Chapter+1

**Summary:**
====**Nick Carraway is introduced as a man from a prominent family in the Midwest. He decides to move east to West Egg Village in Long Island in order to go in the stock business. When he moves here, he visits his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom who live across the bay. After socializing with Daisy, Tom, and their friend Jordan Baker, it is revealed that Daisy is suspicious that Tom is seeing another woman. Nick is confused and disgusted as he leaves that night for home. As he walks up to his house, he sees his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, staring at the sea and says nothing to him**. ====

﻿Unfamiliar Vocabulary Terms:
1. __Privy__- participating in the knowledge 2. __Effeminate__- softness, delicacy, feminine 3. __Extemporizing__- done, spoken, planned

Time Period:
===In this Chapter, the novel makes references to the "Great War", or WWI, that Nick fought in. He enjoyed the chaos of the war so much that he decided to move East. This sets up the plot for the story. In addition, Nick wanted to work in the bond business. During this time period in the Roaring Twenties, the stock business was huge, and many were investing into stocks which would later lead to the Great Depression. Racism is also shown when Tom says, "The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be-will be utterly submerged" (Fitzgerald 17). During the 1920s, the KKK was on the rise, and lynching black people was also popular. In addition, the National Origins Act of the twenties limited the amount of immigrants allowed into the United States. ===

Relating to Fitzgerald's Life:
===Fitzgerald went to boot camp for a chance at glory which is similar to how Nick felt glory and excitement fighting in the war. === **Common Themes:** **A good bit of the American Dream is introduced with the book. The idea of the American Dream seems to be exemplified with the extreme elegance of the East Egg/West Egg neighborhood. Everyone there appears to be living at the very top of the American Dream, because they all have all the money, food, and entertainment they could possibly want or need. At the same time, this idea contradicts the American Dream because no one involved actually works for the things they have; they all either make shady deals or rarely enter their office places or don't work at all. Americans are often viewed as hardworking by idealists, and none of the characters are hardworking people. There's partiers, boozers or criminals. In fact, one could say the American Dream is satirized here as almost none of the characters are honest people.**

**Marxist View:**
===**Tom demonstrates Marxism by showsing off his happiness, wealth, and power. He is happy with everything he owns; horses, a big house, a car. He shows through his marriage how his wealth is related to Daisy's beauty. Nick asks Tom if he would ever leave the East and Tom says no because all the rich people live in the East and being a higher status makes him happier. He feels in control because he is having an affair and Daisy cannot do anything about it.** ===

**Feminist View:**
===When Daisy found out that her daughter was a girl, she said, "And I hope she'll be a fool-- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool"(17). By Daisy saying this, she implies that women should not be smart because that would hurt them. If women were dumb and pretty, then they be happier. She hopes her daughter is a fool because she would not have to find out if her husband was cheating on her like Daisy did. === <span style="color: #808080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Colors as Symbols:** <span style="color: #808080; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**White was used in this chapter when Nick visits Daisy and her husband, Tom. Her white dress symbolizes delicacy and innocence. Another color that was used as a symbol was gray. When Nick visits Daisy, he also meets Jordan Baker. "Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face." Jordan eyes were described as gray because Nick saw her face as charming yet unhappy and unsatisfied.**

<span style="color: #9412ed; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Sources:**
===<span style="color: #9412ed; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">//Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions//. Web. 08 Apr. 2011. < http://dictionary.reference.com/> ===