Consider the two parties Nick attends in chapters two and three. Please share an observation or question about a similarity or difference between these parties.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Admirable Hooks
A not-so-great hook. Visit https://thisibelieve.org/youth/ and look at the various hooks (e.g., first sentences or paragraphs) of the...
The first party that Nick attends he is repulsed by the behavior and conversation of the others at the party. The party is eventful and turns sour once Myrtle's nose is broken. Gatsby's party is much different because it is so much more luxurious than the first, and Nick marvels at it.
ReplyDeleteBoth parties show the luxury, class and wealthy side of New York during the 1920s. They are extravagant, rowdy and both full of drama. Nick feels like an outsider at both places as the guests are the opposite from his normal crowd. Will Nick grow accustomed to and become one of the upscale party goers as the story progresses?
ReplyDeleteThe parties show the stark difference between the social classes at the time. Both are rowdy and include drinking, but one has violence and is in a poor part of town. The party at Mr. Gatsby's is lavish, with Rolls Royce's and swimming pools. I wonder which party Nick prefers, since he felt out of place at both of the parties?
ReplyDeleteAt Gatsby's party, Nick sees the lavish people who want to climb the social ladder. He explains that he is one of the few people actually invited and other people just show up. However, everyone there was incredibly lavish and elegant.This contrasts with the party with Tom from the previous chapter where it ended with Tom punching Myrtle.
ReplyDeleteNick recognizes the similarities and differences of the two parties. At the first party, he knows only Tom and Myrtle when he arrives. Yet, as the night progresses, he gets to know everyone because it is a smaller, more intimate gathering. But towards the end of the party, Tom punches Myrtle in the nose and ruins the night. At Gatsby's party, Nick arrives knowing no one. He seems to feel very uncomfortable and out of place. But he soon finds Jordan Baker and starts to get to know many more party guests. Despite his initial discomfort, he is enamored with Gatsby's party and the luxury of it all. Towards the end of the night, he feels accepted when Gatsby says goodnight to him, overshadowing some of the previous discomfort. The endings of these two parties perhaps foreshadow how Nick's relationships with the two hosts will develop; disenchantment with Tom but a blossoming friendship with Jay Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteAt the first party, the guests act much more casually, its a smaller group of people who know each other much better. They make jokes, discuss personal topics, etc. However, Gatsby’s party is a rather large gathering with a lack of this former intimacy. Many of the guests don’t even know the host, Gatsby himself. Most of the party is spent going from table to table and discussing Gatsby’s past. The only common link is Jordan Baker’s presence, perhaps suggesting she will be a reoccurring character in Nick’s life in the future.
ReplyDeleteI watched the first part of the movie ‘the great gatsby’ and it helped me visualize how Nick described Gatsby’s party. It was super fancy and everything was screaming the word “rich”. In contrast to Gatsby’s party, Myrtle’s house party seemed more of a get together than a actual party. Nick seemed left out in both parties full of strangers. He just experienced what a party is like in two different social class. I’m still questioning why isnt Gatsby introducing himself to everyone in his own party? Is he enjoying the rumors swirling around about him? I get the fact that he’s throwing these parties only to flaunt his wealth but I can’t figure out his motive to not attend his own party.
ReplyDeleteThe two parties are similar in that they expose Nick to two different wealthy and dramatic groups of New Yorkers and both end in a disaster, first a broken nose and then a car crash. They are mostly different though because the first party is a smaller gathering and Nick is mainly uncomfortable the whole time. In the second party he is uncomfortable at first but then is at ease when he finds Jordan Baker and kind of befriends Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteAt Tom's party, Nick started out knowing people and feeling relatively comfortable, but ended up wanting to leave for a long time before he actually did. Gatsby's party contrasts this, as Nick showed up not knowing anyone there but by the end had found Jordan and was becoming friends with Gatsby. Tom's party ended with Myrtle's nose being broken, while Gatsby's ended with Nick agreeing to go on a hydroplane with him. There was a very different tone to the two parties.
ReplyDeleteTom's party is a much smaller event and the guests are all familiar with one another. Gatsby's party on the other hand is a larger event where most of the guests were not actually invited. While both parties are luxurious events, Gatsby's party feels more special. His parties are one of a kind and people seem to be able to talk about them for a long time after. Furthermore we see that Nick wasn't fully comfortable at either party.
ReplyDeleteOne difference between the parties is in Nick’s knowledge of the hosts and partygoers. In the first party with Tom, Nick is privy to probably too much information about his host. And then there’s the boring oversharing of the photographer guy. In contrast, Gatsby’s party is filled with people Nick has never seen and isn’t introduced to. Even though he eventually meets the host, he still knows very little about him. Maybe the mystery makes Nick more interested. He seemed pretty bored at Tom’s party.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the parties is that Tom’s party is more casual. The people there are close and Nick gets to know them. However, the party ends on a tense note with a broken nose. Gatsby’s party, on the other hand, is much more luxurious, with more people. Nick seems to be slightly more uncomfortable and only talks to Jordan Baker and Gatsby near the end. Gatsby’s party ends on a better note with Gatsby inviting Nick to go out on his boat.
ReplyDeleteBoth of the parties show Nick that despite their lavish wealth, nobody is truly happy. At Myrtle's party, this is shown by Tom punching Myrtle, and at Gatsby's party, Nick describes how by the end of the night, "Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands"(56). This shows that behind the facade of perfect happiness that money seems to bring, the wealthy are as unhappy as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteAt the first party Nick just sits there and is really exhausted by how annoying everyone is and wants to leave most of the time but can't. At Gastby's party he is in shock at how luxurious it is. It's also interesting to him because he's trying to find out more about Gatsby based on his party.
ReplyDeleteAt Gatsby's party, Nick was surprised by the presentation of it and how it is expressed. How luxurious it is and the things he has at it along with the people. At Tom's party, he is more comfortable and it is a lower level of people and less luxurious.
ReplyDeleteAt Tom's party there is a much smaller group of people, yet Nick still feels uncomfortable throughout the night. In addition the night ends with tension, and a broken nose. Similarly, Nick also feels uncomfortable at the beginning of Gatsby's party. However once he sees Jordan Baker and Gatsby himself, he begins to become more at ease. The intent of Gatsby's parties are to show off his lavish lifestyle and flaunt his wealth.
ReplyDeleteGatsby’s party is set in the midst of opulence, where he only serves the best food, drinks, and entertainment for his guests. Furthermore, Gatsby’s party sets a very celebratory and welcoming tone for everyone to enjoy, even though most of his guests are total strangers to him. In contrast, Tom and Myrtle’s party takes place at their hidden apartment and is much more intimate with only a few guests that they know in attendance.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe main difference between the two parties is the number of people attending. Tom's party in the small apartment is more of a small drunk gathering while Gatsby's party is a crowded celebration with lavish decorations and party favors. However, when discussing Gatsby's party, Jordan describes the large party as "intimate" despite the sheer magnitude of everything. I wonder why Jordan finds Gatsby's larger, and supposedly more impersonal, party to be "intimate"?
ReplyDeleteThe parties are similar due to the uncomfortable feelings of Nick at both parties. At Gatsby's party, it was much more extravagant and luxurious, as well as a larger crowd. At Toms party, it was a more chaotic it the sense of the events that took place, and the overall vibe (even when there were less people).
ReplyDeleteAt Tom's party there was a small gathering of people with all the guests pretty familiar with each other, and a broken nose at the end. Gatsby's party was a large event with most of the guests simply showing up without even being invited. However, some similarities are that at both parties there is a lot of talking, drama, drinking, and a level of discomfort. The discomfort rises for Nick towards the end of Tom's party while his discomfort eases towards the end of Gatsby's party.
ReplyDeleteWhile it appears that Nick does not feel comfortable at either party, there are significant differences between them. Tom's party was a small gathering where all of the guests were acquainted with each other while Gatsby's party was a much larger party. However both parties were a display of the immense wealth that each host had.
ReplyDeleteAt Toms party with Myrtle, it is more rowdy and and violent. The rumors that are being discussed are about Gatsby, but also about the actual people at the party. The party at Gatsby’ seas much more fancy. The rumors are more centered towards Gatsby and other people’s perceptions of him.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Nick does not fit in at either party; he’s like an outsider at both. The first party is much smaller than the second, and most people know each other at the first party. The second party, is much bigger and people don’t even know who the host is, Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the two parties Nick attends is his relationship with the guests. At the first party, Nick is very comfortable and gets to know the guests while at the second party it is much bigger and he doesn't interact with most guests at all.
ReplyDeleteThe two parties are quite opposite. At Tom's party, there are very few people and Nick gets to know everyone. Gatsby's party is massive, most people don't know each other, and many weren't invited at all. The people at Tom's party get drunk and speak their minds, while at Gatsby's they bring up rumors about him and everything seems very unknown to Nick. Gatsby's party was planned and had much preparation, and Tom's was impromptu. In both parties people bring up rumors about Gatsby, but at Gatsby's party that seems to be one of the main conversations.
ReplyDelete-Evan Bak
I noticed that at both of these parties, Nick feels a certain level of discomfort because he doesn’t perfectly fit into the “new money” or “old money” social class. While Nick feels that Gatsby’s lavish party lacks meaning, he is also taken aback the dynamic at the other party(ie. when Tom punches Myrtle). Tom’s party was also a lot smaller with more familiar people, while Gatsby’s party was extremely large with many new faces.
ReplyDeleteI think the party is a way of conveying the wealth of the respective parties and how it affects them. It is clear through Fitzgerald's description of each party that both a representation of Tom's and Gatsby's respective classes. It also worth noting that Tom's party is a lot more personal, and his interactions are very pivotal to the events of the party (like when he punched Myrtle). Gatsby is the exact opposite where he acts as a bystander - passively watching the party from the sidelines while others make judgements about him based on rumors.
ReplyDelete- Seiyoung Jang
Both parties seemed to be uncivilized in different ways. Although the first was very raunchy, the second featured similar incivility in that half of the people were not invited, spread rumors and get more drunk as time goes on. I think the parties are meant to contrast each other and show the parallels between city life and life on one of the eggs.
ReplyDeleteTom's party took place in a small apartment and only had people that Tom knew well. Gatsby's party makes Tom's look like a picnic through how extravagant it is. His party takes place on his large mansion and has a buffet, a pool, and even an orchestra. Also, there were lots of wealthy people present who do not know each other well.
ReplyDeleteThe first party was more immature and loud compared to Mr. Gatsby's party which was more rich and divine yet still held a large amount of people which Nick mostly didnt know at all. Nick didnt feel comfortable at either, so the two extremes might not be the best fit for him, maybe something more in the middle?
ReplyDeleteWe can definitely see Nick as an "outcast" during both parties, he isn't comfortable around the people there, both times rich and pretty "fake" people. Even though he seems to have a better time at Gatsby's party. - Zoe Rigoulot
ReplyDeleteThe parties are very different fro each other. In the first party Nick attends, everyone knows each other and the people seem to be tense, as seen by the abrupt end of the party. However, the second party is much bigger and people come in without even being invited. There also seems to be less tension in the second party as everyone is mostly having a great time.
ReplyDelete- Raphael Thesmar.
In the first party, there seem to be higher tensions and it is blatantly awkward and out of place. It is almost pitiful to watch and it is very easy to see through the facade of wealth and happiness that all of the guests put up. At Gatsby's party, it seems that the guests are more accustomed to putting up this facade or maybe are closer to the wealth they flaunt, as they seem less out of place. But at both parties, it is apparent that the guests are working hard to either create or continue the mask of intellect, wealth and contentment that they wear to feel superior to those around them. These two parties seem to support Jordan's point that "[Large parties] are so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy." (pg. 49)
ReplyDeleteTomas party is very small and chill and the people who attended were familiar faces around town, at Gatsby party it was very big and gave off wealthy and rich vibes
ReplyDeleteAt the first party Nick attends, it is small and uncomfortable, he wants to leave. The guests may know each other but they are quick to gossip about Tom and Myrtles relationship. Gatsbys party is extravagant and large, the guests don't pretend to know or care about each other. Gatsby is an enigma to Nick and everyone else attending. Both parties are characterized as unauthentic, lonely and superficial.
ReplyDeleteAt the first party, the guests are a much closer knit group than the Gatsby party. Also, because Gatsby is throwing a party, it is extravagant and everyone there seems aware that there is easy money all around them. The first party seems much more off the rails. It's interesting, because Nick doesn't really seem to belong at either party and more so tries to stay away from the center or leave if he can. For how different the parties are, Nick's feelings toward them are similar.
ReplyDelete- Cameron Gurwell
I feel like the difference between the first party and the second is the filter between people. In the first party, it seemed as if everyone quickly dropped polite manners and simply let themselves speak/act freely. This also causes rise in tension, thus making the first party seem more uncomfortable and unfavorable. In the second party, people were more formal. There seemed to be an acknowledgement of staying proper as to not make a fool of themselves. I also feel like a big reason why the two parties feel different is because of Nick’s personal involvement in the party. In the first party, he was forced to be involved and interact which made him uncomfortable. In the second, he felt out of place because he didn’t know anyone at first, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable because he wasn’t involved in any sort of drama with others.
ReplyDeleteFitzgerald explains the difference between these two parties directly. At Gatsby's party, Jordan says "Anyhow he gives large parties... and I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy"(54). The lack of privacy is obvious at the first party, as everyone present is forced to be involved in a domestic dispute between Myrtle and Tom. None of them wanted to be involved in the fight but they were forced to deal with the aftermath as there were only a few people present and the attention was concentrated. At Gatsby's party it's so huge that you could go the whole night without seeing everyone, Nick laments that he asks several groups of people where Gatsby is and finds that not a single one of them knows. His experience is limited to the few people he finds and wants to talk to and nobody else cares because there's too much going on.
ReplyDeleteThe first party Nick attends is a small casual dinner party at Myrtle and Tom’s and the second party is a big luxurious party at Gatsby’s mansion. At both events Nick is uncomfortable and feels awkward. However, as the two parties progressed, Nick began to have fun at Gatsby’s party and at Tom and Myrtles party, Nick got more uncomfortable as the night went on.
ReplyDeleteObviously gatsbys party is lavish and there are tons of people while toms is smaller but at both parties people are drinking heavily and begin to act drunk. However, at toms everybody is super annoying and I could feel he just wanted to get it out of there. At gatsbys people are annoying but the amount of people and lavishness of the party kind of disguise it but overall it feels more fun. Interesting that the host doesn’t drink
ReplyDeleteAlthough (as many others have pointed out) there were big differences in the number of attendees and the settings of the two parties, I think there's an underlying similarity in the feelings of the guests, the difference being in their expression. There seems to be some kind of underlying unhappiness or angst in both of them. In chapter 2, Tom is obsessed with maintaining the 'superiority of the white race' and is violent, Daisy is getting cheated on and hesitates to talk about her daughter, Catherine is a gossip who seemingly has nothing better to do than talk about others and make up lies and Myrtle is dissatisfied with her role as mistress and tries to fill the void with material items. So to summarize, they're not happy but they show that they're not happy. Meanwhile, at Gatsby's party, I think the guests we meet are still basically unhappy, but they are more subtle about it and mainly avoid this truth. For example, Jordan's "urban distaste for the concrete" and the way she "abstractedly" speaks of her talk with Gatsby. Another example is the man in the library who says he's been drunk for a week. Another example is the woman at the piano who unconvincingly hides her emotions behind her performance. What I think this suggests is a difference in the confidence level of the nouveau and vieux riche. The experienced rich have no need to prove their worth since they've always had it, but new money feels the need to wear a mask and try to come across as better than they are.
ReplyDelete-Jona Lehmann
The two parties seem to be inverted in the demeanor of the hosts and the lavishness of the party. Mrs Wilson and Mr Buchanan almost act as if they have something to prove. They demand everyone's attention, and try to seem more important than they really are. Nick sees right through it. Meanwhile, while Gatsby hosts very lavish parties, he genuinely seems kind and wants to have his guests have a good time and be comfortable more than himself. While he doesn't necessarily have a self effacing personality, he seems to live up to Jordan's characterisation of him as "just a man named Gatsby". Nick is shocked by the empathy he sees in the man, and therefore holds him in even higher regard.
ReplyDelete-Alicia
The party with Tom is very simple, with only alcohol, whereas Gatsby's party is very fancy, with an orchestra, champagne, supper, a garden, etc. and many more attenders. The party with Tom also consists of annoying people who talk and argue with each other about marriage and divorce and pull Nick into an argument whenever he tries to leave; in Gatsby's party, people are not as explicitly irritating (although they gossip about Gatsby, and one man keeps telling people about books).
ReplyDeleteThe main difference I saw was in how Tom and Gatsby act at these parties. While Tom is very warm and tries to be friendly with his guests, Gatsby hardly seems to know the people he's invited. It's a little strange, but it helps add to the mystery surrounding Gatsby as a figure in this story.
ReplyDeleteCompared to Tom's party, Gatsby's is much bigger and more lavish. However, the sizes of the parties pose different but related issues of being connected: in Tom's small party rumors have a more personal effect and lead to a feeling of unease, while Gatsby's party is so big that no one really knows Gatsby and much of the drunken revelry surrounding it causes a sense of angst
ReplyDelete-Oliver
DeleteTom's party is not a party, rather an opportunity for him to show off his "man of the times" lifestyle. Every event and person attending is specifically placed to characterize New York life at the time, a carelessness and subtle brutality that hovers around at all times. Nick feels unease, but rather than show it, he gets absolutely obliterated in true roaring twenties fashion. Gatsby's party, over in West Egg, is exactly what Nick and the reader should expect from a person and neighborhood of such immense wealth. The valley of ashes is like a moat, keeping the filth and public displays of vanity of New York out of West Egg, the castle, the civilized world. Gatsby's party is an attraction, a place to see and be seen, and the fact that Gatsby is not overly concerned with the guest list shows the lack of danger in opening up one's home and wealth at the time. Tom's party is a set piece, Gatsby's party is an introduction.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the last two lines of Chapter 7 reveal how totally empty Gatsby's dream has been. He has been chasing something that seemed real to him. However, it is starting to be clear that there was no substance to the dream. Daisy has been Gatsby's dream all this time. He has seen her as the ideal woman and has believed that having her would make him happy, but the events of the chapter show that she has no morals.
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting how the hosts of the two parties present themselves. Tom i definitely more inviting, almost trying to please everyone too much, while Gatsby is the complete opposite and is never seen. Both events make Nick uncomfortable but for separate reason. The first party seems almost too intimate, as we get involved in Tom's affair, but the other seems too "fake".
ReplyDelete