The Great Gatsby (Part 2)

1. Meyer Wolfsheim serves to further characterize Gatsby indirectly. We see Wolfsheim as an extension of Gatsby because he is an example of the company that he keeps. Wolfsheim represents the possible corruption of Gatsby. It makes the reader question Gatsby's character.
2. The backstory about Jay and Daisy makes Gatsby seem more vulnerable and human. This is also a double-edged sword, however, because it also makes Jay seem pathetic and whiny.
3. The rest of the story of Gatsby only serves to ruin the mystery of Gatsby. Gatsby is not the grand aristocrat that we believed him to be and is largely a victim of circumstance. The revealing of his past seems to be a method for exposing Gatsby's weaknesses.
4. Overall, these chapters make me like Gatsby a lot less because he is no longer this wonderful and mysterious philanthropist who throws awesome parties for those he doesn't know; he is simply a pathetic young man who can't let go of his past.

The Great Gatsby (Part 1)

• Nick Carraway (the narrator) seems initially to be the hero because of his position as protagonist in the story and his tolerant nature: "I'm inclined to reserve all judgments" (Fitzgerald 1). He also claims to be an honest man: "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known" (Fitzgerald 59). From the story so far, he doesn't seem to have any serious flaws, and though he has yet to do something truly heroic, he seems largely virtuous.
• Jay Gatsby appears to be a sort of antihero so far. He is very nice to Nick at his party and smiles at him with reassurance when he fails to realize that he is Gatsby: "It was one of those rare smiles with the quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life" (Fitzgerald 48). However, there seems to be a bit of mystery surrounding him, and many at the party gossip about him: "Somebody told me they thought he killed somebody once" (Fitzgerald 44). Though this may just be a silly rumor, it still hints that there could be a dark side to Gatsby.
• Tom Buchanan is most like a villain out of the characters so far. Nick describes him in a rather negative light: "Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward" (Fitzgerald 7). The audience then learns that Tom is having an affair - "Tom's got some woman in New York" (Fitzgerald 15) - with a rather contemptuous woman named Myrtle Wilson who is married herself. 

Justin Bua

Based on the three paintings viewed in class, it appears that Bua's style is marked by intentional disproportion and deep, yet subdued colors. The paintings give off a certain sensuality that - at risk of stating the obvious - looks how jazz feels. Clearly, jazz musicians are recurring subject matter, so to some extent, he is probably attempting to transfer the sound of jazz into a more visual medium. The form in his painting is very organic and adds an abstract nature to his pieces. His paintings mostly avoid straight lines and opt for more distorted lines and angles that create a dreamlike feeling.