Journal #21 - Some Like It Hot and The Great Gatsby Comparison/Contrast

Some Like It Hot may be a comedy and The Great Gatsby may be a tragedy, but they have a lot more in common than most people would think. Both take place in the 1920’s and have a strong emphasis on money, love, and death. Throughout both, money is a large issue. In Gatsby, Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship ended because he was not rich, Nick felt like a complete outcast while living on the West Egg because his house was considerably smaller than everyone else’s, and Myrtle and Tom’s relationship is based mostly upon his buying her gifts. In Some Like It Hot, Sugar is constantly talking about how she wants to meet a rich man and when she gets the chance to go out on a yacht, which she thinks is Joe’s, she jumps for it. There are also many love triangles in both. Daisy, who is married to Tom, is in love with Gatsby. Tom is having an affair with Myrtle, who is married to Mr. Wilson. The love triangle leads to the death of not only one, but two people. In Some Like It Hot, Sugar likes Joe, who is disguised as Josephine. Jerry also likes Sugar, but he is also disguised as a girl, so he catches the eye of a very rich man with a yacht. Both Some Like It Hot and Gatsby also have a lot of death involved in the storyline. Joe and Jerry witness a massacre, which is what forces them to go into hiding in the first place. Myrtle and Gatsby are both killed because of confusion within the love triangle. Myrtle runs in front of Gatsby’s car because she thinks it is Tom, which causes her death and Mr. Wilson thinks Gatsby was the man his wife was having an affair with, so he decided to take matters into his own hands and kills him. The characters are also similar; Wolfshiem and Spatz are very alike, they are both involved in the mob and have no problem ruining other peoples’ lives. The settings are both in rich communities; the East and West Eggs and the ritzy hotel. The characters, settings, and themes are all very much alike. Though one is a tragedy and the other is a comedy, Some Like It Hot and The Great Gatsby are quite similar.

Journal #20 – The Great Gatsby Conclusion

Fitzgerald uses imagery and symbolism many times throughout the last few paragraphs of The Great Gatsby. He talks about Gatsby’s lawn, which has grown as long as Nick’s with no one taking care of it. Nick also talks about remembering Gatsby’s parties so vividly that he goes to New York to escape the music and laughter that he can still hear after all that time. Fitzgerald also paints a picture of a car going to Gatsby’s house, expecting a party, but when he finds nothing, he leaves. Nick also talks about a taxi driver who stops and points at Gatsby’s house every time he drives by, most likely talking about his death and the circumstances which surrounded it. This is a stark contrast to how things were when Gatsby was alive. People talked about him, yes, but his parties held a more positive connotation. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby’s house as a “huge incoherent failure of a house,” which is ironic, because of how glorious and wonderful the house seemed when Gatsby was still alive. Fitzgerald uses phrases like “white steps,” “raspingly along the stone,” and “shadowy, moving glow,” to illustrate how it felt to actually be in the story for the reader. From the first moment Gatsby looked into the green light, to the moment he died, he had come a very long way. This is like the Dutch sailors who “discovered” Long Island. They, and Long Island, have both come a long way.

Journal #19 - Characterization in Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway Nick has a medium sized build and a relatively average man. He is smart, quiet, and somewhat unemotional. Adjective: Omniscient Tom Buchanan Tom is a big man with a football-player’s physique. He is very masculine and is the stereotypical husband of the 1920’s. He goes out to earn money and he believes Daisy should stay home. Adjective: Egotistical Daisy Buchanan Daisy is a small, beautiful woman, and is into the latest fashion. She is very needy and cannot control her emotions. Adjective: High-maintenance Jordan Baker Jordan has a boyish figure; she is petite but athletic. She is a demure woman who tends to get what she wants. Jordan is independent, and does not need anyone to get these things for her. Adjective: Strong Jay Gatsby Gatsby is a handsome, well put together man. He is very quiet and does not like confrontation; in fact, Gatsby goes to extremes to make sure people do not have any confrontations with him. Adjective: Artificial