Characterisation:

• Nick:

~ simple, refined, reflective, quiet, curious, tolerant, open-minded, trust-worthy

~ does not have as much money as the others

~ he seems to like Ms Baker

~ he comes from a family with old money

// after watching the Massolit lecture, now I can see how ways more complex this novel is than I thought before, and the depth of Nick’s character is a great example to show it//

• Daisy:

~ pretty wife of Tom

~ trying to be shallow

~ she is the second cousin of Nick

• Tom:

~ very rich, coming from old money, long family history

~ ego-driven, looks for excitement

~ his golden days are over: these were when he was 21, at college playing football -> he is 30 now, trying to compensate, fill the gap in his life

~ famous

~ has an american footballer body: strong, muscular <- described by his body

• Jordan:

~ famous and mysterious

~ beautiful

~ glamorous <- trying to hide her inner emptiness with it

• Gatsby:

~ very rich, has new money

~ mysterious, grand

~ no one really knows him -> hidden

~ romantic character: dreamy

~ emotions, dreams, believes 

How is Nick as a narrator:

• Autodiegetic narrator: first person narration, when the narrator is also the protagonist
• He is not a New Yorker
• He has just arrived, looks at the things with a fresh eye
• He wants to be seen as open-minded, not judgemental, trust-worthy <-> we can know from the Massolit lecture how contradictory and insecure he is, and how his narrations are unreliable, hence he has bias, has flaws and misjudgements, what he tries to hide to reach his ambitions and aspirations 

Context:

• After WWI
• Before the great depression
• Western context
• America: New York, Long Island
• America at that time was a pretty young country in the process of establishing itself -> one had huge advantages coming from family history, family legacy, the family’s position in society
• West Egg: new money <-> East Egg: old family money
• East egg: exclusive, aristocratic, ethernial, almost unreal, untouchable, “white”, “glittering”
• Pretty wealthy people

Themes:

• American dream
• Money, power
• Man
• Woman
• Social status -> fitting in
• Reputation, fame
• Beauty
• Family history, family legacy

Foreshadowing: 

• Tom’s mistress: cause some trouble in the future?
• Gatsby’s past: really unsure
• Nick is a Yale graduate: should be a clever boy
• Green light!!