THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald Alright everyone! It's Great Gatsby Day! Woohoo!! I'm going to start this post by saying that we could literally spend months discussing this book. ( Breathe! We're not going to do that! ) I am willing to take the discussion as deeply as you want to go, because Gatsby's going to bring us face to face with moral dilemmas in a lot of different areas. It can be a little tricky to navigate in the first couple of chapters, but if you stick with it, we're going to dive into some deep, but moving waters about midway through to the end. There are lots of directions we can go with our discussions. Gatsby is chock full of literary devices. I will bring some to our attention periodically. There is the storyline to navigate, but there is also the glaring question of what would YOU do in some of the scenes/situations? Okay, enough intro. Time to dig into the book. We've got to start out by knowing who our narrator is. Meet Nick Carraway - Yale graduate, WWI veteran, currently a banker, just rented a home. Even though we're going to get to know Nick pretty well by the end of the book, this story really isn't about him. It's about Nick's neighbor, one Jay Gatsby. Now Nick was given a piece of advice by his father that is important to tuck into the back of your mind somewhere. He told him that, "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all people in this world haven't had the advantages you have." Because Nick took this advice to heart, people feel like they can freely talk to him. They open up and "spill their guts." But Nick gives us a bit of foreshadowing here. He's talking to us after this story has happened and he's moved back to the Midwest where he was originally from. Not only that, he's changed his tune about tolerance. After experiencing all that he's going to tell us, he now wants the world to be "uniform" and at "moral attention forever." Only one person is exempted from this, and that's Gatsby. This book takes place off of New York around Long Island in an area called West Egg and East Egg. They are separated by a bay. East Egg is the extravagantly wealthy area, and West Egg, still a very nice place, is not as fashionable as East Egg. The actual story starts with an evening trip over to East Egg, where Nick visits with his distant cousin and her super wealthy husband, Daisy and Tom Buchanan. Nick knew Tom from his days at Yale. Even though they weren't socially from the same world, Tom always approved of Nick. Okay, the stage is set, and I'm going to turn it over to you to comment. Tell me your thoughts on the first impression entering the room with Daisy and Jordan, what Tom's reading, the phone call at supper, Daisy's heart to heart with Nick (did you notice a King Solomon vibe?), Nick's first encounter with Gatsby, and what's the deal with the green light? So many places to go. Your choice what we discuss.

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald I want to start off by saying I added a few more items of interest for chapter 1 in the comments section of last week's post. Just some short and sweet bullet points to be aware of. Onto Chapter 2- The first thing I want to draw attention to is some symbolism and dramatic irony in this chapter. Did anyone catch anything? Thoughts on the dilemma that Nick ends up in when Tom wants him to meet his mistress? Has anyone ever been in a tough situation like that? I have. It's a hard spot to be in meeting the mistress of someone you consider a friend while their wife is at home taking care of the kids. Can I just say poor George Wilson? Why do you think Tom slaps Myrtle for saying Daisy's name? Comment on anything else you would like. I'll add some of my answers in the next few days after you've had a chance to comment.

THE GREAT GATSBY -by F. Scott Fitzgerald I added a comment to last week's post answering some of the questions. Chapter 3 - Gatsby's place is an ongoing party. Note that Nick is one of the few invited guests. Most of these people just show up for a great party. No one really knows who Gatsby is. Possibilities suggested include a German spy. American army, murderer. It is here that Nick finally meets Gatsby but he doesn't realize that he has until afterwards. Nick notices that Gatsby stands by himself surveying the group and he doesn't drink. There are reasons for this that we'll circle back to in a later chapter. We have this juxtaposition of the party atmosphere - people everywhere versus the emptiness that permeates everything as Gatsby waves to people as they leave. Talking with Jordan, Nick learns that Gatsby has confided in her. He's confided in her something "amazing." (Foreshadowing.) Closing out my thoughts we see the start of a relationship starting between Jordan and Nick. Fitzgerald gives us a clear picture of Nick's character as he needs to break it off with a girl back home before moving forward with Jordan. Note the honorable actions versus the dishonorable actions of Tom where relationships are concerned.

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald I have to start Chapter 4 with a question for you to ponder starting now until the end of the book. What is the purpose of friendship? I spent a lot of time recently talking to my high school literature class about what a real friendship is and what it is not. I'll circle back to this at the end of today's post. Starting into Chapter 4 I almost felt like I was reading a Biblical genealogy. Why do we care about all the people that came in and out of Gatsby's house other than to realize what a hopping place it was right? Take a closer look at the names. We can't help but picture Fitzgerald laughing to himself as he came up with some of these names. Leeches? Fishguards? Hammerheads? Catlips? You get the picture. Then look at their conduct. Fitzgerald is painting the background, the atmosphere for us of these parties by telling us who attends. Gatsby doesn't give a rip who's there. He's had one purpose, and one purpose only for these parties. Slip into the back of your mind the highly recognizable vehicle Gatsby drives. You'll need it later. Gatsby asks Nick his opinion of him. It's important to him, because he needs him for something. He opens up and tells Nick who he really is. He shares his "history," but Nick isn't buying everything Gatsby says until the medal and the picture. So what is the favor that Gatsby needs? He won't tell Nick directly, instead he's sending Jordan to do it. (Did your opinion of Gatsby drop a notch or two at that? Mine did.) I'm going to skim a couple of points. Just know we could spend decent time on each of these areas. Gatsby has some very questionable friends (Wolfshiem). We learn the backstory of Jordan and Daisy's friendship (note the POV change) and that Daisy and Gatsby were once an item. And now we come to Gatsby's request. He wants to know if Nick will invite Daisy to his house so Gatsby can see her again. He has been planning for years on how he would work his way back into her life. It is no accident how he ended up where he did in the house that he bought. The extravagant, open-to-anyone parties were on purpose. He hoped she would wander into one of the parties one night, but she never did. And now Nick has a decision to make. Remember that question about the purpose of friendship? Nick is Gatsby's ticket to make that happen. At this point he is merely a cog in the wheel of Gatsby's plan. The chapter ends with "Unlike Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, I had no girl whose disembodied face floated along the dark cornices and blinding signs, and so I drew up the girl beside me, tightening my arms." Nick can hold Jordan physically in his arms unlike Gatsby and Tom who are chasing women that aren't theirs. So many areas that can be expounded on. The ball is in your court!

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald Nick has decided to go through with the meeting. He tells Gatsby that he will call Daisy and set it up. Did you twinge at that thought? Was there a catch in your soul when Nick tells Daisy to not bring Tom? The next day dawns to a downpouring of rain. (Foreshadowing) Despite this, Gatsby sends over a gardener to mow Nick's grass. A delivery van pulls up and gobs of flowers arrive. Gatsby wants everything as perfect as can be. He's like a caged animal, convinced she won't show up, and then there she is. Laughingly she asks Nick if he's in love with her. Is that why she has to come alone? Nick responds by telling her to send the chauffeur away. He leads her into the living room, expecting Gatsby to be there, but he's gone. A light knock on the front door resonates through the room, and Gatsby enters. Can you picture the scene? The shock? The palatable silence? The pulling of one's self together to be able to respond to what is happening? Nick excuses himself. So much could be said here - but I'm jumping to Gatsby taking them to his house. All that has gone into planning for this moment. And then the slip up. The first real crack in Gatsby's story - where his money came from. The house is beautiful. It is almost unrecognizable to Nick without all the people. We get a glimpse of Gatsby when he takes them in his room. It's the simplest place in the house. There are so many great quotes in this chapter to reference. Here are a couple of great ones. The green light - "Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever." One where Nick sees Gatsby looking at Daisy. "...I saw that the expression of bewilderment had come back into Gatsby's face, as though a faint doubt had occurred to him as to the quality of his present happiness. Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his." The foreshadowing! The realization that sometimes the anticipation of something is much more exciting than the event itself.

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald Fasten your seatbelt! This is one crazy chapter! We've got to start this chapter asking ourselves why is a reporter showing up on Gatsby's doorstep asking for a comment? It's to prep us for a big story that is coming down the pike. There's a big air of mystery, of unknown surrounding Gatsby, and some of the questions are about to be answered. The first is that we now know who Jay Gatsby really is - James Gatz. We understand how he learned to live "wealthy," how he traveled the world, how he left his parents and that life and reinvented himself at 17 years of age. He had his name picked out before he went out and helped Dan Cody on his yacht. Did you pause a moment when you read that? You have to love the language that Fitzgerald uses to describe Gatsby's imagination of himself. The fact that "he never accepted his parents" as his parents. "He was a son of God...about His Father's business." How his thoughts and fancies spun and grew at night. He was too good for the college scene. He wanted the world now, and he was convinced he could get it! Recognize that this downloading of info that Nick gives us is out of time sequence in the book. Gatsby actually confesses all this to him much later, but Nick feels the need to share this with us ahead of time to help us understand deeper what happens. I have to make a quick switch here and comment on Tom's ironic statement when several weeks later he goes over to Gatsby's house. "I may be old-fashioned in my ideas, but women run around way too much these days to suit me." Old fashioned in his ways, huh? Does that include how Myrtle runs around with him? Is that to his liking? You have to love that quote! Back to Gatsby - now at his party where Tom and Daisy attend for the first time - we learn what his ultimate goal is - to recover the past with Daisy and for her to tell Tom that she never loved him. He refused to understand that that is impossible at this point. To simply state the most obvious, there is a child now. There is no fully going back, but Gatsby refuses to believe it. He is convinced when he took his dreams and tied them to Daisy five years ago sealed with a kiss, she was his ticket. Falling in love was not a part of his original plans, but now he has placed everything on his relationship with Daisy. He believes that dream can go on. This chapter really hits home about the focus on the social structure in this book. First, Gatsby is so embarrassed about his upbringing that he leaves it all behind. In college, he refused to work as a janitor. It is beneath him. When Tom and Daisy come to his party, he desires to be accepted by them socially. Of course, Tom, in his snobbery, refuses to allow Gatsby to be on the same level as they are.

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald It's hard to believe, but we're on the last couple of weeks of The Great Gatsby. I'll be putting up our next book club pick soon, so keep your eyes open for the post! These last chapters are super intense as every thing begins to hit the fan. As I mull through these chapters in my mind, the words from the book of Numbers keeps rolling around in my mind, "...be sure your sin will find you out." The party is over at Gatsby's house. The servants have been let go. There must be no secrets leaked out about what's now going on in the house. Nick receives a phone call from Gatsby at Daisy's bidding- lunch tomorrow at her house. Note the temperature the next day. The hottest day of the year. The story intensity rises as much as the temperature. A couple things to note during this luncheon: -Tom is talking to Myrtle's husband on the phone telling him he won't sell him his car. The stringing along continues. -Daisy sends Tom out of the room to make drinks. While he is away, she kisses Gatsby on the lips and declares her love in front of Nick and Jordan. -Tom and Daisy's little girl, Pammy, comes into the room. Fitzgerald tells us that Gatsby is "shocked" by her. That he almost didn't "believe she existed." There is no possibility of going completely back in the past and picking things up where they left off. There's a child involved! Daisy does try and reassure Gatsby with the fact that the child resembles her and not Tom. Then comes Daisy's request to drive to town. Here she makes the mistake (or maybe it's done on purpose) to reveal to Tom her feelings for Gatsby. He sees it in how Daisy looks at Gatsby and he is shocked. Struggling to get a hold of himself, he agrees to the idea of the drive. Tom declares he will drive Gatsby's car. He attempts to get Daisy to go with him, but she sidesteps him and jumps in with Gatsby in Tom's car. Nick and Jordan ride with Tom, and the fateful drive that will settle the uncertainties once and for all begins. First stop, Wilson's Gas Station in the Valley of Ashes, under the watching eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Wilson is heartsick. He knows Myrtle has been messing around behind his back. He just doesn't know with whom. They're leaving town. Looking out of the window, is Myrtle. She sees Jordan by Tom in Gatsby's car, assumes she is Daisy, and is overcome with jealousy. Tom's world is falling apart. He is losing both his wife and his mistress, but he isn't going to go down without a fight. So it begins in the hotel room. The reference to the imposter, Biloxi, from Tom and Daisy's wedding. The snide slide from Biloxi to the possibility of Gatsby being a bit of an imposter happens. Except, Tom got it wrong. Gatsby really was an Oxford man for a short stretch, thanks to his service in the war. Gatsby was telling the truth but now Gatsby's had enough. It's time to lay all his cards on the table - well, maybe really Daisy's cards. Gatsby blurts out that Daisy never really loved Tom. She only loves him.Did you love Tom's passionate response. The one that included the part about Daisy "gets foolish ideas in her head" and "doesn't know what she's doing." Then he tops it off with the heartfelt declaration that even though he messed around once in a while, he really only loves Daisy.  Score points for that revelation. (Any women out there moved by this winner - especially when Daisy shares why they had to leave Chicago?), but Daisy cannot bring herself to say she never loved Tom. There was a time that she did. Now the truth starts to spill out about where Gatsby's money comes from - his "drugstore" business with Wolfshiem, but there's something bigger in the works. Now Gatsby begins losing Daisy. Daisy with the money in her voice. Tom knows he has the upper hand. Their little excursion is over and Tom tells Daisy to ride home with Gatsby in Gatsby's car. The little "flirtation" is done, but the action of the night is not. We gotta throw in the fact that it's Nick's 30th birthday. Happy birthday, Nick. And then we're back at Wilson's Garage. Myrtle's locked up so she can't run around, but she escapes and sees the car that Tom drove earlier come down the road. (Gatsby's car- remember,?) She runs out in the road, attempting to flag the car down, and escape. The car never stops. It runs over her, and Myrtle is dead instantly. Driving a bit behind, Tom comes upon the accident. Wilson goes berserk. He knows what car hit his wife, and so does Tom. We all think that Gatsby was driving the car. Were you shocked to find out it was Daisy behind the wheel? The chapter wraps up with Gatsby outside Tom and Daisy's House standing guard, wanting to make sure Tom doesn't abuse her. He walks up to a shaded window and peeks in to see Tom and Daisy sitting across from each other. They're earnestly talking and Tom's hand is over top of hers. Gatsby's plan is unraveling. There are so many additions you can add! Take it away!

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald Fitzgerald starts Chapter 8 off brilliantly. There's nothing like foreshadowing and imagery (metaphor) to get things started. -Nick feels like he must warn Gatsby about something. (Foreshadowing) -The metaphorical imagery of Daisy coming to the window and turning the light off. The relationship is over. It is here that Gatsby's story comes out that we read in chapter 6. The transformation of James Gatz to Jay Gatsby comes to light. From here he goes on to tell the story of how he and Daisy met. She is his "Holy Grail" pursuit in life. His ticket to the lifestyle he desired. Falling in love along the way wasn't the plan. After going to war, going to Oxford, and coming home to find he lost Daisy, we see Gatsby stretch out his hand as if to hold onto a piece of her, to grab the air as he leaves town. But what does he hold in that grasp? Nothing but emptiness. Suddenly, that stretch out of his arms makes sense the night that Nick first sees him. His reach towards the house where Daisy resides. So now, as Nick leaves to go to work, he gives Gatsby the only compliment he ever did. "They're a rotten bunch. You're worth the whole **** bunch put together." We know something is going to happen, and the fact that Nick knew he said this to Gatsby brought him comfort later, a bit of closure. As Nick leaves, Gatsby decides to take a swim for the first time that summer. Meanwhile, George goes off his rocker. You gotta love Fitzgerald's use of the eyes here and George's escape. Back to Gatsby - as he floats around his pool, the world takes on a different appearance to Gatsby. He lived for one pursuit, one dream and now it's gone. The world now is "frightening leaves, a grotesque rose, etc." Then the shots are heard. A murder/suicide has occurred as Gatsby is dead in the pool and George Wilson is dead in the grass.

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald It's time to wrap up The Great Gatsby! I hope you have enjoyed the twists and turns that have popped up along the way. I also hope that this book gave you some pause to think about what in life you are pursuing and the value or worth of those pursuits. As I said before, Fitzgerald doesn't come out and tell us the "rights or wrongs" of his characters' actions, but he does let the consequences naturally come to light. With that being said, let's take a look at this last chapter and then lay The Great Gatsby to rest. On the morning my high school literature class discussed this last chapter, most of the teens had one question on their mind. Is Gatsby really dead? After all, he talks to Nick in this chapter, doesn't he? Yes, Gatsby is dead. The talking that occurs is in Nick's brain. Everyone has deserted Gatsby, and he's begging to not be left alone. Nick strikes out to find someone to mourn his passing. Daisy? Gone. Guilty- but gone. Wolfshiem? Can't get mixed up in the situation when someone's been killed. Business associates? Silence on the line. Party Attenders? No where to be found. Three people show up to mourn Gatsby. Nick, Gatsby's father (who loved him and was proud of him despite Gatsby leaving), and the man with the owl-rimmed glasses who oohed and awed over the real books in the library. I have thought about why he showed up and my guess is he saw something real and genuine in Gatsby that day. This chapter is written two years after the events happened and Nick reminiscences back to his college days. Coming back home to the west on the trains for the holidays, the knowing of each other and stepping back into their place of comfort - this is home. Not the east. Nick knows none of them actually made it as an easterner. So back to the west he goes, but before he does he says goodbye to Jordan. Thoughts on Nick's run in finally with Tom? Did you wonder who put Wilson on to Gatsby? My heart ached as I read, " They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..." There are a lot of Toms and Daisys in the world today. The book ends with a juxtaposition of the Dutch explorers' future when they discovered the land the story takes place on and Gatsby's hope for his future with Daisy. The only problem? One group was moving forward to new dreams with everything they had. The other was desperately trying to resurrect a dead past with everything he had. So what are you chasing? Is it worth the pursuit? Are you doing it with people who are your true friends? Just a few thoughts for a snowy, January day.

THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTOR by Tea Cooper The Butterfly Collector is a moving story set in Australia. The story bounces back and forth between 1868 and 1922 and revolves around the difficult topic of baby farming. Baby farming was the practice of taking young women who found themselves in unwed pregnancy situations, giving them a place to birth, and then, with parent's permission, putting the babies up for adoption. The distasteful part of the practice was the "adoption" was actually the selling of the babies for high profits. Often the babies were kept in terrible conditions and sometimes died as a result. Verity Binks is waiting for her big break in the world of journalism. When an anonymous package puts her on the trail of a story that holds that possibility, she jumps at the opportunity never guessing that her family is at the heart of the story she is pursuing. The more she digs up, the more she must determine if she will have the courage to follow this story to the end. HEADS UP- There are a total of 2 swear words. The book does deal with the difficult topic of unwed pregnancy. There are no intimate details of how the pregnancies come about.

MAI'S AO DAI by Thai Nguyen and Monique Truong. Illustrated by Dung Ho. I don't typically give a heads up in picture books, but there is something to be aware of in this one. It's the first day of the Lunar New Year for Mai, and with it comes a new outfit. Mai is hoping for a dress that will make her a star and is greatly disappointed when she learns it will be an ao dai, a traditional Vietnamese outfit. That's not worthy of a star, is it? Then Mai's father shares the story of why they wear an ao dai. It is in honor of her grandmother who was well known for her sewing abilities and every year made a new one for each of her family members. It is a way to acknowledge a "star" in their family. Her grandmother's eyes are now weak and can no longer make the clothes for the family, but she taught her children (including Mai's father) how to make them, and so the tradition lives on. This is overall a beautiful story with a nod to the importance of heritage and tradition. HEADS UP - Mai has two dads.

SOY SAUCE by Laura G. Lee Wow, is Soy Sauce a super fun read which is why I am adding it to my TOP PICKS list! With the Chinese New Year right around the corner , Soy Sauce is a great read to incorporate. Who would have known soy sauce could be such an interesting topic? Author Laura G. Lee takes readers through the process of making soy sauce and tucks into the pages references to the many different variations of soy sauce based on various Asian cultures. She concludes the book with a nod to the fact that no matter where Asian children go or who shares their food with them, they take a piece of their heritage with them when they use soy sauce. While not exactly rhyming, the book is lyrical and flows as smoothly as the soy sauce it talks about. Be sure and check Lee's author's notes at the end of the book. They are well worth it! I have to praise Lee's artwork in Soy Sauce. The illustrations are delightful. Full of action and life, they are created with watercolors, colored pencils, and soy sauce! How cool is that?! ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- It's been a while since I've added this element to a book here, but Soy Sauce is too prime a candidate to miss! -Locate China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia on the map. Spend a little time learning about each of the cultures. - This would be a bit of an expensive endeavor, but see if you can get your hands on the different variations of soy sauce. Cook up a simple Asian stir fry dish. Divide the dish and use the different soy sauces. Vote on your favorite variation. -Discuss fermentation. Name other fermented foods and the countries the foods come from. - Cook up some Asian food. We love Chinese and Thai food at our house! (We're not as familiar with Japanese or Korean, but I'm sure we would love it as well!) I am including one of our family's favorite recipes using soy sauce. https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/teriyaki-chicken/