MeganRitter

The part I remember best from the story of one of his feasts is the part when Trimalchio's slaves bring out the pig on a platter. When they take the big knife and slice open the pig, the pig's insides are stuffed with birds. (It's been a long time since I read it, and anyway the noun declensions were a little funky, so I can't remember if the birds were dead or alive, but I think they were alive.) This to me is a symbol for Gatsby. The pig is the big, grand, thing that we see - the Romans associated pork with luxury, even if the pig is on the dirty, smelly side. The birds, meanwhile, are smaller and hidden and not so associated with the good things of life, but they are creatures of sweetness and innocence. To me, Trimalchio's weird idea to stick the birds inside the pig symbolizes how the best parts of Gatsby's character - his steadfast unyielding love for Daisy - is hidden inside the somewhat shady giver of lavish parties.