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February 20, 2006
The Great Gatsby (1925)
Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925) -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)
I just finished reading chapters 1-3 and the sentence that stood out to me was on page one,chapter 1. "Whenever you feel like critizing anyone,"he told me, "just remember that all people in the world haven't had the advantages that you have had." This statement is the one that is considered snobbish and that I feel that it is one that should be looked at seriously. If you think about the way people critize and put others down just think of where you came from and where they came from. This is the starting point of this chapter and upon reading the other two chapters the characters are rich, and well off and not a care in the world. Tom who is a cheat and cheating on his wife, however I think she is cheating on him as well.
Posted by LisaRandolph at February 20, 2006 1:00 AM
Comments
FSF starts his novel with your choice of quote about being empathy and advantage. Thank you for reminding me, because without your blog, I wouldn't have thought about it in terms of how the characters of Gatsby and Carraway evolve. Although the reader has no way of knowing it at the time, I think that Carraway is alluding to Gatsby, a man of significant material means, yet otherwise disadvantaged (by generosity?). Without this opening remark, the whole tone of the novel would be very different.
Posted by: Brenda Christeleit at February 20, 2006 11:01 AM