The Great Gatsby's Passage

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Tina Dinh Mrs. Goddard 1001340 5.16.18 An Explication of a Passage from The Great Gatsby In this passage from The Great Gatsby, Gatsby describes his love story with Daisy. “On the last afternoon before he went abroad, he sat with Daisy in his arms for a long, silent time. It was a cold fall day, with fire in the room and her cheeks flushed. Now and then she moved and he changed his arm a little, and once he kissed her dark shining hair.” The silence in the first line is not awkward. It seems romantic and emphasizing how much the couple will miss each other during Gatsby’s time in the military. The “cold fall” weather symbolizes loneliness, a lack of hope, and death. Although the couple appears intimate now, their relationship will be a tough …show more content…

“Artificial” means that the world that Daisy belongs in is fake. On the outside, it is “redolent of orchids and pleasant,” but inside, it smells of poison due to the moral corruption that takes place once someone enters it. It is full of fake people who know nothing about virtues and humanity. The people inside the “artificial world” act haughtily without hesitation and enjoy doing it. Most of the pleasant aspects of the artificial life are disgusting in reality. People just do not realize it and are fooled by its charms. The artificial world is one that separates itself from the real one and contains rich civilians who live differently from those who live outside of it, the poor. When people from both worlds collide, a disaster results. While the artificial people’s lives unfold throughout the year, background music plays in “new tunes.” This music is sad and represents the possibilities of life. Daisy is associated with this music since she is waiting for Gatsby, lonely and depressed that he is not coming back as soon as she expected. Her hardships are experienced alone. In a few years, she will be at an age where women usually marry during the 1920s. Therefore, Daisy must choose whether she wants to continue to wait for Gatsby, the man she loves, or move on, giving up on their relationship. Given that the novel is set in the “Jazz Age,” those “new tunes” probably means that the music released was recently

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