The Great Gatsby Chapter 6

You know what to do by now, right?  Please make your INITIAL POST BY MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY, APRIL 24th. Then, of course, look over what others have said and make your TWO (TWO IS THE MINIMUM) FOLLOWUP POSTS BY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26th.  Then, comment on your received comments...add remarks, ask and answer questions, etc., based upon what others posted under your initial posting from Monday BY FRIDAY, APRIL 28th. We'll make this board classwide, and I will do my best to throw in some of my own comments if at all possible as well.  Your followup posts may be on each other's words or on my own "red ink" comments if I can make any!  Please try to give people down the list some love...don't make the discussion board a huge top heavy Jenga!

1. Once again, comment on anything within the "lecture" that caught your attention, you agree with, you disagree with, that surprised you, etc.  Ask questions, answer questions with your theories, and so on.  Find something to comment upon or to ask...typing "I don't have anything to say" will NOT earn you points.

2. As you consider this question, please DO NOT bring up anything out of the later chapters if you have read this book or seen a film version of Gatsby, okay?  I don't think too many of you are just DYING to find out what is going to happen with the plot of the book, but a the same time I don't want anyone to just give away things that have yet to happen on the printed page, either.  With that in mind, as chapter 6 closes, what do you as a reader want to have happen to Gatsby?  What do you, as the audience of the book, personally wish to see as Gatsby's involvement with Daisy progresses and deepens, and as you see more of their past?  Naturally, you cannot just give me a line or two for this and that is all...explain what you wish to see, and WHY you think/feel that way.  Again, if you know how the story does reach a conclusion, please DO NOT write something to give away happenings from later chapters!

The Great Gatsby Chapter 6 Lecture:

Okay, here we go with another riveting lecture on the novel.  Please read this carefully and use it as part of your responding to this week's discussion board.  Enjoy!

Chapter 6 is a bit of a turning point in the book, and the mood will get a bit darker in this chapter.  As you read the content of Chapter 6, watch for phrases/dialogue/events that hint at upcoming tension, conflict, and/or problems for various characters.  As part of your discussion board posting, you may wish to quote from the chapter various lines that you notice that hint at these changes in tone and mood.  If you look really really closely, too, you'll find some additional associations between Daisy and the color white, which when I mentioned that earlier, seemed to surprise some of you...or at least you feigned surprise so you could have something to write on one of the discussion boards.  Hey, either way, that stuff is in this chapter a bit, too.

Another key element of this chapter is that it reveals a good deal about Gatsby's past.  This chapter is probably the biggest source of the truth in one area of the book behind who Gatsby really is, so make sure to read carefully about his actual background and history.  Particularly important to the "celebrity of Gatsby" that he displays at his huge parties and whatnot is the information you will see about Dan Cody, an important figure in Gatsby's past.  If you have been relying on the film of the book to make it through some of the previous discussion boards and so on, you will be out of luck this time around, as all film versions have left out all of this information.  Yep, you will have to actually read the chapter to pick up on this.  Again, as part of your discussion board entries, you may wish to comment on Dan Cody and his influence on a young Gatsby.  What importance/influence do you think he had on the current day Gatsby?  What did Gatsby gain from his time knowing Dan Cody?  Would he be the same person now if he had not known Cody back then?

You don't need to worry too much about the scene involving a character named Sloane; he won't really ever have any other mention or influence on the story beyond this chapter.  The scene that does involve him could well be part of where you pick up on some of the tension and foreshadowing of troubles to come, however.  As you take a look at that scene, think about what Gatsby has been doing with Daisy in this and the previous chapter, and then figure out how/why that scene could be a little tense among the various characters present, particularly Gatsby and Tom.  I smell trouble brewing...don't you?

Look carefully at the descriptions of the parties that go on in this chapter.  We've seen these parties at Gatsby's house before, a few times, but they take a different turn in this chapter.  Also, a lot of people freak out over a line that Daisy says to Nick about if he wants to kiss her.  Don't worry about that quote...she is not perving on her cousin or anything!  It is just her being a ditzy blonde, and/or just being playful with her fairly DISTANT cousin.  She has no real interest or desire for Nick, however!  As far as the parties themselves go, please make sure to closely read both Nick's narration and the dialogue from the various party goers.  The dialogue will reveal how these parties later in the summer take a different emotional turn, and will also continue to show you that most people still do not know much at all about who Gatsby really is...the rumors, hearsay, and gossip about him all continue on.

Speaking of Nick's narration, keep an eye out for a section that shows you what Nick is hoping for concerning Gatsby.  This section, when you find it, could influence what you have to say on the second question I have posted within your discussion board this week.  Perhaps you understand what Nick is thinking about this business with Gatsby and Daisy and you agree.  Perhaps you get what Nick is thinking and disagree.  Perhaps you don't really get what Nick's view is, or why he would have it...all of these/any of these could come into play as you consider this chapter.

In the last few pages of the chapter, Nick and Gatsby have a discussion about the party that just recently ended.  Much of Gatsby's dialogue here is REALLY important to pay attention to, and is often quoted by literary critics, commentators on the book, and online English 1A instructors who have taught this book a million times to high school students and now college students as well.  When you see Gatsby's dialogue, try to interpret what emotions he must be going through.  What does he think about the results of having Daisy at this particular party?  Is he pleased? Disappointed?  Worried?  Ecstatic?  Then, further on, make sure to note the words Gatsby says to Nick about the past...what, in Gatsby's mind, is always possible, provided you throw enough energy, dedication, determination, annnnnnnd....money at?  What does it seem like Gatsby has convinced himself of at this point?  Though it is not directly stated right here within the book, what do you think Nick's reaction or opinion of this thought/mindset of Gatsby's is?

Finally, the last couple/few paragraphs of the chapter show you another slice of Daisy and Gatsby's past; it is not anything super major or revealing, but as you see more of their present, finding out a bit more about their past association is helpful as well...it's another glimpse of the truth behind Gatsby and of the past that could have gone differently, but ended up with Gatsby and Daisy going separate ways for many years.  See if this brief look at their past adds anything to your understanding of who the two of them are and who they were then.  Either way, it could be something you could comment upon briefly in the discussion board for the week.