Deep Thinker - Close Read

Close Read of Chapter 6: The Great Gatsby 

by. Jinna Free

               “...One autumn night, five years before, they had been walking down the street when the leaves were falling, and they came to a place where there were no trees and the sidewalk was white with moonlight. They stopped here and turned toward each other. Now it was a cool night with that mysterious excitement in it which comes at the two changes of the year. The quiet lights in the houses were humming out into the darkness and there was a stir and bustle among the stars. Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees - he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder.

His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete. 


Through all he said, even through his appalling sentimentality, I was reminded of something-an elusive rhythm, a fragment of lost words, that I heard somewhere a long time ago. For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man's, as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air. But they made no sound and what I had almost remembered was uncommunicable forever (Fitzgerald 110-111).”

(The Great Gatsby)

     “...One autumn night, five years before, they had been walking down the street when the leaves were falling, and they came to a place where there were no trees and the sidewalk was white with moonlight. They stopped here and turned toward each other. Now it was a cool night with that mysterious excitement in it which comes at the two changes of the year. The quiet lights in the houses were humming out into the darkness and there was a stir and bustle among the stars. Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees - he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder (What exactly is this milk of wonder, and why does Gatsby desire it so much?).

    His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own (The color white symbolizes “purity,” but the reader soon discovers that Daisy is not as sweet and “pure” as she makes herself to be.). He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God (What did the author mean by this? Would this kiss make Gatsby permanently attached to Daisy?). So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower (The simile between Daisy’s kiss and a blossoming flower represents how the event became a major turning point in Gatsby’s life.) and the incarnation was complete. 


    Through all he said, even through his appalling sentimentality, I was reminded of something-an elusive rhythm (The usage of the word "rhythm" here allows the concept of love to be compared to how one might forget a song from long ago.), a fragment of lost words, that I heard somewhere a long time ago. For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man's, as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air. But they made no sound and what I had almost remembered was uncommunicable forever (Did Nick once experience this “true love” that Gatsby values? What exactly turned Nick away?).”

(Cugat)

Analysis

    This excerpt from Chapter 6 of The Great Gatsby described the first kiss between Jay Gatsby and his past lover, Daisy. The text was structured in a way that slowly and steadily led up to the main event, which was the kiss. The sensory descriptions prior to the kiss were laid out in depth while the kiss was simple and explicit; as a result, the chase for Gatsby’s perfect illusion is idealized, and the suspense of sealing his fate is heightened. At the end of the excerpt, Nick is almost able to understand Gatsby’s situation and the concept of true love. The idea, however, still remains a foreign idea to Nick as he seems to have given up on such a thing long ago. The author reveals this unknown quality Nick possessed through what he thinks and how he reacts to Gatsby's story. As a result, he is revealed to be more of a realist than a dreamer like Gatsby.

    The Great Gatsby is no stranger to literary elements and unique vocabulary. Fitzgerald used symbolism with the color white to exemplify Daisy's "purity," which ends up being contradictory once the reader sees her true colors. He also uses a simile that shows how Daisy's kiss with Gatsby became a major point of Gatsby's life by comparing the moment to the blossoming of a flower. The author also uses the word "rhythm" in a way that illustrates how the memory Nick fails to reach can be like a song one may fail to recall. By skillfully describing this scene, the reader feels emotionally invested, intrigued, and wants to know more.

    As one reads this passage, multiple questions may arise. For one, what is the supposed "milk of wonder" that Gatsby desires (Fitzgerald 110)? Could it be his dream of wealth or perhaps romance? Also, what did the author mean when he said Gatsby would no longer "romp again like the mind of God (Fitzgerald 110)?" It is also difficult to look past how Nick seems to view the concept of love as a fleeting memory. This causes one to ponder what made the memory distant. If Nick once believed in true love, what changed his mind? Did he have a bad run-in with a past lover himself, or does this "elusive rhythm" derive from his lack of belief in the "American Dream?" 

Works Cited

Cugat, Francis. Gatsby 1925 Jacket. Digital image. Charles Scribner's Sons, n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "Chapter 6." The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. 110-11. Print.

The Great Gatsby. Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Fox Studios,   
    2013. DVD.