The Great Gatsby: Craft Post-Analysis

IB English HL 1
By: Kendra Wise, Anderson White , Ayanna Thompson
Craft: Characterization

Directions: Work with your team to analyze each name and determine underlying
nuances that Fitzgerald intentionally conveys to the reader. While doing so, consider the
root words of each name, or the materialistic objects that it may represent, or the social
connotation that it conveys. Afterwards, review this Prezi Lecture and add to your
notes—though, you should definitely find other nuances than what are explained in this
presentation!

1. James Gatz/Jay Gatsby: Gatsz means a gun and he is killed by a gun, which could
represent his impulsive nature; James means supplant and he desires to supplant/take
the place of the wealthy;
- uses force and power (gun) to seize his power in a wrongful/illegal manner

2. Daisy: the flower; bright, lighthearted, and innocent on the outside (white) and ugly or
impure on the inside (yellow). The yellow inside symbolizes her wealth and social
class(gold is money).

3. Nick Carraway: Nick means the victory of the people, which in this case relates to the
victories of the common people. His last name means Spear, however, the real meaning
behind his name comes from how it’s pronounced “carried-a-way” due to him being
carried away in Gatsby's antics to get Daisy.
- neutral name,unbiased narrator
- Nicholas II connection: watched empire crumble around them

4. Jordan Baker: Perhaps the fact that “Baker” is her last name refers to create and create
in regards to lies; Jordan also represents a non-gender specific name, particularly
prevalent as she plays golf, not the typical woman in the time period(goes against societal
norms).

5. Tom Buchanan: He is characterized like a cannon for his explosive and irrational
behavior. He is a shallow character, deserving of a basic and uninteresting name, shallow,
wealth driven

6. Myrtle: In contrast to Daisy, the flower is perceived as ugly, Myrtle is portrayed as bad,
without much insight on her true character. The flower is red that symbolizes the passion
that Tom seeks.
7. Michaelis: Michaelis’s name means “to be like god” this choice was purposeful because
Michaelis both watches over the terrible accident that occurs between Daisy and Myrtle,
which symbolizes the belief that God watches over everything. Additionally, he is
exceptionally kind towards Wilson and does everything in his power to calm Wilson.

Craft: Imagery/Colors

Directions: Consider Fitzgerald’s repetitive use of each of these colors throughout the
novel, deciphering what connotative ideas and moods the author is associating with each.
Attempt to go beyond the standard associations we make with these colors and
determine at least *THREE connections for each, with paraphrased examples from the
text. Once you have exhausted your efforts, review this Color Lecture and add to your
notes.

1. White: Represents purity and calming; blank slate; honesty; white supremacy; plain,
emptiness; new beginnings; freedoms
● Calming: in relation to Tom describing where he lives while at Gatsby’s house and
a dove-like boat is described on the water (amidst a hot day) (Fitzgerald PDF 91)
● White supremacy: in relation to Tom’s frantic connection to racism that satisfies
his own supremacy (Fitzgerald PDF 100)
● Freedoms: in relation to Gatsby’s recognition that Daisy strives toward wealth and
Nick makes the connection to the white palace of the “golden girl,” proposing
possibilities of freedoms because they are wealthy elite (Fitzgerald PDF 92)

2. Yellow: Represents corruption as well as overwhelming wealth that is used for

anything but philanthropy, cowardice
● Yellow is also used to represent death, spirits, and ghastliness as seen by Gatsby's
yellow “death car” (Fitzgerald PDF 105)
● The yellow windows when describing the apartment of Myrtle (in New York)
represent dinginess and the overall unsettling feeling of the affair
● When Tom pushes his way through the crowd to the person (Myrtle) who Gatsby
hit with his car, yellow street lights shine down; represents the final cycle of
corruption (Fitzgerald PDF 106)

3. Green: hope and prosperity of wealth, energy, possibility/opportunity, new money,

hope
● green light at end of Daisy’s dock that Gatsby looks at constantly, aspiring to
achieve wealth and Daisy, but more so wealth (Fitzgerald PDF 17, 136)
● When describing the perspective of Dtch sailors after seeing the New World, green
is mentioned and correlates to the possibility and opportunity in this new land
(Fitzgerald PDF 138)
 ● When describing his car, nick includes descriptions of Gatsby’s interior, overall
linking green to the wealth and hopefully optimistic future (Fitzgerald PDF 50)

4. Gold: the unattainable wealth and social status that everyone seeks to achieve,
precious, beauty
● Gatsby bringing a gold tie when he meets Daisy for the first time in five years
signifies his underlying devotion to wealth (Fitzgerald PDF 65)
● Gatsby golden entrance gate that he desires Daisy to walk through as she enters
his house further correlates Gatsby’s aspirations of wealth with Daisy acting as
another source of it (Fitzgerald PDF 70)
● The sample language (as above) is used in the description of Gatsby’s room,
remarkably the room where Daisy starts crying because she is astounded by all
the wealth he has (Fitzgerald PDF 71)

5. Red: passion, devotion, violence, aggression,

● Red represents passion, such as the passion between Myrtle and Tom which ends
with red blood coming out of Myrtle’s nose (Fitzgerald 37)
● The description of Gatsby’s body lying on the mattress uses great use of red blood
to signify the destruction of Gatsby at the hands of Wilson (Fitzgerald PDF 124)
● With Catherine being described as having red hair, her hair color represents the
manipulative actions as she does not drink, reflecting similar manipulation as
Gatsby and Daisy (Fitzgerald PDF 25)

6. Blue: trustworthiness, overwatching, calming, water, could also represent sadness and
depressive state
● The blue, overwatching eyes of Eckleberry’s represent a false sense of God and
essential oppression over the welathy (Fitzgerald PDF 92, etc)
● The description of the lake scenery without any external, affluent people
distractions represents the beauty and calming of the color blue (Fitzgerald PDF
28)
● The description of blue gardens that all party-goers enter to go to Gatsby’s house
represent their monotone, depressive state in life and they fill the gap with his
parties and alcohol(Fitzgerald PDF 32)

7. Grey: the desolate and melancholy lifestyle of the lower class (valley of ashes),
remnants of fire/destruction, impoverished, lack of money/wealth, uncertainty
● The valley of ashes as a whole represents the true grey connotations of poverty
and desolate depression by having all the hopeless characters (Wilson for ex) ive
there.
● The description of Wilson’s eyes after he discovers that Myrtle has been cheating
on him represent gray, foggy, uncertainty and Wilson’s lack of insight into his
future actions as he is in a psychotic state (Fitzgerald PDF 122)
 ● Baker’s eyes being described as grey could represent her true dissatisfaction with
herself as she covers it with lying (Fitzgerald PDF 11)

Craft: Setting

Directions: Fitzgerald uses these four primary locations within the novel, attaching very
specific concepts to each one. Analyze the literal name of each setting (except for New
York) and make pertinent connections to meaning; then explain what each location
represents in the context of holistic themes. Once you have discussed each one
thoroughly with your group, skim through Fitzgerald’s Use of the Four Elements and add
to your notes—it’s a long, but fascinating, article!

1. East Egg: air, East Eggs name has to do with an eggs exterior purity but inside
corruption, east coast is old money and east egg is old money within NY, above all the
other elements

2. West Egg: water, West Egg pure outside corrupted inside, new wealth from the west
coast west egg, some degree of mobility

3. The Valley of Ashes: Earth, death, The Valley of Ashes naming has to do with the dull
grey color scheme and deathly nature of the people who live there, being locked in place
and not able to move in social rank where the lower class is trapped

4. New York: Fire, excitement, passion, lust, its location is relevant because it is separated
by the valley of ashes from the Eggs showing its completely different values and morals

Craft: Symbols & Motifs

Directions: Discuss the deeper meaning of each symbol and motif as implemented by
Fitzgerald in the novel AND support with a direct quote from the book. Each one conveys a
particular THEME, so also include a theme statement in each response. You do not need
additional help with these, as we have been discussing them throughout the unit. Feel
free to even copy and paste previous responses from your analysis questions!
1. The Green Light:
- Theme: Fitzgerald utilizes the motif of the green light to symbolize maintaining
hope,even when the situation is unattainable.
- Quote: “and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and
far away, that might have been the end of a dock”
- Commentary: Multiple times throughout the novel, the reader finds Gatsby
staring off into the distance at a green light. The hope in his life is
represented by his unrealistic love for Daisy. He continually strives for this
relationship as demonstrated by his obsession with the green light. He is
unable to let go of the beauty of Daisy, much as he cannot stop staring at
the green light.

2. The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg:

- Theme: The eyes of Doctor T.H Eckleburg represent the eyes of God, which see all
the flaws in society that people are blind to.
- Quote: “sank down himself into eternal blindness,or forgot them and
moved away”(Fitzgerald 24)
- Commentary: The eyes are demonstrated as being able to see everything
on another level then those who are living . They are capable of seeing the
mistakes that people make and can choose to forgive and look past them.
Only the power of God can hold such importance and emphasis on society
as a whole.

3. Cars & Car Crashes:

- Theme: Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald illustrates the upper class’s lack of
empathy and superiority complex through their reckless driving of expensive cars.
- Quote: “violently shorn of one wheel,rested a new coupe which had left
Gatsby’s drive not two minutes before”(Fitzgerald 53).
- Commentary: The reckless driving of the upper class is emphasized
through their carelessness and lack of empathy for others. The idea that
they are on a higher level than others causes them to harm others in their
past. The cars they drive are what they use to express and show off their
wealth to others; it is how they show their value

4. Alcohol:
- Theme: Through the symbolic utilization of alcoholism as a coping mechanism,
Fitzgerald portrays the affluent’s descent into a monotonous cycle of
dissatisfaction.
- Quote: “She had drunk a quantity of champagne, and during the course of
her song she had decided, ineptly, that everything was very, very sad — she
was not only singing but she was weeping too” (Fitzgerald 51)
 - Commentary: Fitzgerald uses this woman to exemplify the escapist role
that alcohol plays in the lives of abusers, helping reflect on the decline into
a state consisting of a dissatisfied hole. The atmosphere of Gatsby’s houses
and parties provides a haven for alcoholism and the unwinding self-respect
present in alcohol abuse. Overall, the consumption of alcohol by the rich
can be perceived as wasting away their time in an attempt to achieve the
happiness they fail to find in the never-ending struggle for vast wealth.

5. Clocks & Time:

- Theme: Through the symbolic application of a clock in The Great Gatsby,
Fitzgerald illustrates Gatsby’s yearning desires to restore the nostalgic past,
highlighting severe dissatisfaction with his present self.
- Quote: “The clock took this moment to tilt dangerously at the pressure of
his head, whereupon he turned and caught it with trembling fingers and set
it back in place” (Fitzgerald 86)
- Commentary: By describing the replacement of the old clock and the
uneasy movement of Gatsby’s fingers, Fitzgerald symbolically depicts
Gatsby’s burning aspiration to restore his previous relationship with Daisy.
Gatsby’s attempt to catch the clock before it breaks reflects his ambition to
halt the movement of time and, therefore, recall prior, ideal experiences. To
Gatsby, reliving these events improves the discontent he endures because he
feels fulfillment when with his lover, Daisy.

6. Rumors & Gossip:

- Theme: The misidentification of people supports the development of gossip and
rumors through the motivations regarding carelessness and psychological
projection of blame, thus proposing a misleading facade from the hearsay.
- Quote: “Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then
retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it
was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they
had made” (Fitzgerald, 179)
- Commentary: With the careless wealthy acting as the main instigators of
gossip and rumors, Daisy and Tom hold the ability to form foundational
aspects of their lives to their advantage. The inherent carelessness of the
upper class provides further motivation to spread rumors as the
repercussions of their actions never come back to them. Additionally, by
blatantly examining the projection of the blame onto the lower classes, the
narrator, Nick, realizes the possibilities of a similar occurrence regarding
Gatsby. This connection shows a probable swift projection of rumors onto
Gatsby, allowing the affluent drunks to misidentify him without care nor
repercussions.