Parties

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

In chapter three, Nick Carraway received his first taste of one of Gatsby's parties. Prior to the party, Nick noted various preparations which included the delivery of five crates of oranges and lemons (that were to be squeezed at the press of a button), the arrival of many caterers, and the arrival of an orchestra. To say the least, Gatsby's parties display extravagance and wealth. I find interesting the loose morals that Fitzgerald emphasizes during the party scene. "Suddenly one of these gypsies, in trembling opal, seizes a cocktail out of the air, dumps it down for courage and, moving her hands like Frisco, dances out alone on the canvas platform" (Fitzgerald, 41). When Fitzgerald mentions Frisco in this quote, he is stating that the young girl is dancing as a Vaudeville performer would. Some believed that morals loosened due to dance. However, Fitzgerald attributes the loose morals to alcohol consumption. Prohibition was an issue at the time, but apparently wealth surpassed the law. "...champagne was served in glasses bigger than finger-bowls" (Fitzgerald, 46). 

Finger-bowls were quite large, so glasses bigger than that filled with champagne were sure to intoxicate the guests. The more people drank, the wilder the party became. One man admitted to being drunk for the past week, while others did "stunts" in the garden. By exposing actions that people were taking at the time, Fitzgerald calls for people to rethink their immoral decisions.

Shocked and Kind of Confused

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

As I read through chapter two, I kept asking myself the same couple questions: What? and Are you serious? As we found out in the first chapter, Tom Buchanan has a mistress in New York. I was slightly surprised by this early finding, but I thought that this would be something kept secret and eventually revealed throughout the novel. I was dumbfounded when Tom took Nick to meet his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, but I was shocked when Tom met with his mistress in front of her husband. Clearly both Tom and Myrtle know of each other's marriages, but I wonder how much their spouses know. Mr. Wilson does not seem to be aware of his wife's extramarital affairs, but I would surmise that if he knew, he would not alienate Tom because of the greatly needed business Tom brings to the garage. This leaves Daisy. I would guess that Daisy knows of Tom's affair, seeing how he is so open about it with Nick. Daisy seems to want to continue her marriage, but she also seems to soft-spoken to confront to her abrasive husband about his affair. 

On the other side, neither Myrtle nor Tom will end their marriages to be together. This surprised me because Tom has such an abrupt personality that I thought he would be quick to act upon his relationship with Myrtle. I think that something more is happening with Tom that is keeping him from leaving Daisy. In addition, Myrtle seems to want to marry Tom, but I think that, for financial reasons, she would wait to divorce her husband until Tom is in a position to commit solely to her. I also think that Myrtle is becoming impatient with waiting on Tom. "'Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!' shouted Mrs. Wilson. 'I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai---'" (Fitzgerald, 37).  To me, this shows that Myrtle feels as if Tom is cheating on her with Daisy. In addition, this quote led to my greatest feeling of irritation when Tom reacted to Myrtle's statement by breaking her nose. ARE YOU SERIOUS? This just cries out anger management issues.

After this I was a little confused. Perhaps I was still taken back by Tom breaking Myrtle's nose to end their argument, or maybe I was just confused by the fact that Nick ended the chapter standing over Mr. Mckee who was in bed in his underwear. Either way, the last page of the chapter leaves me befuddled and wondering: What just happened?

Time and Place

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be - will be utterly submerged" (Fitzgerald, 13).

To me, this quote reveals a great amount about American society during the 1920s. So many people at the time were strong racists, and their views affected their everyday lives. Tom Buchanan felt a strong sense of superiority over non-white races, but I also feel like this sense of superiority carried over into his relationships with other Caucasians. For example, Tom seems to look down upon Nick Carraway. This might be the result of a difference in wealth, but nevertheless, looking down on others is something that Tom seems to do quite a bit. Tom insists that whites produced all aspects of civilization. 

Louis Armstrong

As we know, this is far from true. American culture resulted from a melting pot of other cultures. Without the help of other races, the US would not have developed into the diverse and flourishing nation that it was in the 1920s. For example, jazz developed during the 1920s, and some of the most well known musicians, like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, were African Americans. Tom, like many other whites at the time, discriminated against African Americans even though he probably enjoyed the music that they created. I think a lesson we can all take away from this is that every person, no matter their race, contributes an essential piece of culture to civilization.

Meet the Characters

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

As the novel opens, Fitzgerald reveals quite a few personality traits of the characters introduced. Already, I have met Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Miss Baker, Daisy, and the mysterious Gatsby. 

Carraway, the narrator, is a somewhat passive, cautious, and patient man. He grew up in the mid-west, but after fighting in the Great War (WWI), he moved to the East in search of more excitement. So far, he seems to be set apart from the other characters who are far richer than he is. I expect Fitzgerald will indirectly reveal many other characteristics as the novel progresses.

Another character, Tom Buchanan interests me quite a bit. So far, he appears to be fiery, pushy, harsh, arrogant, rude, and many other adjectives along those lines. "Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward" (Fitzgerald, 7). Through quotes like this, Fitzgerald directly tells the reader qualities of this explosive character. He seems to be controlling, and I think that because of this he will cause problems later on in the novel.

Miss Baker, presented with less prominence than other characters, appears to be of wealth. She seemed to look down upon Carraway by ignoring him when he first entered and when they ate dinner with the Buchanans. Despite this seemingly uninterested start, I would guess that some type of friendship or romance could develop between Miss Baker and Carraway. 

In addition to Miss Baker, Fitzgerald also presented Daisy Buchanan. Daisy seems to be polite, especially when compared to her husband. Although, I am curious about this relationship. The two seem very opposite, yet they appear to get along fairly well. "I know you didn't mean to, but you did do it. That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big hulking physical specimen of a ---" (Fitzgerald, 12). In this conversation, Daisy seems to tease her husband in a playful kind of way, which makes their relationship seem to be a good one. I am curious to know if their relationship will change. 

Finally, the Great Gatsby was introduced at the beginning of this novel. So far I have learned that he is the wealthy neighbor of Carraway, but other than this, he seems to be fairly mysterious. Fitzgerald mentioned him multiple times through various characters, yet he still remains a mystery to me. He is obviously extremely important otherwise the novel would not be named The Great Gatsby. I don't quite know how he will fit into the plot. Perhaps he and Daisy will develop a relationship. I say this because when Gatsby's name was mentioned, she seemed like she had something to hide. Lets see what happens!

Possibilities

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

 
 

 Just kidding

As the novel comes to a close, I have to say that I am saddened by the outcome of the story line. Lily spent her entire life searching for happiness. Misguided at first to believe that a lavish life was the solution, Lily struggled to realize that Selden made her happy. The two loved each other but resisted to be together. I wonder how Lily's life could have been different had she allowed herself to marry Selden, or any man for that matter. 

Here is my breakdown of how the story could have gone. 
 
If Lily had married, she would not have needed to borrow money and therefore join the Dorsets on vacation to escape her debt. If she did not join the Dorsets, then the rumors of her, which stripped her of her social prominence, would not have started, and her aunt would not have disowned her. Lily would have avoided poverty and the need to use the sleep medicine. In essence, Lily could have ended the story alive and well had she married Selden promptly after their walk at the Bellmont. (And everyone would live happily ever after)

Essentially I am just frustrated that Wharton wrote this entire novel where Lily and Selden struggled to maintain a relationship,  and she ended it with Lily's death. Honestly that seems like too easy of a solution. Plus, the magic $10,000 check appearing in the mail on the night where she was about to overdose- yeah that was too easy.  I find it unfair that Wharton was able to end the novel so easily with Lily's death, but Lily faced a great deal of time where she struggled to end her problems. 


In contrast to my disapproval of the storyline, I liked Wharton's writing style. There were a few times when I felt slightly lost in a passage, but overall this novel was easy to read. I enjoyed the dialogue between characters more than the passages of just narration because the dialogue was more engaging to me and therefore easier to understand. 


I still have one question. The novel ends with "...and in the silence there passed between them the word which made all clear" (Wharton, 268). What is the word? My guess would be love, but a number of possibilities exist. (Any ideas?)

 

Questionable Decisions

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

As the novel is coming to a close, I find myself frustrated by Lily's current situation but still hopeful that she can resolve her problems within the last section of the book. Lily, finally in a moment of determination, decided to approach Bertha Dorset in an attempt to clear her name. The novel states well that Lily's will "had finally benumbed her finer sensibilities" (Wharton, 246). Lily, after months of possessing letters, written by Bertha and addressed to Selden, finally decided to use this leverage against Bertha to regain her social standing. This act displays the desperate situation Lily faced and Lily's determination to overcome it. However, Lily stopped by Selden's apartment after unexpectedly passing it on her way to visit Bertha. In her conversation with Selden, she resolved to leave the old Lily Bart behind in his care. To me, this seemed like the end of Lily's sense of dignity and pride. At that moment, Lily felt confident in her plan to blackmail Bertha. As the conversation continued, Selden professed to Lily that she would never go out of his life (Wharton, 252). This statement revived in Lily her previous set of morals and self-dignity. I say this because Lily dropped the pack of letters into the fire. Without the letters, Lily would not hold leverage over Bertha and thus would remain in her current position of poverty. 


Lily's act of burning the letters reminds me of a scene in the book The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. In The Uglies, the main character Tally finds herself in a makeshift society. However, she was sent there to act as a spy and disclose the location of said society to the government. Although this book seems completely different from The House of Mirth, Tally performed an act similar to Lily's. Tally wore a locket that contained a tracking device. Upon a statement similar to Selden's, Tally threw the locket into the fire destroying an item that could ruin her relationship. Lily and Tally both gave up their chances of higher society because of feelings of affection. Unfortunately for Tally, destroying the locket triggered the tracking device thus disclosing her location and ultimately bringing about the exact result which she wished to avoid. I hope that Lily's choice to burn the package will not come back to haunt her.

A Change in Character

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

As the novel has progressed, I have noticed changes in Lily. Early in the novel, Lily was a prominent, young, beautiful woman whose only cares were to maintain her social standing. She shuddered at the thought of work and dinginess. Despite her efforts to avoid distaste, she found herself in the exact position which she had so hated before. Because Lily was removed from her social standing and was disowned by her family, particularly her aunt, she was forced to live on the charity of others. She allowed this for a short while, but because of her pride, which has remained throughout the novel, she sought work to support herself.
 With the help of Carry Fisher and Gerty Farish, Lily gained employment at Mme. Regina's hat shop. There, Lily found herself in a working environment surrounded by (to her standards) undesirable people. Instead of living a carefree life surrounded by wealthy people, Lily works as an equal to lifetime laborers. 

Also, the thought of her debt and other torments caused Lily to seek medication to aid her sleep. Sleeping medicine would not seem abnormal, but she gained the prescription through a copy of Mrs. Hatch's prescription. To me this seems illegal, and the way she talks of the medicine leads me to believe that she has an addiction. Before, she would never have needed medicine, let alone someone else's prescription to attain it. In this way, she has lost some of her sense of dignity.

One final aspect that signals a change in Lily is her relationship with Mr. Rosedale. Near the beginning of the novel Lily looked down on Rosedale and would not hold an honest conversation with him. Now, Lily held a completely honest conversation with Rosedale telling him everything in regard to her loan from Trenor. To my knowledge, Rosedale is one of the first people Lily told the entire story about her doings with Trenor. Upon the close of their conversation, Lily told Trenor that she would be glad to meet him again. This was "the first sincere words she had ever spoken to him" (Wharton, 238). Before her downfall from high society, Lily could twist her words to attain anything she aspired for. Now, her words are more simple and more honest, thus reflecting the simple life she is forced to live.

Fears

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

"Another, and stronger, please; if I don't keep awake now I shall see horrors tonight- perfect horrors" (Wharton, 215). 

To me, this quote seems interesting. Here, Lily asks Gerty for strong tea to keep her awake so that later she will be able to sleep instead of seeing horrors. At this point, her entire life would seem like a nightmare. I don't think that any difference is made between her nightmares and her time awake. She has created so many problems for herself that she fears her own life. I think that the phrase "perfect horrors" epitomizes Lily's life. She has worked so hard to create this perfect life for herself, but this has only earned her the loss of friends and popularity, the spread of rumors, and the threat of an ominous debt. She has spent her life chasing things that have now escaped her. Lily feels lost in their void, which the horrors now fill. I think that Lily needs to accept her position in life and stop chasing fleeting moments of luxury. Perhaps then horrors will cease.

Friends

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

Throughout the novel, Lily worked to cultivate her appearance of wealth and superiority. Her desire to maintain her appearance surpassed all else including marriage. Lily chose her friends based on their appearances and on the possibility of improving her status.  "It was success that dazzled her..." (Wharton, 195). Her superficial friends, however, quickly turned away from her upon hearing Bertha's story of their cruise. To Lily's friends,  agreeing with Bertha and shunning Lily was easier than maintaining their friendships with Lily. Despite this, Lily still desired "to get back to her former surroundings" (Wharton, 192). In order to achieve this goal, Lily must "keep up a show of prosperity" (Wharton, 200). Essentially Lily is willing to spend money she does not have to impress friends who are not hers. She spends money to appear wealthier, but in reality, every dollar she spends brings her closer and closer to debt.Lily's lust for superiority has blinded her to those who are real, such as Gerty Farish. I am frustrated that still after all this time she does not see that those people (who turned from her) are not her friends. They only kept her around because they wanted to improve their own social status. 


This happens in life today too. Some people, especially teens, choose their friends with aspirations for popularity. Some people float without direction in a crowd of people pretending to be happy simply because they like the idea of having such friends. Only later does he or she realize that their friends really are not their friends. A friend is someone who offers support no matter the circumstances/rumors. Friends bring out the best in one another and are truly themselves when around each other. In regard to the novel, I hope that Lily will learn to really embrace her friendship with Gerty and stop trying to rekindle her friendships with superficial people.

Irony

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

As book two continues, the reader discovers that Mrs. Peniston passed away. Naturally, her family gathered to listen to the reading of her last will and testament. Everyone gathered, except for the lawyers perhaps, strongly believed that Lily would receive the majority of Mrs. Peniston's estate. "It had been, in the consecrated phrase, 'always understood' that Mrs. Peniston was to provide handsomely for her niece..." (Wharton, 179). As the lawyers proceeded, it became known that Lily was to receive ten thousand dollars with the majority of the estate given to Grace Stepney. This shocked many people. I believe this to be an example of irony. The characters in the story and perhaps even the reader thought that Lily would receive the largest portion of the estate, but she did not. This ironic situation caused confusion in many of the people present for the reading of the will. I believe that this confusion reflects the chaotic life that Lily has lived within the past year or so. Her sporadic actions, which she believed to have been planned out, have culminated in one final decision of Mrs. Peniston that fails to help Lily easily fix her financial bind. Mrs. Peniston refused to pay Lily's debt while she was living, and even now in death she refuses to pay. Lily's own actions brought about her problems, and now she must act on her own to fix them.

New Place but Same Scene

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

Beginning the second book of The House of Mirth, many familiar characters find themselves together in France. This change in setting gave Lily a sense of freedom from the troubles she faced back home. "The Dorsets' invitation to go abroad with them had come as an almost miraculous release from crushing difficulties...change from one place to another seem, not merely a postponement, but a solution of her troubles" (Wharton, 157). Despite this change in setting, Lily is not truly free of the problems she previously faced. This is evident by the familiar characters who surround Lily. Her vacation is simply a different backdrop to the same scene in a play. An example of the social problems which she still faced is the argument she held with Bertha Dorset. Bertha felt that Lily's decision (to take the train alone with Mr. Dorset instead of waiting for others to arrive as planned) was the cause for the hysterical fit that George Dorset encountered. Lily, even though away from Trenor and the problems that he presented, still encounters petty problems with people who seem to be her friends. Perhaps now Lily is even more trapped than she was before because she must maintain the good friendship with the Dorsets who brought her on the trip. She cannot afford to make enemies while this far from home because unlike in New York, here she has many fewer options of places to take sanctuary if some type of argument leads to her removal from under the Dorset's care. Her time in France may be a beautiful sight, but she still faces money problems, jealousy, and resentment. These problems may be less easily fixed here rather than at her home. In the coming chapters, I hope that Lily will be aware of these potential problems and will avoid crossing anyone.

Poor Future?

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton

So far throughout the novel, Lily has struggled to maintain her wealthy appearance. Wealth has seemed to be the constant battle Lily faces whether in love or in her personal reputation. After her unexpected entrapment at the Trenor's house, Lily stayed the night at her friend Gerty's apartment. Gerty seems to be the antithesis of Lily. Gerty works for her living. She is somewhat poor (by Lily's standards), and she doesn't have the charm that Lily possesses. However, I feel as though Lily will become much like Gerty by the end of the novel. I think that this last passage I read in book one contains foreshadowing. "She (Lily) lay back, looking about the poor slit of a room with a renewal of physical distaste" (Wharton, 137). To me, this expression of disgust with Gerty's home and lifestyle, along with previous expressions of distaste for the unwealthy, led me to believe that eventually Lily will have to endure this type of lifestyle. I hope that if Lily must face this kind of lifestyle that she will do so with composure and self-responsibility.

Point of View

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton

One of the ways that Wharton tells this story is through an omniscient narrator. 

In the section that I just read, the narrator told of a series of interconnected events happening within a short time span from multiple points of view. First, the narrator takes on Lily's perspective and tells the events starting with her dinner at Mrs. Fisher's and ending with her call to the cab driver to take her to Gerty's apartment. Because the narrator told Lily's visit with Trenor from her perspective, I was able to know the types of emotions Lily was feeling while Trenor had her trapped in his house. "She felt suddenly weak and defenceless: there was a throb of self-pity in her throat" (Wharton, 118). I could only have speculated what emotions she felt if this passage had been told from Trenor's point of view.

In the meantime, the narrator told of Selden's events that happened that evening while Lily ate dinner and was trapped in Trenor's house. Although the narrator did not reveal as much insight into Selden's thoughts as with Lily, the passage played an important role in telling Selden's view of a relationship with Lily. To Selden, a relationship with Lily would be a quest to rescue her from old habits and associations. He also wondered how he could rescue her if he continued to feel swayed by the social judgements of others. The brief paragraph in which this insight was revealed shows that even just a small look into a character's thoughts can reveal important information. 

Finally, the narrator told the thoughts that Gerty felt after Selden left her apartment. Gerty began by respecting and admiring Lily, but within a short time, her thoughts drastically changed to hate. "And in her conscious impotence she lay shivering, and hated her friend - " (Wharton, 132). Gerty and Lily both wanted happiness, but would Gerty work to attain this happiness at the price of her friendship with Lily? I think that this insight into Gerty's thoughts helped to reveal potential problems that could arise in the future. Also, I think that this insight into Gerty's thoughts helped to build suspense of Lily's coming arrival at Gerty's apartment.

Communication

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton

Communication seems to be a large problem in Lily's life. In the section I just read, there were a couple different instances or problems that could have been resolved if Lily would have just sat down and had an honest conversation.

The first example of communication problems is between Lily and Grace Stepney. "...She (Grace) did not dislike Lily because the latter was brilliant and predominant, but because she thought that Lily disliked her" (Wharton, 99).  Lily's opinion towards Grace was one of indifference; however, Grace viewed Lily's indifference as unfriendliness. This mistaken feeling of animosity caused Grace to tell Lily's aunt Mrs. Peniston of the rumors about Lily. Revealing this information could and probably will cause great problems for Lily, and Grace was fully aware of this. Had Lily and Grace talked about any bitter feelings between them, potential problems could have been avoided. 


Another example of communication problems is between Lily and Mrs. Peniston. Lily faced financial problems because she did not express her need for a greater income to Mrs. Peniston. Lily took matters into her own hands and asked for a secret loan from Gus Trenor. This loan led to the rumors about Lily. Now, poor communication continues between the two because Mrs. Peniston will not confront Lily about the rumors. "But there remained in her thoughts a settled deposit of resentment against her niece, all the denser because it was not to be cleared by explanation or discussion" (Wharton, 103). Mrs. Peniston has the chance to clear away the confusion about the rumors, but she refuses in order to avoid a scene. Had Lily expressed her greater financial needs to Mrs. Peniston in the first place, then she would not have needed to have taken a secret loan from Gus Trenor. If no loan had been taken, then no rumors would have been started. The whole conflict could have been avoided if Lily would have held an honest conversation with Mrs. Peniston.

Small Character. Big Impact.

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton

In every novel, minor characters play important roles in developing the plot.  Mrs. Haffen, who was seen previously in the novel as a nameless charwoman, reappears to present Lily with a somewhat troubling situation. This woman, who saw Lily leaving Lawrence Selden's residence, mistook her for the woman who wrote a slew of letters to Selden. Mrs. Haffen, who was in desperate need of money herself,  reappeared in the story to blackmail Lily. For that brief moment, Mrs. Haffen held great power. If one holds possession of an item that another desires, then that one holds power. "I guess they're worth more to you than to me, Miss, but the poor has got to live as well as the rich" (Wharton, 86). No matter what the social status, anyone can hold power over another. Lily paid Mrs. Haffen to gain possession of the letters. I fear that Lily may fall into greater financial troubles and may eventually try to use the letters as blackmail against Mrs. Dorset, the writer of the letters.  In this regard, Lily and Mrs. Haffen are similar. Both face financial troubles, and when in desperation, they fall to, more or less, unrespectable means of gaining money to support their lifestyles. (i.e. blackmail or secret loans) It is my hope that Lily will not use the letters against anyone, but will discretely return them to their rightful owner.