything will pick up where they left off many years ago.