Lost in Darkness: An In-Depth look at "The Great Gatsby"

F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic, The Great Gatsby, can be best described as a story about how a dream can destroy person's life. As he concludes the book, he manages to summarize Jay Gatsby's life in a couple of sentences, as seen below:

"And I sat there brooding on the old unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and hist dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. (180)"

Despite Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby's narrator and main protagonist, being the titular character's only true friend, it is clear that he never understood the mysterious individual. In the opening sentence, Fitzgerald uses the words "brooding" and "unknown world" in a figurative way, referring to Gatsby. His usage of the word brooding (showing deep unhappiness of thought) refers to Gatsby's life, always filled with disappointment, sadness and suffering he had to endure all his life. However by comparing the character to the world, he could be referencing his complex personality or perhaps his larger than life attitude. 

Much like the reader in the beginning of the novel, Nick is filled with wonder upon the symbolical meaning behind the green light, piercing the darkness with its green glow. Despite later on in the book the light's origin is revealed (Daisy's dock), its true significance is never revealed. Gatsby leaning out and attempting to reach it could be seen as both a romantic gesture towards his love or a manifestation of his dreams and expectations. 

As a character Gatsby had to overcome a lot of obstacles in order to become who he is, the opulent and flamboyant protagonist. Despite being so close to achieving a place in Daisy's heart, destiny always was one step ahead. This misfortune is what made him who he is: a dream that turned into an obsession, an obsession which transformed James Gatz to Jay Gatby.  It is interesting to note that Fitzgerald describes Gatsby's lawn as being blue, however after a little researching he may be referring to Kentucky blue grass. This type of grass is particularly known for being of higher quality and having an appropriately high cost. The grass could be seen as an obscure symbol for Gatsby's fortune or the extents he goes to transmitting his wealth to others.

As one reads the novel, one might wonder whether Gatsby knows that Daisy is out of his reach, and has been for a very long time. Nick shamelessly says this in a way that compares Gatsby's life to the city laying in "vast obscurity". Before he came to fulfill his dream of being unimaginably rich, no one knew who he was. This also applies to Daisy, and her memories she had with Gatsby, leaving him nearly forgotten in the dark corners of her subconscious. It can be said that by seeing how successful Gatsby became, her newly formed image of him brought back the feelings and recollection of Gatsby.

The Downward Spiral: A close reading approach to "Coming Through Slaughter", Part II

When one is already at the top one can't help but wonder: how far can you fall? Buddy Bolden, a renowned jazz performer from the early 20th century lived life constantly asking himself this, as evidenced by the passage below:

"What do you want to know about me Webb? I'm alone. I desire every woman I remember. Everything is clear here and still I feel that my brain has walked away and is watching me. I feel I hover over the objects in this house, over every person in my memory - like those painted saints in my mother's church who seem or always have six or seven inches between them and the ground. Posing as humans. I give myself immaculate twenty minute shaves in the morning. Tap some lotion on me and cook a fabulous breakfast. Only meal of the day. So I move from the morning's energy into the later hours of alcohol and hunger and thickness and tiredness. Trying to overcome this awful and stupid clarity. (100)"

The main theme behind Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter is the rise and fall of jazz-great Buddy Bolden. As a very successful and influential musician in the New Orleans new age jazz movement, Bolden quickly succumbed to the high stake, fast paced lifestyle that came with fame.  Despite being renowned and famous, in reality he lived an empty life. However what he really regrets is his inability to maintain a stable, long-term relationship. To make up for this lack of love, he fills in the emotional void in his life with empty, meaningless sex with prostitutes and one night stands with complete strangers. Additionally both of his relationships explored in the novel become a complex love triangle. The reader learns early in the book that Bolden married Nora Bass without a formal registry or ceremony. When he left Storyville in hopes of keeping a low profile he also managed to shatter the one stable relationship in his life. Despite loving his wife, he cannot help but remind himself of Nora's past as an escort, which sometimes drives him to insanity. This can be evidenced when Tom Pickett comes into his barber shop. The pimp begins to taunt the jazzman of how he used to sleep with his wife. Bolden snapped and violently mutilated Pickett's face with a barber's razor. While lying low, Bolden began an affair with Robin Brewitt, who despite loving Buddy would not marry him and stay true to her husband.

From the get-go it is quite clear that Buddy's lifestyle has extinguished his will and stopped being himself. The way he compares himself to a saint, symbolizes that Buddy Bolden has become a legend, a mere myth even to himself. To others, including himself, he is this mysterious and greater-than-life character while in reality he is vulnerable and driven borderline insane. He no longer feels he inhabits the body of New Orleans' greatest jazz musician but has become overshadowed by his musical alter ego. This demigod description is further accentuated by him stating "Posing as humans". One can't help but wonder, when does Buddy Bolden, the man ends, and when Buddy Bolden, the legend begins.

While he performs as a jazzman in the cover of Storyville's dark, prostitute-ridden alleys, Bolden works a day job at a barbershop. As a barber, he feels the individual under his blade become vulnerable, wincing at the very thought of someone else, a stranger handling their appearance. According to him, vanity is every man's weakness. However, Bolden himself shares this defect, seeing how he shaves his face to perfection for 20 minutes each morning. Seeing how he sprays lotion after a clean shave further accentuates his vain mannerisms.

As stated beforehand, Bolden lives a very empty lifestyle to the point that his eating patterns reflect this. His lack of energy during the late hours of the day could be the result of his little food intake and massive alcohol binges. The emotional pit of nothingness that lies at the bottom of Bolden's mind, is the result of a downward spiral caused by fame. Despite Bolden knowing that he is living through a personal hell, he acknowledges that this is now his reality.

Peace of Mind: A close reading approach to "Coming Through Slaughter", Part I

Michael Ondaatje's novel, "Coming Through Slaughter", based on the life of jazz legend Buddy Bolden, narrates his rise to greatness and mysterious disappearance. The following passage takes place before the jazzman's disappearance:

"Shell Beach Station. From the end of the tracks he watched Crawley and the rest of the band get on the train. They were still half-looking around for him to join them from someplace even now. He stood by a mail wagon and watched them. He watched himself getting onto the train with them, the fake anger relief on their part. He watched himself go back to the Brewitts and ask if he could stay with them. The silent ones. Post music. After ambition. (39)"

As the scene opens we can see Buddy observing his bandmates board the train from a distance. His position at the end of the tracks suggests that he wants to remain incognito from the band, or in a larger sense the entertainment business. Ondaatje's use of vague words such as  "half-looking" and "someplace" show that his fellow band members show no particular interest or distress regarding his absence. However this might not bother Buddy in the very least, since he is trying to escape his erratic lifestyle that now defines him.

In the next sentence we can judge by his new position (next to a mail wagon) that he has either moved to a place, closer or farther away. As Buddy continues to observe the band, the reader can't help but become a part of the battle raging within his mind. His mind is divided between the decision to remain within the world of jazz and to escape into a more quite, calmer lifestyle. The former side of his mind appears to be living an illusion, judging by the phrase "the fake anger relief on their part". The reader can infer that his mates show a forced, if not fake liking towards the cornet player, while hiding their true feelings from him. However, the latter presents itself as a calmer future, due to the absence of negative emotions and lies the band brings to Buddy. 

As the passage draws to an end, the reader is given three phrases that summarize Buddy's struggle: "The silent ones. Post music. After ambition.". The way the sentences are presented in reverse chronological order reflect Buddy's life: from his beginnings as an aspiring jazz musician, his subsequent hiatus from music, and finally ending with his disappearance.

Hidden Behind Innocence: Symbolism in "The Great Gatsby"

Since its publication in 1925, symbolism has been considered as one of the most important themes in the renowned novel, The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel contains many of these representations which have been given a considerable amount of attention by scholars and experts. The most prominent symbols include the green light in Daisy's dock and the glaring eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. However the true natures of these symbols has been wildly debated. As a part of a group discussion, we have been looking at less prominent and more obscure things that could be viewed as symbols. 

The symbol we found within the pages of the novel is the puppy Tom Buchanan gives Myrtle near the conclusion of the second chapter. When Myrtle asks her lover for a puppy, she asks specifically for a police dog. This is rather ironic, seeing how the police stands for righteousness and justice, qualities that an extramarital affair lacks. The dog's breed, an Airedale terrier, further strengthens the connection to the themes mentioned beforehand. This is due to the fact that this particular breed has been used as a popular police dog since the beginning of the 20th century. As for the puppy itself, it might also be considered pure and innocent, further adding to the irony of the gift.

The relationship between Myrtle and her puppy mirrors that she has with Tom. When she first got the puppy, she already was planning to keep the dog in their NYC apartment, far away from her husband George. Similarly both of them hide their affairs from their respective spouses. Furthermore the way Tom treats her lover brings to mind a master-pet relationship. However this can be seen with both Daisy and Myrtle since he controls them constantly, often showing little regard towards the way he treats them. An example of this is seen at the end of the second chapter when Tom violently attacks Myrtle, breaking her nose, after she drunkenly taunts him with his wife. 

As the reader digests the symbolism behind the puppy, it becomes increasingly clear that the animal also serves as a characterization vehicle. When Myrtle asks the man selling the puppies the sex, Tom barks at her with the phrase "It's a bitch". This simple sentence defines Tom as a character, having a crasse, if not vulgar personality behind his actions and dialogue. While the term he uses to describe the sex is correct, the way he says it brings to mind the vulgar sense of the word.

Besides serving as a characterization vehicle, the puppy also helps the plot unravel and conclude with Gatsby's murder. Tom's lover is killed in a hit-and-run, committed by non other than Daisy. When George scours through Myrtle's belongings he finds a dog collar wrapped in tissue paper. The collar confirms his assumption that Myrtle was indeed cheating on him and leads him to believe the she was killed by her lover. This event leads us to the conclusion that sometimes even the little things in life define the course of destiny.