《Gatsby》TS打卡 - 第一章

《Gatsby》TS打卡 - 第二章

《Gatsby》TS打卡 - 第三章

《Gatsby》TS打卡 - 第四章(上）

《Gatsby》TS打卡 - 第四章(下）

《Gatsby》TS打卡 - 第五章

《Gatsby》TS打卡 - 第六章   

《Gatsby》TS打卡 - 第七章（上）

41) Mendelssohn's Wedding March

结婚进行曲 it was written in 1842, is one of the best known of the pieces from his suite of incidental music to Shakespeare’s play A midsummer Night’s Dream. 

42) "BilOxi?"

Biloxi was an imposter, he pretended to be the president of the Yale class; however, there was no president. He invited himself to the wedding, pretending to have connections. The fact that neither of them know him. Biloxi is someone who just went to their wedding for the luxuries and for his own enjoyment. Him saying that “he was president of Tom’s class at Yale” is a parallel to Gatsby saying he has been to Oxford. 

43) That's why I can't really call myself an Oxford man.”

Gatsby presents a new version of the “Oxford man” story, where he attended the university in 1919 for five months.

Tom is now unravelling Gatsby’s story in front of Daisy. He wants her to see that this “rich man” is nothing more than a peasant in a fancy suit. Also, by unravelling Gatsby’s story, Tom is proving to himself that he is better than Gatsby, therefore Daisy would choose to remain with him and his old money rather than leave him for a peasant with an extravagant lifestyle. This is Tom’s way of regaining control over a situation in which he finds himself lost. 

44) Armistice Day: 休战纪念日

(which overlaps with Remembrance Day and Veterans Day) is celebrated every year on 11 Nov to commemorate the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiegne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o’clock in the morning - the 11th  hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1919. While this official date to mark the end of the war reflects the ceasefire on the Western Front, hostilities continued in other regions, especially across the former Russian Empire and in parts of the old Ottoman Empire. 

45) They were out in the open at last and Gatsby was content.

be content: 感到满足  To be content with something that would have upset Daisy so cause the reader to be concerned about Gatsby’s ulterior motives for winning Daisy - though he loves her and wants her because of this, he is also eager to obtain for himself her status, which is that of entitled wealth and respect and probably would never be earned by Gatsby alone. 

46) "You're causing a row. Please have a little self control.”

row: is used as a noun rather than a verb and is commonly used to refer to a loud quarrel or commotion in this context. In this instance, Tom is aggressively asking Jay Gatsby what kind of trouble he is trying to cause in his house. He is deliberately confrontational at this point. He has come to realise that something is going on between Daisy and Jay and wants to confirm his suspicious.   Rom can be used to mean “argument” since an early age.

47) "We're all white here," murmured Jordan.

Tom resorts to his famous “Nordic Race” rant whenever he feels uncomfortable about a change in moral and family values. But Jordan points out how irrelevant this is to the current argument, since race has nothing to do with this issue. 

48) libertine to prig

libertine: a person, who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, esp. in sexual matters. 

prig: a self righteously moralistic person who behaves as if superior to others.

49) "Your wife doesn't love you," said Gatsby.

we finally reach the boiling point. Gatsby confronts Tom at last, claiming not only that Daisy would choose him, but that she never loved him in the first place.  Note the certainty and finality in the way he says this. He doesn’t even consider the fact that Daisy might not agree with everything he says. He probably played this scenario through his mind a million times the last 5 years, but never even imagined that anything could go wrong. 

50) "She never loved you, do you hear?" ....... she never loved any one except me!”

This is how Gatsby rationalised Daisy marrying Tom to himself, so that he could keep the dream of reuniting with Daisy alive. He assumes that the only reason she could ever marry anyone except him was money, and now that he has money she’s pretend that the last five years never happened. He never asked Daisy about any of this, he just assumed it had to be true. 

51) "it would be a privilege to partake vicariously of their emotions” 

sounds like a quote associated wit Tom, since he is the one who assumes everyone want to be him. But in this moment both Tom and Gatsby believe that Nick and Jordan want to live vicariously through them, because they both believe their selves to be great. Gatsby usually doesn’t try to establish his dominance over anyone, but his darker side comes out when he’s fighting for Daisy. 

52) "Not seeing," said Gatsby. "No, we couldn't meet. . "to think that you didn't know."....

Gatsby is detached from reality. He assumes that the last 5 years was just one string of unbroken love between him and Daisy, even though he had only actually seen her for a fraction of that time. 

When Tom finds out that the actual affair didn’t last 5 years, only a few months, he isn’t that phases by the news. That’s because he doesn’t view the 5 year period the same way as Gatsby. Gatsby sees it all as a build up to the moment where he and Daisy got back together. But Tom only sees more than 4 years of successful marriage until “tha man with the pink suit” came into the picture for a short time. 

Tom is able to see this short affair with Gatsby as a bump in the road of their marriage, especially since he had been unfaithful to Daisy as well. He is willing to forgive her since he loves her and wants to stay with her. But Gatsby will tolerate nothing less than perfection when it comes to Daisy, and anything less will crush him. 

53) "And what's more, I love Daisy too. ... in my heart I love her all the time.”

This is a lie. Tom does not really love Daisy. He is having affair all the time. He just needs take control over her as a possession and claiming his natural right over somebody else is “love”. 

54) "Do you know why we left Chicago? I'm surprised that they didn't treat you to the story of that little spree.”

Seems like Tom cheated on Daisy in Chicago. 

55) "It doesn't matter any more. Just tell him the truth--that you never loved him--and it's all wiped out forever.”

This is the moment of truth for Gatsby. Daisy was just going off about Tom’s history of unfaithfulness, and realises she is vulnerable right now. So he jumps in and pleads her to admit that her marriage with Tom never meant anything. If he can get her to do this, the 5 years he spent waiting for her will all be worth it. 

56) She looked at him blindly. "Why,--how could I love him--possibly?”

This is different than saying “I never loved him.” Daisy is confused because it makes no sense for her to love a man who cheats on her and possibly beats her, but somehow she still loves him. This scene parallels the part of Tom and Myrtle’s party. Myrtle has no problem selling out Wilson to show off for Tom but Daisy can’t bring herself to do the same to be with Gatsby. 

57) "Not at Kapiolani?" demanded Tom suddenly.

Kapiolani: is a park on the Hawaiian island of Oahu created by King Kalakaua in the 1870’s. Tom “name drops” the place they vacationed to show daisy that he has provided her with an excellent lifestyle that is full of luxuries. Spending time leisurely is a behaviour associated with conspicuous consumption. Many times, only the wealthy have the opportunity to take extravagant vacations.  While Tom is demonstrating all the memories they have together, he is still defining his marriage with Daisy in economic and material with Daisy in economic and material terms instead of expressing emotional love. 

Punch Bowl: is a volcanic crater on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. 

Tom brings up happy memories from early in the marriage, and for once, his voice has a “husky tenderness”, which causes Daisy’s voice to lose the cold tone it had when she said she never loved him. She then breaks down and admits that she loved Tom. 

58) "I did love him once--but I loved you too.”

he fact that Tom is clinging to old memories, and Daisy uses the past tense - “I loved him once” - suggests that Tom and Daisy aren’t exactly head-over-heels for each other anymore. But our last scene that shows Tom and Daisy together suggests that that doesn’t matter. Even if they’re not in love, their relationship is stable, and neither has any interest in leaving the others. 

Daisy starts to feel the pressure that Gatsby is putting on her, and perceives his attempts to restore the past. Gatsby wants nothing more than to recreate the past, while Daisy is only concerned with the future and how the rest of her life will play out. 

59) "You loved me TOO?" he repeated.

Gatsby cannot comprehend the notion of a compromised love, as expressed by Daisy, whereas, although Tom rejects the statement, he doesn’t struggle with the concept, since he himself is unfaithful. Only Gatsby maintains the ideal of constancy and fidelity. He wants his relationship with Daisy to be perfect as it was five years ago. Because of the expectations Gatsby has set for her during the long years of separation, Daisy has become a symbol of happiness and love for him. This realisation nearly destroys his conception of love for the past five years as he murmurs almost subconsciously and grasps desperately to the last straw of hope by repeating the question, “You loved me too?” 

60) "I want to speak to Daisy alone," he insisted. "She's all excited now——"

Gatsby still hasn’t abandoned hope yet, that just isn’t the way things work with hi. He feels like Daisy is just overwhelmed by the moment and doesn’t know what to decide.

61) "Even alone I can't say I never loved Tom," she admitted in a pitiful voice. "It wouldn't be true.”

Daisy is conflicted about her feelings concerning Gatsby and Tom because she recognises how her definition of love has changed over time. Her marriage to Tom initially was a marriage of convenience because Tom promised great social status and wealth. Conversely, Gatsby and Daisy’s love started as pure admiration for each other. However, after Gatsby returned from war, he decided to become a man that was good enough to provide Daisy with the wealth and status she was accustomed to. During this time, Daisy was already growing into her life with Tom, and essentially learning to love him instead of Gatsby.

62) "Certainly not for a common swindler who'd have to steal the ring he put on her finger.”

Tom’s main argument in stating Gatsby is not fit to love someone like Daisy is Gatsby’s social class. Although now he has enough money to purchase any ring Daisy could dream of, Gatsby comes from humble origins and is not part of the aristocracy, who have had money under their names for various generations. To Tom, Gatsby will never actually constitute a part of the upper class because the very members of the upper class are against “common swindlers” like him gaining a respectable social status, and as far as Tom’s views on marriage between social classes and races go, it is atrocious for him to imagine a civilised lady such as Daisy wasting her time on a self-made man like Gatsby. 

63) "Who are you, anyhow?"

Tom challenges Gatsby’s credentials, and instead supplies information that he has gathered, implying that Gatsby is a major criminal, and discouraging daisy from continuing the relationship. 

all the conversation between Gatsby and Tom:

Gatsby is done pretending that all of his money came through legal means, since it is clear Tom found enough information about him. But then he points out that Walter Chase, who we can assume is one of Tom’s old money buddies, was involved in the operation as well. Tom is going to get specific in his attempts to prove that Gatsby is a criminal. He is doing this to scare Daisy away from Gatsby and to assert his dominance in this situation. 

64) That unfamiliar yet recognizable look was back again in Gatsby's face.

The first time we saw this look on Gatsby was earlier in the chapter, when Tom made the drug store joke. Gatsby can handle Tom calling him a good-for-nothing bootlegger without a problem. But when Tom get specific on how Gatsby made his money, in front of Daisy especially, Gatsby starts to freeze up. 

65) “only the dead dream….. across the room”: 

Gatsby has been vanquished by Tom, partly because he manages to discredit Gatsby, and because he cites ways in which he and Daisy are united, but partly also because Daisy lacks the will to leave Tom. She is described as hesitating, reluctant and frightened, although she can also be seen as strong because she makes the honest admission that she did love Tom once.  

66) The voice begged again to go. "PLEASE, Tom! I can't stand this any more.”

Daisy is referred to as a “voice”, possibly emphasising the role of money in the events of that afternoon, and also disempowering her as no-one responds to her requests. She hates conflict and having to  make decisions, so this situation is her worst nightmare. She pretty much chooses Tom by default, because she would rather just go home than make a tough call. 

67) "You two start on home, Daisy," said Tom. "In Mr. Gatsby's car."

Tom fully in control now, and demonstrates his triumph by directing the actions of Gatsby and daisy. The swapping back of cars is also symbolic of Tom’s victory. He is so confident that Daisy isn’t interested in Gatsby anymore that he orders her to drive home with him. Tom is so convinced he has crushed Gatsby’s spirits that he puts the two of them in a perfect position to make up; knowing it isn’t going to happen. 

68) Thirty--the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning brief-case of enthusiasm, thinning hair.  

Here Nick is visualising his future here. Men were often married before thirty in the 20’s. He is looking to the next decade of his life and envisioning his friend all being married, boredom, and life with a lot less gusto. Sounds like he’s not exactly excited about the future.

69) So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight.

Nick may be anticipating Myrtle’s death here, but, in the context of his comments about his own ageing, the “death” may be more general, using the road as metaphor for life. 

70) The young Greek, Michaelis, who ran the coffee joint beside the ashheaps was the principal witness at the inquest.

Greek: during this time period over 350000 Greeks immigrated to the US. Most of these immigrants ended up in large urban cities. These Greek immigrants developed a social life based around these coffee shops. Michaelis is a pretty stereotypical Greek immigrant in this novel, which is contrary to Jordan compared to women and Meyer Wolfshiem compared to Jews. 

71) instead he began to throw curious, suspicious glances at his visitor and ask him what he'd been doing at certain times on certain days

Wilson, previously described as “spiritless”, has suddenly come alive in attempts to find the man who is having an affair with his wife. He is usually the type to use let everyone pass by him but now the has become distrustful of his society and won’t let anyone walk by without being questioned. Due to Michaelis’ apparent sudden interest in what happened, Wilson also begins to suspect Michaelis as the one Myrtle has been cheating with. 

72) Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust.

The choice of active verbs “knelt” and “mingled” imply that Myrtle has in some way determined how she would die, although this is balanced with the passive form “extinguished”. The image of her kneeling is also unnerving, as this is not a conventional death position. The later image of her lying on a work-table also has unconventional connotations, as if she is an engine or part that can be fixed. Furthermore, the sense of denial of her death is found here. 

73) I'd be damned if I'd go in;

Nick’s reaction to the invitation to go in Tom’s house, and even have some supper, is one of revulsion. He rejects “all of them” including Jordan, whose comment that “it’s only half past nine” seems to trivialise the death further. Nick thereby rejects their pragmatic more values, and his choice of “damned” has religious connotations to suggest that their behaviour will lead to divine punishment. 

74) I could think of nothing except the luminosity of his pink suit under the moon.

Gatsby’s clothing has been extravagant throughout the novel, and is a powerful symbol of his wealth. Tom has already used the evidence of the pink suit as proof that Gatsby is not an “Oxford man”, but here it is an ironic symbol of his continuing romantic belief in Daisy, even as she is deciding to stay with Tom. 

75) but of course I'll say I was

Gatsby is prepared to sacrifice himself by taking the blame for Myrtle’s death in order to protect Daisy. He is most concerned about Daisy and avoids focussing on Myrtle.

76) this woman rushed out at us just as we were passing a car coming the other way.

Myrtle was running out to the yellow car because she saw earlier that Tom was driving it. She had escaped Mr. Wilson and was trying to run to Tom in order to get away from having to leave with Wilson, but Tom was no longer driving the car and Daisy swerved into her. 

77) if he tries any brutality she's going to turn the light out and on again

Gatsby, despite the fact that his dream has slipped away, pretends that his relationship with Daisy can survive, like a light that’s dark only momentarily before being turned back on.

78) "All night if necessary. Anyhow till they all go to bed."

Gatsby doesn’t want to admit that his American dream is over and he can’t get Daisy. He thinks that if he waits, and finds that Tom and Daisy have a fight, he still has a chance of being with her. He’s waiting for Tom to mess up which is really unlikely as Tom is also quite desperate to keep Daisy. 

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