Gatsby - Chapter 8 - Desserts, just or otherwise

What a desolate start to a chapter - and an even more desolate ending.

The musical theme for the chapter is Beale Street Blues by W. C. Handy (This is about a 3 minute recording from 1927. Jazz pianist Thomas "Fats" Waller plays for about 2 minutes on the pipe organ, and Alberta Hunter starts singing just after the 2 minute mark. I needed a small update to my Real Player before I could listen to this clip. You can hear a 1943 version with Jack Teagarden and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra *here.*)

I've seen the lights of gay Broadway,
Old Market Street down by the Frisco Bay,
I've strolled the Prado, I've gambled on the Bourse;
The seven wonders of the world I've seen,
And many are the places I have been,
Take my advice, folks, and see Beale Street first!

You'll see pretty browns in beautiful gowns,
You'll see tailor-mades and hand-me-downs,
You'll meet honest men, and pick-pockets skilled,
You'll find that business never ceases 'til somebody gets killed!

If Beale Street could talk, if Beale Street could talk,
Married men would have to take their beds and walk,
Except one or two who never drink booze,
And the blind man on the corner singing "Beale Street Blues!"

I'd rather be there than any place I know,
I'd rather be there than any place I know,
It's gonna take a sergeant for to make me go!

I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by,
Yes, I'm goin' to the river, maybe by and by,
Because the river's wet, and Beale Street's done gone dry

I think you can safely say that Gatsby's infatuation with Daisy has definitely gone dry.

May 2008 Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns

The book we'll be reading in May 2008 will be A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini. You may have read The Kite Runner, or seen the movie, by the same author.

You can get book,

or the Large Print edition,

or the Audio Book on CD,

or the Downloadable eAudio book from your library. Be sure to request a copy now, so we can start the discussion at the end of the week!

Don't worry if you don't get a copy right away. We'll be discussing background, information about the author, and other non-specific topics for the first few days.

Gatsby - Chapter 7 - The Accident

We start the chapter off with yet another confrontation between Tom and Gatsby. The difference is Tom suddenly suspects that "Daisy comes over quite often - in the afternoons" and spends time with Gatsby. And Wilson has also discovered that Myrtle has a "life apart from him", but does not yet suspect Tom Buchanan. (Did you love the cost of filling the gas tank on Gatsby's car? $1.20!)

One of the interesting (but probably unintended) coincidences in this chapter is when Tom suggests stopping at a drugstore to get gas for Gatsby's car. "You can buy anything at a drug-store nowadays". Later, Tom reveals that while Gatsby claimed to have made his fortune from a string of drugstores, Gatsby and his business partners were really buying up small drugstores and using them as a front for selling ethanol - highly illegal in the Prohibition era. Ethanol (pure grain alcohol - aka "Everclear" or "Moonshine") may not have been used as fuel in the 20s, but it certainly is now!

It's pretty obvious that Daisy did not hit Myrtle on purpose. Myrtle was horribly upset, and ran into oncoming traffic. In the current day, had Daisy stopped and called 911 for Myrtle, she would probably not be cited. However, Daisy "floored it". That's "Felony Hit and Run." Not good.

With the realization of what she did, Daisy understands that Tom is far better able to shield her from the the consequences of her action that Gatsby is. It looks like Gatsby is about to get thrown under the bus.

Gatsby - Chapter 6 - The "real" Gatsby

This is the real crux of the book. We finally find out who Jay Gatsby really is. His parents are poor and shiftless. His whole persona was an adolescent daydream. His money came from crime and illegal activities. Jay Gatsby is an absolute figment of a immature imagination.

This is a difficult chapter to read. As much as we want to admire Jay Gatsby as a romantic figure, we must recognize that he's a total fraud.

If you found out this sort of thing about a close friend of yours, how would you react?

Gatsby - Chapter 5 - Gatsby's Love Nest

While Gatsby is showing Dixie around his house, he has "the border" (Ewing Klipspringer) play background music on the piano. Klipspringer plays one of the top songs from the 1920s, "The Love Nest". (Scroll down to the second CD, and click on song #3 - you'll hear about 25 seconds of the original Victrola recording by John Steel.) The lyrics are:

Just a love nest, cozy and warm,
Like a dove breast, down on the farm,
A veranda with some sort of clinging vine,
Then a kitchen where some rambler roses twine;
In a small room, tea set of blue,
There's the ball room, dream room for two,
Better than a palace with a gilded dome,
Is the love nest you can call home!

Does this sound like Gatsby's house? Could you really call it a "Love Nest?" The lyrics seem to more accurately depict Tom and Myrtle's "love nest" (even though even that wasn't terribly cozy.)

Would you describe Gatsby's house as a "Love Nest?" What would your ideal love nest be like? What would you build (or buy) to attract the person of your dreams?

Gatsby - Chapter 5 - Daisy and the Shirts

So Gatsby and Daisy finally get together. It seemed to take as much arranging as invading a small country!

Daisy and Gatsby seem horribly embarrassed and uncomfortable the entire time. Daisy may be embarrassed because she didn't actually wait very long for Gatsby. Gatsby may be uncomfortable for a variety of reasons - the physical symptoms involved with having the hots for Daisy, through the concern about whether Daisy is going to approve of his home (and thus possibly deal with the physical hots issue...)

The shirts! Gatsby pulling out and displaying all his shirts is such an enduring image from this book - as if the shirts where somehow the culmination of all his efforts to attract Daisy back.

Do you think that Gatsby is happy with the way things go with Daisy's visit?

Is Daisy suitably impressed with Gatsby's home and possessions?

Is the "home and possessions" really what Daisy was wanting?

What do you think?

Gatsby - Chapter 4 - More Gatsby Parties

What a great overview of the generic Gatsby party! If you every wondered what an impersonal huge society party was like, this will certainly tell you.

Jay Gatsby also discusses his past. He certainly sounds like a romantic figure! What with being the only child of wealthy parents (now deceased), with a long family tradition of being educated at Oxford, and inheriting all that money when his parents died tragically...

How could Nick possibly have doubted Gatsby's account of his exciting life? That picture and the medal certainly proved that it was all true! (Remember this. We'll be speaking of it again in a later post!)

Meyer Wolfsheim certainly seems like a vulgar person. What could Gatsby be doing, associating with this shady character? Gatsby claims that Wolfsheim was the one who "fixed" the World Series in 1919, that led to the Black Sox Scandal. "Say it ain't so, Joe!"

Jordan also tells Nick the story of the romance between Gatsby and Daisy, and how Daisy ended up marrying Tom, and that Gatsby has purchased his house specifically to be close to Daisy. He hasn't forgotten their relationship, even if Daisy wasn't really willing to wait for him.

Here are your questions for the day:

Do you think that Gatsby is a truthful person? (Would you believe his story of his past?)

Should Gatsby get back in touch with Daisy?

Gatsby - Party at Gatsby's!

The party at Jay Gatsby's mansion was very lively. Remember, this is 1922. Prohibition (aka the 18th Amendment or the Volstead Act) had passed in 1919, and went into effect in 1920. So the bar "stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten that most of his female guests were too young to know one from the other..." was exceptionally illegal.

There was also an orchestra playing - "no thin five-piece affair, but a whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and coronets and piccolos, and low and high drums." Ragtime music was becoming old hat, but the Big Bands of the 1930's hadn't arrived yet.

Probably the most entertaining image from the third chapter is Owl Eyes' automobile accident. (That link goes to a fairly large PDF file. Give it a few minutes to load!) Owl Eyes' explanation of the accident is classic: "I know nothing whatever about mechanics... I know very little about driving - next to nothing. It happened, and that's all I know." Can you see a police officer's reaction to that excuse?

What was your favorite scene from chapter 3?

The Great Gatsby: Chapt. 3 - Meeting Jay Gatsby

It's taken a while, but we've finally met Jay Gatsby, if only for a few moments.

That was quite a party! There was such a range of different types of people attending. It would have been a lot of fun to attend, just to people-watch. It's very different than the party we attended in Chapter 2 (at Myrtle's love-nest.)

Gatsby himself seems like a pretty down-to-earth sort of guy, in the brief moments where Nick got to talk with Gatsby. On the other hand, Jordan certainly isn't shaping up to be a very nice person, but Nick seems to be quite taken with her.

Question for the day: Which party would you rather have attended? Myrtle's? or Gatsby's? Why? And, why do you think that Nick is so taken with Jordan?

The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald's full name is Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He was a relative of Francis Scott Key (of National Anthem fame).

He was born in 1896 in Minnesota, son of a wicker furniture manufacturer. He went to prep school in New Jersey. He was failing his classes, so he enlisted in the military as a second lieutenant. He was stationed in Alabama, where he met and became engaged to a southern belle, Zelda Sayre, daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge. As Fritzgerald was not successful and could not really afford to support her in the style to which she was accustomed, she broke off the engagement. (Does any of this sound familiar?)

When he finally published a book (This side of paradise) and became an overnight sensation, Zelda married him within the week. After a brief time as fast living young celebrities, they had a daughter (born in Minnesota) and then settled in Great Neck, New York ("West Egg), to be close to Broadway where Fitzgerald believed he would make his fortune. Fitzgerald's play failed, but he and Zelda led an exciting life, generally fueled by copious alcohol. The wild behavior on both their parts led to stress in their marriage, and doubts about his writing ability.

Zelda suffered her first breakdown in 1930. In 1932, she entered a sanatorium, and spent the rest of her life as either a resident or outpatient. Fitzgerald worked for a short time as a script-writer in Hollywood, but his contract with the studio was not renewed. In all, Fitzgerald wrote four novels. His fifth was partially complete when he died. He wrote a large number of short stories. He died of a heart attack in 1940. Zelda died in a hospital fire in 1948.

Now that you know a bit more about the short life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, do you think it explains the focus of The Great Gatsby? If he had married a nice, wholesome Minnesota girl, or if he'd buckled down and finished college, how might his writing have been different?

The Great Gatsby - Tom's mistress

Chapter two introduces Tom Buchanan's mistress - Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle is vibrant and sensual and very, very alive. She's trying to "live up to" Tom's lifestyle, but doesn't succeed very well.

Tom, at the end of the chapter, casually strikes her, breaking her nose, and leaves her bleeding in her apartment.

Chapter two also introduces the Valley of Ashes, where George Wilson's garage is located. The Valley of Ashes was an area where industrial ash was dumped. It was just not a pleasant area to visit. In reality, it was the Corona Dump, in Flushing Meadows, in Queens. It was also the home of "The Queen of Corona" in Paul Simon's song "Me and Julio down by the schoolyard", the home of Louis Armstrong, and (while she was with the band Breakfast Club) Madonna. The area was cleared in 1936, and became the home of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs.

In the first chapter, Nick was describing the East and West Eggs and said "...like the egg in the Columbus story...." It s a great story illustrating how things can be really easy, once you know how!

If you had the option, would you rather be friends with Daisy? Or Myrtle? Would you ever want to be friends with Tom?

The Great Gatsby - The Characters

You should all have started reading The Great Gatsby. There are 9 chapters, so we'll be discussing two chapters each week.

The book starts right out with the narrator, Nick Carraway. Nick is the child of a well-to-do Minnesota family. He went to Yale (graduating in 1915) and then decided to go to New York to work with bonds. Remember, Fitzgerald wrote this book in 1925, so he had no idea what was going to happen in 1929. So, it sounds like Nick is in for a pretty big shock in about seven years!

We also meet Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and their friend Jordan Baker. (It takes a while before we find out Miss Baker's first name.)

And we see (but not meet) Jay Gatsby.

Here are all the characters we'll eventually meet in this book:

Nick Carraway: Minnesota native. Son of a well-to-do family, in the wholesale hardware business. Nick is working in the bond business in New York. Lives in a small house next door to Gatsby's mansion, on West Egg. Nick's father is supporting him for a year, while Nick gets established in his new career. Daisy Buchanan's second cousin, once removed. Graduated from Yale in 1915. Wrote editorials for the Yale News. Everyone seems to feel comfortable confiding in Nick.

Tom Buchanan: Former star football player at Yale. Scion of a wealthy Chicago family. Went to school with Nick. Working at being a racist. Is described as being a bully, and violent. Has a mistress, Myrtle Wilson.

Daisy Buchanan: Sophisticated socialite. Spent her childhood in Louisville Kentucky, where she met Jordan Baker. Mother of a three year old daughter, Pammy (whom we meet briefly, in passing).

Jordan Baker: Daisy's childhood friend. Grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Is an enthusiastic golfer (about the only thing she's enthusiastic about.) She becomes romatically involved with Nick.

Jay Gatsby: Newly rich, and probably got his money through illegal activities. Met Daisy in Louisville, when he was an officer in the military, before World War I.

George Wilson: Garage owner, and husband to Tom's mistress, Myrtle.

Myrtle Wilson: Tom's mistress. Flashy and enthusiastic - everything that Daisy is not.

Catherine: Myrtle's sister

Chester & Lucille McKee: Have an apartment below Tom and Myrtle's "love nest."

Owl-Eyes: A middle-aged acquaintance, who regularly attends Gatsby's parties.

Meyer Wolfsheim: Gatsy's "business associate." A gambler and racketeer.

Ewing Klipspringer: "Hanger on", living at Gatsby's house.

Dan Cody: Gatsby's former employer

Mr. Sloan: Friend of Tom's, contemptuous of Gatsby.

Michaelis: Owns a coffee shop near Wilson's garage.

Henry C. Gatz: Jay Gatsby's father

Having read the first chapter, what do you think about the characters so far? Are they people you'd like to meet? Would you be interested in spending time with them?

The Great Gatsby - The Setting

Hello everyone, welcome to the book discussion of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Many of you are just receiving your free copies of the book today, kindly provided by the National Endowment for the Arts through The Big Read program. If you haven't stopped by your library yet, try to get there today. Each public library in Las Vegas will have 50 free copies of The Great Gatsby to give away. When they're gone, they're gone. Even if you get there too late for a free copy, you should still be able to check out a copy. (While you're at the library, be sure to pick up your Reading Las Vegas book bag!)

The Great Gatsby takes place in the summer of 1922, in and around Long Island, New York. (Fitzgerald calls the major locations "East Egg" and "West Egg".) You can see an excellent map showing the area, labeled with the Eggs. (Note, this is a High School report website, so take any content with a grain of salt.)

East Egg is more commonly known as Manhasset Neck. West Egg is more commonly known as Great Neck. The general area is commonly known as North Hempstead.

In Gatsby, East Egg was the upper class area. West Egg was strictly nouveau riche.

Putting the time in context, here are events that happened in late 1921 and early 1922:
Warren Harding is President of the United States
July 1921: Adolph Hitler becomes Führer of the Nazi Party in Germany.
August 1921: The United States ends World War I, declaring peace with Germany.
September 1921: First Miss America pageant
November 1921: Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics
January 1922: Insulin used for the first time to treat diabetes
January 1922: Pope Benedict XV dies. (Pius XI succeeds him in February)
February 1922: First issue of Reader's Digest published
February 1922: Radio is used for the first time in the White House
March 1922: USS Langley is commissioned by the US Navy as the first aircraft carrier
April 1922: Women are permitted to run for public office in Massachusetts
May 1922: Construction begins on Yankee Stadium, and the Lincoln Memorial is dedicated

Let's get the discussion started with this question: Is this the first time you've read Great Gatsby? If you've read it before, about how long ago was it? What did you think of it then? What's the thing you remember most from the book?

Use the Comments link below to join the discussion!