In this piece of graffiti the idea was to represent West and East Egg. West Egg is old money, for instance family money, money that has been made over a period of time. East Egg is new money, money that the individual has made on their own. To show this there is two eggs to represent the obvious. To show the idea of old money West Egg is a yellowish brownish color to symbolize being old. The East Egg is a perfect clean white to symbolize the new money. However there is a crack in the egg showing the corruption. Everyone in East Egg was completely corrupted.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Distrust is a major theme in The Great Gatsby. The characters in the book do not trust one another for specific, and validated, reasons. When one of the characters does not trust the other, it is typicallly becuase they have been betrayed. Tom betrays Daisy and her trust multiple times during their marriage, the one time we see being with Myrtle. Daisy, although her case is very specific, betrays Tom and his trust by conducting an affair with Gatsby. Wilson then does not trust his wife once someone tells him that she is having an affair with another man and starts to put the pieces together. All four of these characters portray distrust perfectly. Even though distrust ties into betrayal in most accounts, another account of distrust is the distrust readers have about Nick. Although he says he is the most reliable, honest man he knows, he hides many things from readers. One of these things being the ambiguity he uses when addressing his relationship with Jordan. At one point he states that he loves her and has broken off an engagement back home (that he had previously denied!) but by the end he just briefly metnions that she is now engaged and preparing to get married to a different man. Readers distrust of Nick is the strongest point on the theme of distrust, because if readers cannot trust their narrator, than who can they trust in the story? No one.
The two hands reaching out from the sides of the poster are meant to represent Daisy and Tom. They are reaching toward each other but there is something in the way, and it is another woman's hand on fire. This is the hand of Myrtle Wilson, Tom's mistress. It may seem that her hand is just on fire, but her hand being on fire represents the Valle of Ashes. In the novel, the ashes covering the Valley symbolize the "ashes" that cover Tom and Daisy's relationship, all their wrong doings and his affairs. Not only is Myrtle one of his affairs, but she lives in the Valley of Ashes, the pure symbol of their wrong doings. This is not by sheer coincidence, Myrtle lives here because she is the wrong doing in the period being described to readers through Nick. Myrtle and all of Tom's affairs are what keep Tom and Daisy from being fully happy with one another. Deep down, at one point they must have truly loved one another and they still must for them to remain together. But there is always something keeping them from truly being "hand in hand" as depicted in the portrait, and in the poster it is Myrtle. It is the ashes that cover the Valley. It is Tom's inability to be faithful.
In this poster, we see the eyes of TJ Eckleberg. He is peeking through the cracks of the bricks and watching over all those in the book. Although it is not blatantly stated,except for a brief comment by George Wilson, it is hinted at that the characters think that these eyes are the eyes of God. The characters create a power for these eyes, and they take on the role of the eyes of God looking down over the characters and all their wrong doings. These eyes over look the affair between Myrtle and Tom,they over look the affair between Daisy and Gatsby, and they over look the strange relationship between Jordan and Nick. The eyes, silent and observant, watch the destruction of marraige and life and never intervene. Offering little but a superstition to believe in, the eyes play a very important role in the novel. Every time the characters are in the Valley of Ashes, they feel as if their dirty affairs and inappropriate behavior is being watched, only giving the eyes more power. Through the cracks in the wall, TJ Eckleberg watches over all who walk the hall and all who live and dwell in the Valley of Ashes, scrutinizing the actions of the inhabitants of both. Of course, the eyes only hold as much meaning and power as we are willing to give them.
The green light represents the hope that Gatsby has for his and Daisy’s relationship. This longing also ties into the theme of living in the past because Gatsby’s past relationship with Daisy made him hope it would eventually reignite and be the way it was before he left for the war. Gatsby spent many hours staring at the light wanting Daisy to notice him across the water. The Green Light was a symbol of hope a beacon beckoning him to pursue the American Dream as well as to reunite with Daisy. Gatsby strived to reach this American Dream, and trying to reach this dream he used illegal ways to achieve this dream that seemed very distant toward the beginning of his life.
The backwards clock represents the theme of living in the past. Gatsby’s obsession with living in the past is a prominent theme throughout the story. This is a very important part of the story because it was this longing that Gatsby had for Daisy that triggered the events that led to his own death. The idea of living in the past also led to Gatsby’s corruption of the American Dream, which in his mind was him and Daisy living a lavish life style in West Egg. His corrupt choice of bootlegging for money, and eccentric parties to impress Daisy ultimately contributed to his demise.