Chapter+2

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 2 English Project 2010




 * 1. Summary:**

In the Great Gatsby, there are two parts of New York: East Egg and West Egg. Where the two are seperated, there is an area called the valley of ashes.Overhead in the valley of ashes, two huge eyes stare down from a large bilboard; the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg which watch over everything that happens in the valley.A train runs between West Egg and New York passes through the valley, making stops along the way. One day, as Nick and Tom are riding the train into the city, Tom makes Nick to follow him to one of these stops. Tom leads Nick to a garage on the edge of the valley of ashes which is owned by George Wilson. Tom’s lover is Wilson’s wife, Myrtle. Tom speaks with Wilson, teases him about his affair with Wilson's wife, and then orders Myrtle (Wilson's wife) to follow him to the train. Tom bringss Nick and Myrtle to New York City, specifically to the Morningside Heights apartment he uses for his affair. They have a spontaneous party with Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, and a strange couple named the McKee's. Catherine tells Nick that she has heard that Jay Gatsby is the nephew or cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm.Nick does not like the behavior and conversation of the others at the party and tries to leave. Myrtle gets louder and more obnoxious the more she drinks, and shortly after Tom gives her a new puppy as a gift, she begins to talk about Daisy. Tom warns her never to mention his wife again. Myrtle says that she will talk about whatever she chooses and begins saying Daisy’s name. Tom slaps her and breaks her nose. This brings the party to a complete stop. Nick leaves, drunkenly, with Mr. McKee, and ends up taking the 4 a.m. train back to Long Island.


 * 2.** **Article:**



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LATEST NEWS!! Early this morning, Mrs. Myrtle Wilson was admited into the hospital with what seemed to be a bloody, broken nose. She was bleeding profusley and was seen with an unidentified man, who not her husband, Mr. George B. Wilson. Mrs. Wilson and the unidentified man were seen entering the Bellevue Hospital along with another couple, the McKees, and two other unidentifed persons late last night. Due to the agressive affection shown from the unidentified man,s ome believe Mrs. Wilson and the unidentified man are currently in an affair but this can not be confirmed at this time due to lack information and response. How Mrs. Myrtle suffered the broken nose is not clear but many speculate Mrs. Myrtle and the unidentfied lover were fighting and Mrs. Wilson suffered a blow to the face from the unidentified man. None of this can be confirmed. The McKees and the two other unidentified persons had no comment. Mr. Wilson could not be reached for a comment at this time.
 * __Lovers in Secrecy:__**


 * 3. Quotes:**

In this quote Tom acts very kind to Wilson when really he is cheating on his wife behind his back which will play a big role later in the book.
 * Hello, Wilson, old man,” said Tom, slapping him jovially on the shoulder. “How’s business?”** pg 25

“**I almost made a mistake, too,” she declared vigorously. “I almost married a little kike who’d been after me for years. I knew he was below me. Everybody kept saying to me"** pg. 34

In this quote Mrs. McKee brings up something Daisy has been though and can relate to Mrs. McKee’s problems when she was younger.


 * “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” shouted Mrs. Wilson “I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-“ Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand."** Pg. 37

In this quote it shows Tom’s other side which we learn that he is abusive and kind of a bully.


 * 4.** **Symbolism:**

The Valley of Ashes which is first talked about in chapter 2 represents the moral and social decay of the lives of the poor, while the rich just watch and only worry about themselves. An example of the poor is George Wilson, who lives in the ashes and deals with them as most of the poor’s do of that area. Also, The reader is intrigued with the symbolism of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s enormous eyes but Fitzgerald keeps the reader in confusion, giving it no symbolic value. The eyes simply “brood on over the solemn dumping ground.” Most likely, the biggest point of the eyes at this time in the in the story is that they are the eyes of God, looking over the decay of morals during this particular decade. The faded paint symbolizes the lost connection with God. Also, the city of New York can be described as symbolic. It is the extreme opposite of The Valley of Ashes because New York is noisy, gaudy, plentiful, and shiny. Nick sees New York as interesting but also repulsive because there are simply no morals. While Tom is trying to keep his affair with Myrtle secret in the valley of the ashes, in New York he can be seen with her in wherever, even among his best friends, without causing a scene. Even though Nick is Daisy's cousin, he doesnt seem to mind that Tom flaunts his infidelity to New York. This symbolizes the affect that New York has on someones personality or his/hers actions.


 * 6. Extras:**

The Apartment that Tom and Myrtle Live in is the setting of the beginning of Chapter 2. [] This is a picture of the bilboard of Dr. Eckleburg's eyes. This bilboard watches over the Valley of Ashes which is the setting for the beginning of the chapter. __rtretter.wordpress.com__



A picture of New York at night.

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to symbolize the colors of the book. || Organized pictures at bottom and added captions and URLs. ||
 * 7. Group:**
 * Joe Montpetit || Wrote the paragraph for number 1 and helped to organize number 2 as well as the page. Helped with final editing. ||
 * Jay Manning || Edited newspaper article along with number 1. ||
 * Chris Carter || help edit and proof read and add to the article ||
 * Mitchell Miller || Found the 3 quotes in the book and told why they relate and the importance of each of them. ||
 * Kallie Broome || Wrote the symbolism paragraph and edited it when plagarism appeared. ||
 * Endrit Zeqiri || Supervised(stop changing my stuff) ||
 * Samantha Alongi || Added a picture and explination. Organized page. Changed the top colors that said "The Great Gasby" to blue and yellow
 * Matt Nastasi || Added Picture and helped Zach with newspaper article ||
 * Zach Martin || Added a picture(Dr. Ecklegurg's eyes) and caption, and NEW YORK TIMES picture and wrote newspaper article.