Miriam Rock

Masters Portfolio
Appendix C, Artifacts 4-6

Artifact C4, Nicoles Body Paragraph, Fitzgerald Paper

In the passage The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on
which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were
both in white and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back
in after a short flight around the house. I must have stood for a few moments listening to the
whip and snap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall. Then there was a boom
as Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows and the caught wind died out about the room, and
the curtains and the rugs and the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor., it
foreshadows how Tom deflates women. The two young women symbolize Daisy and Myrtle,
and the white colored dresses symbolized their innocence and lack of knowing of whats in
store for them. When Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows it symbolizes how he stopped
the two women from having the idea of a fairy tale love story with him. The women both
thought that they were the apple of his eye until they become aware of each other. Then in
conclusion the caught wind died about the room, and curtains and the rugs and the two
young women ballooned slowly to the floor, which symbolizes how their dream with Tom
gets ruined and also their internal feelings about how Tom treats the both of them.
Artifact C5: Anastasias Body Paragraph, Fitzgerald Paper
In Myrtles case, her dream is unattainable, just as Gatsbys. Myrtle griping over not having a
good husband and explains her dissatisfaction with him with, I married [Mr. Wilson]
because I thought he was a gentleman, she said finally I thought he knew something about
breeding, but he wasnt fit to lick my shoe. (Fitzgerald 38) This is further reinforced by
Catherines explanation of both Tom and Myrtle with, "Neither of them can stand the person
they're married to...If I was them I'd get a divorce and get married to each other right away."
(Fitzgerald, 37) Daisys relationship with Tom, Nicks description of Tom as someone with a
presence that says, Now, dont think my opinion on these matters is final,...just because Im
stronger and more of a man than you are. and Buchanans trysts with other women show
that hes got a lot of qualities that might appeal to a woman. (Fitzgerald, 9) In other words, for
a lowly girl like Myrtle, whom Jordan refers to as some woman in New York[who should]
have the decency not to telephone him at dinner-time, to spark any amount of interest from
Tom the Athlete is uncanny. (Fitzgerald 18) Moreover, the proof that Myrtles dream is
unreachable lies in the way Tom treats her. After needlessly repeating Daisys name, and
possibly awakening Toms moral consciousness, Tom strikes her as if she were some
disposable piece of rubble. On top of that, among Myrtles competition for Toms affections
lies a chambermaid that he was caught driving with in the middle of the night. Compared to
Daisy, Myrtle and the nameless chambermaid are probably seen as equals because theyre
both taking care of Toms needs in the bedroom but do not have access to any substantial
amount of emotional connectivity to Tom. Whats worse is that Myrtle, a woman who already
holds some amount of animosity towards Daisy is ran over by the same woman she envies.
This is symbolism best described by Nick who says that he and Gatsby [and Myrtle also] are
boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. (Fitzgerald 193) Fitzgerald
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may not have been thinking this deeply about Myrtle but being run over by a car is as fruitless
as sailing against currents. It just shows that by nature, Daisy will always be one step ahead of
people like Myrtle and that Tom, strong and flashy, like Gatsbys car, is just going with the
current. Hes choosing to beat Myrtle and treat Daisy like a concubine because its a lot easier
than being his own person and settling down with one woman.
Artifact C6: Nems Body Paragraph, Fitzgerald Paper
Having achieved the wealth she gained from being with Tom, Daisy became manipulative and
careless of Gatsby and his attention; she led Gatsby on when it was convenient for her to do
so, liking the attention and wealth that Gatsby now gives her, and when Tom and Gatsby
finally interrogated her, asking her to denounce her love for the other, she didnt know what to
do. She hesitated. Her eyes fell on Jordan and me with a sort of appeal, as though she
realized at last what she was doingand as though she had never, all along, intended doing
anything at all. (Fitzgerald, 139); all along, shes been playing and having fun leading Gatsby
on without really thinking of the consequences her actions bring, and once confronted, she
doesnt know what to do. She likes the attention Gatsby gives her, but readily throws it away
when faced with that kind of choice. Her American Dream had been fulfilled long since she
married Tom, and so she feels entitled to Gatsby and his affection, playing with them and
tossing it away like a child would with a toy, without giving the slightest regard to how Gatsby
feels; having fulfilled what she holds to be the American dream in a sense corrupted her and
her way of thinking.