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When Nick was socializing two girls said to him “‘Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once”’(48). Gatsby’s guests spread rumors right behind his back while at his party. This is rude because they shouldn’t be talking about their host that way. Gatsby’s parties were
Gatsby hosts extravagant parties in an effort not only to boost his social status, but also to look for Daisy. Many wealthy, and often wild people attend these large social events held by Mr. Gatsby. Some of the guests even come lacking an invitation, “Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission.” (41)
This party was filled with butlers good food, high quality wine and the book says “the voice of the orchestra leader rang out suddenly above the echolalia of the garden.” So there was also a huge orchestra. Chapter
Nick wrote down the people who attended the party on July 5th, 1922, which was “from East Egg, then, came Chester Beckers and the Leeches, and a man named Bunsen, whom I knew at Yale, and Doctor Webster Civet, who was drowned last summer up in Maine. And the Hornbeams and the Willie Voltaire, and a whole clan named Blackbuck…” (Fitzgerald 62). Nick talks about all of the different people that come to Gatsby’s parties and how most of them are not even invited, but just show up anyways. At Gatsby’s funeral, “…as the time passed and the servants came in and stood waiting in the hall, his eyes began to blink anxiously, and he spoke of the rain in a worried, uncertain way.
The first of which is Nick's first party, "As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host, but the two or three people of whom I asked his whereabouts stared at me in such an amazed way, and denied so vehemently any knoweldge of his movements, that I slunk off in the direction of the cocktail table-the only place in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone." (Fitzergerald, 46) This revealed two major things, one about Gatsby and one about Nick. Nick came from a different society, one in which things such as knowing the host and meeting them was rather common-place. Meanwhile, Gatsby was so aloof from the very people he hosted that none of them knew where he was, or had any intention of finding him.
¨I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guest who had actually been invited¨ (41). Why does Gatsby only invite nick? Of course we find this out later in the book but when reading that part of the book we see Gatsby as such a mysterious charter. A great job by Fitzgerald to
Gatsby’s parties,
It’s evident throughout the novel Nick starts to act like the East Eggers that he despises, “I had actually been invited (41).” As soon as Nick arrives at Gatsby’s party, he separates himself from the other guests by saying he was “actually invited.” His superior tone coincides with the attitude the upper class has towards everything. Caraway continues to distinguish himself from others by recalling, “As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host (42).”
Pursuing a lavish lifestyle, and valuing possessions over relationships causes Gatsby to be viewed as a misconception upon society that cannot be cleared up. As Gatsby is hosting an extravagant party at his house he invites Nick to the “little party” with live orchestras,alcohol, and hundreds of people rumors go around stating that he “killed a man once”(41,44). Because Gatsby has attained wealth and lives as if he has money to blow, and with no one knowing his true background made many consumptions of who he is because of his secrecies. With Gatsby feeling as if his parties are average for people of his social background shows that his lavish lifestyle is beyond the standards of those who attend them. After Nick had his first encounters with
He likes to be secluded and rarely has any friends. When He Talked To Gatsby, gatsby invites nick to his party. Now nick is Gatsby’s neighbor which Gatsby invited nick over politeness. Nick started to brag about being invited by gatsby face to face, he took so much pride into that invite as said in (pg.). No matter who it was, Nick brought up being invited no matter the topic.
When he arrived to the party he asked around to see if anyone else had an invitation and no one seemed to have one. Nick said, “I had been actually invited. A chauffeur in a uniform of robin’s-egg blue crossed my lawn early that Saturday morning with a surprisingly formal note from his employer: the honor would be entirely Gatsby’s, it said, if I would attend his “little party” that night. He had seen me several times, and had intended to call on me long before, but a peculiar combination of circumstances had prevented it — signed Jay Gatsby, in a majestic hand.” Nick wants to help Gatsby get back together with Daisy so he has both of them over to his house for
This exemplifies the lack of relationship between Gatsby and the guests. Once again, Gatsby is being used for his massive house and a large supply of alcohol. This quote reveals that Gatsby throws parties to show others his success and glory. During one of his lavish parties, Nick and Gatsby have a conversation: "’Your place looks like the World's Fair,’ I said. ‘Does it?’...
Similarly, in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby's parties are also described with extensive hyperbolism. In Chapter Three, Nick describes that "the orchestra had arrived, no thin five-piece affair, but a whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos, and low and high drums" . The polysyndeton used here by Fitzgerald accentuates the reaction of a child and of awe. The depth of detail of the orchestra provides an insight into the wealth of Gatsby has, and how much he spends on his parties. Nick later goes onto describe that, "the rules of behaviour associated with an amusement park", which appears to be a criticism of the excessiveness of Gatsby's parties.
Tom’s and Gatsby’s party differed in almost every aspect possible. While Tom’s party was a small party to assert his dominance to his mistress and friends, Gatsby’s party was to lure and impress the love of his life. Tom’s party displayed his snobby old money ideals by not spending much money and effort, while Gatsby’s party symbolized new money with its excessive and flaunting spending and grandiose show. The level of intimacy at both parties differed significantly. Despite Tom’s party being small, it was far from intimate with all the guests budging into all conversations, Nick couldn’t even have a talk with Catherine long enough without Ms. Mckee budging in.
First of all, Nick tells us about the impressive amounts of people that showed up: “wandered around rather ill-at-ease among swirls and eddies of people I didn’t know” Fitzgerald uses a metaphor, swirls and eddies, to give the impression of the numbers of guests; eddies are currents that move constantly, meaning that people travelled in groups, like currents, constantly therefore giving the impression of a messy and busy environment. As well, we get to know that Nick doesn’t fit in within the other guests, as he mentions “wandered around rather ill-at-ease” this is because the people in the party are seeking for the complete opposite of what Nick is. He’s attended because of Gatsby’s invitation, everyone else is there without an invitation and a reckless mentality. Additionally, we discover the incorrect gossip that surrounds the characters, as seen in: "Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once.” , this proves the guest’s superficiality, as they aren’t sure the gossip is true, or they made it up in an instant, yet they say it out loud to make themselves seem informed and involved.
