Great Gatsby Dialectical Journal

1. “I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father said snobbishly, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth.’ Ch.1

Analysis: nick is tying to say that Money isn’t always what people are born into; especially in this time people who are born into money are considered the upper class and above all. Some people are just a better person in general even without being born into a rich family he doesn’t know if a person has to be born into wealth to have natural class or just be classy on their own.

2. “when I came back from the east last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous

Nick still sees the class in him he believes he has that “natural decencies” that most classy rich folk have lost due to their sight of money.

3. “we shook hands and I started away. Just before I reached the hedge I remember something and turned around. “they’re a rotten crowd”, I shouted across the lawn “you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together”.” ch.8

Analysis: Nick uses the word “worth” during the conversation with Gatsby. Stating the fact, he believes that even though tom and daisy were born into wealth they aren’t worth anything compared to Gatsby which is considered by the others, low class. Nick believes Gatsby has that “natural decencies”, which gives him his worth.

4. “ the caraways are something of a clan, and we have a tradition that we’re descended from the dukes if Buccleuch, but the actual founder of my line was my grandfather’s brother , who came here fifty years ago, sent a substitute to the civil war, and started the wholesale hardware business”ch.1
Analysis: nick is explaining the history of his family. He makes his family out to have followed the original way to wealth, hard work instead of the noble stature his family believes in coming down from

“in my younger more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that ive been turning over in my head ever since. “whenever you feel like criticizing someone, “just remember that all people in this world haven’t had all the advantages that you’ve had.”ch.1

Analysis: nicks father is telling him not to judge or look down on to people of less because you don’t know what they have been through even if they are of lower stature, They can be better than you personality wise and not be rich.

6. “his speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed. There was a touch of parental contempt in it, even toward people he liked and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts.” ch.1

Analysis: Nick is describing Tom, since he’s the narrator. Nick describes tom through his voice but yet you can get see all his personality through it. It also gives a small detail about nick like how close he pays attention to those around him and describes them in detail descriptions.

7. “everyone suspects himself of t least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine =; iam one of the few honest people I have ever known.”

Analysis: this shows the bit of self-conceitedness of nick; everyone has kied before and cant be completely