By Ralph Haselmann Jr.

Lucid Moon Review Poetry Website Archives, www.lucidmoonpoetry.com

       As narrator of The Great Gatsby, Nick Calloway reveals Gatsby’s true personality, meaning, and character flaws. As an acquaintance of Gatsby’s, Nick is able to bring insight into Gatsby’s character, instead of just surface appearance. Through his experiences with Gatsby, Nick learns of Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy and his accumulation of wealth, and is turned off by his greed and false character. This masks his want to avoid becoming like Gatsby, and causes him to decide to return to the west. Nick hates Gatsby’s values and greed, and it is his love for Gatsby that makes him want to escape. Nick’s growth is evident because he was to leave behind all that Gatsby symbolizes - greed, obsession corruption, and superficialty, and wants to avoid becoming like Gatsby. He is showing that he is above all those characterizations.
       By postponing Gatsby’s appearance un the novel, the reader is led to believe that Gatsby is an important person, and a sense of mystery is created as to who Gatsby really is. Nick does not meet Gatsby for a while, even though they are neighbors. Stories circulate about who Gatsby is, and which well – known socialites he invites to his parties. Nick sees all the food that is delivered to Gatsbyls house, and always hears music, until he is invited one day. Even at the party Gatsby is never around, and appears only when the party is almost over. All regerences to Gatsby prior to his appearance speak of what he symbolizes, and the mysteriousness of his character
       Gatsby ran away from home and became friends with Dan Cody, an older person who was a freshman . James Gatsby changed his name to Jay Gatsby when he was 17. Gatsby lied about his character and where he came from. Gatsby’s flaw is his obsession with Daisy and his accumulation of money. By the end of the novel, he realizes that he can never live with daisy, and his dream is shattered. He becomes aware of his obsession and greed, and how it has wrecked his life.
       Daisy is wealthy, a spoiled hypocrite, insincere and insecure. She knew Gatsby when he was a soldier. She wanted to marry, but because Gatsby was poor at the time, she chose Tom. Tom had more money and seemed more interesting; he had more things going for him. Daisy’s marriage to Tom is blind; she does not love him as much as before. After she married Tom, she still thought about Gatsby, whose wealth and status attracted her. Daisy is in essence in love with the image of Gatsby.. sue does not leave Tom because she is sill married to him, has affection for him, and has a sense of sharing that Gatsby missed out on and will never know. Tom shows that Gatsby is James Gatz. He shows Daisy he true Gatsby : alse and superficial.
       The Ash Heaps represent the waste o human potential and values, and the corruption that pervades the state.
       Dr. T.J. Eckleburg represents God, who oversees everything. The ad board is in collapse, just as the faith in God is in collapse. The faith in God has been replaced with material values.
       The Green Light represents the promise that is Daisy – the object of Daisy’s quest.
       East and West Egg symbolizes the East and West. The East represents the idyll rich, the old, the corrupted potential. The West symbolizes the return to the way the country used to be
       Gatsby’s Mansion represents hollow superficiality, pretentiousness, lifelessness, and the grand values of Gatsby.
       Wolfsheim’s cuff links, made with teeth, represent the greed that has vnsumed others.

A
Excellent

Ralph Haslmann Jr.
World Lit
Mr. Parent
11/21/82

Ralph Haselmann Jr.’s Bio
Ralph Haselmann Jr. was born on October 4, 1965 and lives in the lush rolling green hills of Morristown, NJ. He graduated from Mason Gross School Of The Arts, Rutgers (New Brunswick, New Jersey) in 1990 with a BFA in Graphic Design. He proceeded to paint houses for 11 years after school because it paid much more. He edits the critically lauded Lucid Moon Review Poetry Website, www.lucidmoonpoetry.com, which has been called the best poetry website on the internet, a valuable resource for poets, and is highly rated by Google. His first two poetry books, Wounded Heart, Naked Soul and Scattershot Haze, are available at Xlibris at 1-888-7xlibris, www.Xlibris.com , www.Amazon.com , www.BarnesandNoble.com , and www.Borders.com . In October 2001, Ralph was in a horrible, serious, near-fatal car accident, which left him paralyzed below the waist and in his right writing hand. Ralph is not wallowing in anger or self-pity, rather he is rededicating his life to promoting and publishing the works of others and himself. Remarkably, he can type with an adaptive keyboard and use a mouse pad to work on his website. Ralph is a member of The Writer’s Bridge, a group which will help place his writings in magazine markets that will pay him. Ralph is also a proud member of Peta, not People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals, but the other one, People Eating Tasty Animals! Ralph has given poetry readings at The Shaker Café in Flemington NJ and The Back Fence in NYC. If you would like to reprint his writings or correspond with him, he can be reached at:

Lucid Moon Review Poetry Website and Newsletter, Ralph Haselmann Jr., editor
Morris Hills Center, Room 427 W, 77 Madison Ave., Morristown, NJ 07960
(973) 993-9744 ralphylucidmoon@yahoo.com, www.lucidmoonpoetry.com.

© Copyright 2005 Ralph Haselmann Jr. and Lucid Moon Review Poetry Website www.lucidmoonpoetry.com