Great Gatsby Quotes

Themes: Social status, American Dream, Gender (masculinity/ women),Land (East & West))

^^*‘…what preyed…’*^^

Nick on Gatsby Ch.1

American Dream

*it is* __*what preyed*__ *on Gatsby*

^^*‘wild promise… mystery and beauty…’*^^

contrast to *‘*^^*dead man’*^^

Nick describing New York Ch.1

American Dream/ the Land

*‘first* __*wild promise*__ *of all the* __*mystery and beauty*__ *in the world’*

*‘a dead man passed us in a hearse’*

^^'*‘only… pursued… busy…’*^^

Gatsby Ch.4

American Dream (polarity)

*there are* __*onl*__*y the* __*pursued*__ *and* __*pursuing*__*, the* __*busy*__ *and the* __*tired*__

^^*‘colossal significance… vanished’*^^

Nick about Gatsby Ch.5

American Dream (green light)

*the* __*colossal significance*__ *of that light had now vanished forever*

^^*‘…tumbled short… colossal…’*^^

Nick about Gatsby’s view of Daisy Ch.5

*Daisy* __*tumbled short*__*… of the* __*colossal*__ *vitality of his illusion'*

^^*‘…over nothing’*^^

Nick about Gatsby Ch.7

American Dream

*watching over* __*nothing*__

^^‘*clutching… hope’*^^

Nick about Gatsby to Daisy Ch.7

American Dream

*‘*__*clutching*__ *at some last* __*hope’*__

^^*‘paid… price… too long… single’*^^

Nick about George Ch.8

American Dream

__*paid*__ *the* __*high price*__ *of living* __*too long*__ *with a* __*single dream*__

^^*‘…ghosts… breathing…’*^^

Nick about lower echelons Ch.8

American Dream

*poor* __*ghosts*__*,* __*breathing dreams*__ *like air*

^^*‘…believed in…’*^^

Nick about Gatsby Ch.9

*Gatsby* __*believed in*__ *the green light*

^^*‘his dream… so close… hardly fail […] already behind…’*^^

Nick about Gatsby Ch.9

American Dream

*his* __*dream*__ *must have seemed* __*so close*__ *that he could* __*hardly fail*__ *to grasp it … he didn’t know it was* __*already behind*__ *him*

^^*‘…beat on, boats… borne’*^^

Nick Ch.9

American Dream (the past)

*so we* __*beat on, boats*__ *against the current,* __*borne*__ *ceaselessly into the past*

*‘**drifted… unrestfully…polo… together’*

Tom & Daisy

Social Status (wealth)

*drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together*

*‘…careless people… smashed… retreated… money… vast…’*

Nick about Tom & Daisy Ch.9

Social Status (wealth)

*They were* __*careless people*__ *Tom and Daisy- they* __*smashed*__ *up things and creatures and* __*retreated*__ *back into their* __*money*__ *or* __*vast*__ *carelessness*

*‘appalled by…’*

Nick about Daisy Ch.6

Social Status

*She was* __*appalled by*__ *West Egg*

*‘such… shirts’*

Daisy to Gatsby Ch.5

Social Status (materialism, wealth)

*‘They are* __*such*__ *beautiful* __*shirts’*__ *she sobbed*

*‘…voice… full…’*

Gatsby to Nick about Dasiy Ch.7

Social Status (materialism, wealth)

*Her* __*voice*__ *is* __*full*__ *of money*

*‘…vanished… rich…full.. nothing’*

Nick about Daisy Ch.8

Social Status (wealth)

*She* __*vanished*__ *into her* __*rich*__ *house, her* *rich* __*full*__ *life, leaving Gatsby-* __*nothing*__

*‘golden’*

Daisy Ch.7

Social Status/ American Dream

__*golden*__ *girl*

*‘…gleaming…silver… safe… struggles’*

Daisy Ch.8

Social Status (wealth)

*Daisy* __*gleaming*__ *like* __*silver*__*,* __*safe*__ *and proud above the hot* __*struggles*__ *of the poor*

*‘…bug’*

Gatsby’s car Ch.3

Social Status

__*yellow*__ *bug*

*‘cream…’ / ‘dull…’ ‘/ swollen…monstrous’*

Gatsby’s car & possessions

Social Status (wealth, colour imagery)

*rich* __*cream*__ *colour*

__*dull*__ *gold*

__*swollen*__*… in its* __*monstrous*__ *length*

‘*factual… Normandy’*

Nick about Gatsby’s mansion Ch.1

Social Status (Old money/ Old world)

__*factual imitation*__ *of some Hotel de Ville in* __*Normandy*__

*‘…enormous… identical… separated’*

West and East Egg Ch.1

Social Status/ Land (Old vs New money)

*a pair of* __*enormous eggs*__*, identical in contour and* __*separated*__ *only by a courtesy bay*

*‘West… fashionable’*

Nick about West Egg Ch.1

Social Status/ Land (Old vs New money)

__*West Egg-*__ *the* __*less*__ __*fashionable*__ *of the two*

*‘sudden emptiness’*

Nick on Gatsby after the party Ch.3

Social Status (isolation)

*a* __*sudden emptiness*__ *seemed to flow*

*‘…like moths’*

Nick on party guests Ch.3

Social Status (wealth)

*came and went* __*like moths*__

^^*‘…never… still’*^^

^^*‘running…overwound…’*^^

Nick on Gatsby

American Dream (effects of past, time)

*he was* __*never*__ *quite* __*still*__

*running down like an* __*overwound clock*__

^^*‘Can’t repeat…?…’*^^

^^*recover*^^

Gatsby/ Nick on Gatsby Ch.6

American Dream (time/ the past)

__*Can’t repeat*__ *the past?… Of course you can*

*wanted to* __*recover*__ *something*

*‘…shiftless and.. farm people’*

Nick on Gatsby’s parents Ch.6

Social Status (poor)

*his parents were* __*shiftless*__ *and unsuccessful* __*farm people*__

*‘purposeless…’*

Nick on Gatsby Ch.4

Social Status (wealth)

__*purposeless*__ *wealth*

*‘…yacht…beauty and glamour’*

Gatsby Ch.6

Social Status (materialism)

*that* __*yacht*__ *represented all the* __*beauty and glamour*__ *in the world*

*‘Nobody…’ :(*

Nick about Gatsby’s funeral

Social Status (isolation)

__*Nobody*__ *came*

*‘eyes of… T.J … yellow spec…’*

T.J Eckleburg Ch.2

Social Status (materialism, social decay)

*the* __*eyes*__ *of Doctor* __*T.J Eckleburg…*__ *enormous* __*yellow spectacles*__

*‘ash-grey… impenetrable’*

Valley of Ashes Ch.2

Social Status (poor)

*the* __*ash-grey*__ *men… stir up an* __*impenetrable*__ *cloud*

*‘spiritless… / as if he…’*

George Wilson Ch.2

Social Status (poor)

__*spiritless*__ *man, anaemic*

as if he were a __ghost__

*Valley…*

Ch.2

Social Status (poor)

lol just ‘Valley of Ashes’ as a quote

*‘…like a doll’*

Tom to George Ch.7

Social Status (power of wealthy)

*Picking up Wilson l*__*ike a doll*__

*spotted dress… perceptible…*

Myrtle's first introduction Ch.2

Social Status (social mobility, imitation of wealth)

__*spotted dress*__ *of dark blue…* __*perceptible vitality*__

*‘…entirely too…’/ ‘small…small…small…’*

Myrtle and Tom’s apartment Ch.2

Social Status

*furniture* __*entirely too*__ *large for it*

__*small*__ *living room* __*small*__ *dining room* __*small*__ *bedroom*

*‘…changed… costume’*

Myrtle Ch.2

Social Status (social mobility, imitation of wealth)

*Mrs Wilson had c*__*hanged*__ *her* __*costume*__

*‘…peering… car’*

Myrtle Ch.7

Social Status (social mobility)

*Myrtle Wilson was* __*peering*__ *down at the* __*car*__

*‘mingled… blood… dust’*

Myrtle’s death Ch.7

Social Status (inescapability of social strata)

*mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust*

*‘it occurred… no difference’*

Nick on Tom and George Ch.7

Social Status

*it* __*occurred*__ *to me there was* __*no difference*__ *between men*

*‘… get married… church? … long time’*

Tom to George

Wealth/materialism replacing religion

*Didn’t you get* __*married*__ *in a* __*church*__*?*

*That was a* __*long time*__ *ago*

*‘while church bells… world… returned…’*

Nick Ch.4

Materialism replacing religion

*while* __*church bells*__ *rang … the* __*world*__ *and its mistress returned to Gatsby’s house*

==*‘….acute limited… savours… anti-climax’*==

Tom Ch.1

Gender (masculinity)

*reached such an* __*acute limited excellence*__ *at twenty-one that everything* __*afterward savours*__ *of* __*anti-climax*__

==*‘…physical accomplishments’*==

Tom Ch.2

Gender (masculinity)

*her husband among various* __*physical accomplishments*__

==*‘Tom remained… polo player… rest’*==

Tom Ch.6

Gender (masculinity)

*Tom* __*remained*__ *the ‘*__*polo player’*__ *for the* __*rest*__ *of the evening*

==*‘the best thing… little fool’*==

Daisy to her daughter Ch.1

*the* __*best thing*__ *a girl can be in this world is a* __*beautiful little fool*__

==*‘…moustache… perspiration/ slender…/ jaunty’*==

Jordan

Gender (women)

*faint* __*moustache*__ *of* __*perspiration*__

__*slender*__ *golf arms*

*hard* __*jaunty*__ *body*

==*‘silver idols… white dresses’*==

Daisy and Jordan Ch.7

Gender (women)

__*silver idols*__ *weighing down their own* __*white dresses*__

%%*‘…breast*%% ==*swinging…’*==

Myrtle’s death Ch.7

Gender/ Land

*her left* __*breast swinging*__ *loose like a flap*

%%*‘Dutch sailor’s…- green breast’*%%

Ch.9

Land

__*Dutch sailor’s*__ *eyes- a fresh,* __*green breast*__ *of the new world*

%%*‘East excited… quality of…’*%%

Nick on New York Ch.9

Land

__*East excited*__ *me most (but always has)* __*quality of distortion*__

%%*‘always liked… East’*%%

Mr Gatz on Gatsby Ch.9

Land

*Jimmy* __*always liked*__ *it better down* __*East*__

%%*‘haunted… East’*%%

Nick on Gatsby Ch.9

Land

*Gatsby’s death* __*haunted*__ *the* __*East*__