Symbolism in Chapters 1-4

Thus far the most interesting thing that I have found is the mystery that surrounds Jay Gatsby. It is said at the beginning of the book that he "represented everything for which I [Nick] have an unaffected scorn for. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him"(2) but based on what is currently happening Nick doesn't really trust Gatsby. He doesn't know whether he can be trusted or not and the fact that Gatsby just so happens to have all this proof to back up his story is rather suspicious. The fact that Nick doesn't know whether or not he can trust Gatsby makes the story more interesting in mind. I feel like I have to keep reading to know whether I should trust Gatsby even though he is already my favorite character. To be honest, Nick's opinion of Gatsby doesn't affect how much I like him, its just something that I feel the need to find out.
Gatsby's house is associated with the color blue, mostly the garden. And blue is associated with sadness. I find this kind of ironic because there are such wild and crazy parties there that you would think that Gatsby would be associated with a more happy color. But now that I have read Chapter 4 I can see that the garden being associated with the color blue because he is sad. He purchased his house so that he could be near his lost love, Daisy, and he keeps hoping that he will see her and hopefully end up with her in the end.

The Great Gatsby

Daisy is described as being beautiful. She is also rich and is the type of person who pretends to be fine no matter what is going on in her life, for example, Tom (her husband) is cheating on her and she knows about it because she goes inside to listen to his phone call and then they fight but she acts like everything is fine. She is also described as one of the rich people who has everything but thinks they have nothing. She tells Nick that she wants her daughter to be a fool because " 'that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool'"(17) because she knows that it is better to be ignorant (and not know that her husband is cheating) than be smart and be unliked by men. Tom is Daisy's husband and he is portrayed as a racist. He is also described as "a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking specimen"(12). Tom and Nick went to Yale together. Nick describes Jordan by saying " Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget"(9). He thinks that she is very beautiful and learns that she is a female golfer and that she is basically being set up with him by Daisy and Tom. Nick is not rich but his parents are. He also says "I'm inclined to reserve all judgments , a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores" (1). He does not judge people and is rather sarcastic.
So far I find the book rather boring but that's not to say that it won't pick up. The writing style is not something that I am used to so thus far I am not totally able to understand it, but I think I will be able to catch on. The color white has been introduced and is used to describe Jordan and Daisy as both light and beauty.

Anticipating the Great Gatsby

Based on the research that we have had to do I think that The Great Gatsby will be set in the 1920's during Prohibition. I have a feeling that there will be an emphasis on rum running and other organized crime. I think that this will be an interesting read. I personally love the fashion that came out of the 20's. There will probably be dances and "loose women" somewhere in the story line. It could possibly have a depressing tone or mood because there was the laws banning alcohol and it was around the same time as the great depression.
I really like learning about the flappers. It was a time of great development and breaking of stereotypes. But most of all I enjoyed learning about the organized crime. Frankly I've spent a lot of time watching The Sopranos with my Dad so it has perked my interest in some of the classic gangsters. Of course I've heard of Al Capone but I was unsure of what it was that he was actually famous for, other than being in Alcatraz. It should be an interesting read.