Literature and Film Analysis: The Great Gatsby, Parasite, and All the Light We Cannot See

A collection of vocabulary terms and key character insights derived from lecture notes covering F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, and Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See.

"Romantic readiness"

A phrase used by Nick Carraway to describe Gatsby's character, establishing him as a uniquely aspirational figure with an extraordinary gift for hope.

Tom Buchanan

A character from East Egg characterized by Nick as having a "cruel body" and "arrogant eyes," embodying masculine dominance and class entitlement.

Meyer Wolfsheim

Gatsby’s business partner who represents corruption and the tension between an outward "gentleman" appearance and a predatory nature.

"Platonic conception of himself"

A phrase used to explain Jay Gatsby’s persona, showing that his identity is a self-invented ideal rather than a product of his actual upbringing.

Kim Ki-woo ("Kevin")

The son of the Kim family in Parasite who becomes the English tutor for Park Da-hye, initiating his family's infiltration of the Park household.

Banjiha

A subterranean semi-basement apartment that serves as the Kim family's living space, symbolizing their position at the bottom of the social ladder.

Oh Geun-sae

The husband of the original housekeeper, Moon-gwang, who secretly lives in the bunker under the Park house to escape financial ruin.

Chiaroscuro

A lighting technique used in the film's bunker scenes to create extreme light and dark contrasts, symbolizing being "non-existent" to the outside world.

The "Basement Smell"

A powerful metaphor for the scent of poverty that triggers Ki-taek's breaking point when Mr. Park reacts to it with visible disgust.

Marie-Laure

A blind French girl in "All the Light We Cannot See" who develops resilience and independence through her father's use of scale models.

Werner Pfennig

A German orphan whose fascination with radio science creates a purpose for him that eventually conflicts with Nazi ideology at Schulpforta.

Jutta Pfennig

Werner’s sister who serves as his moral conscience, famously telling him, "Don't tell lies."

Frederick

A student at the Nazi academy who represents moral courage and resistance, telling Werner, "You still believe you own your life."

Madame Manec

A character who warns against becoming accustomed to evil with the metaphor "The frog cooks."

Dr. Hauptmann

A character at Schulpforta who demonstrates science divorced from morality, telling Werner, "It's only numbers, cadet."