The first time I read The Great Gatsby I thought Gatsby was cool. Then I got older and realized Gatsby is kind of pathetic. Perhaps I’m being judgmental, unlike Nick Carraway.
Intro Music
Nick doesn’t drink very often, but when he does it’s usually at an apartment in New York with his cousin’s husband and his cousin’s husband’s mistress. In what might be considered the least fun party in literary history, Nick finds himself looking for something to read. And what does he choose. Let’s find out from Nick himself.
Quote: I…read a chapter of Simon called Peter–either it was terrible stuff or the whiskey distorted things, because it didn’t make sense to me (30).
Classroom Application
Analysis: One of the characteristics of modernism in literature is the sense that traditional religious institutions had failed. The fact that Nick can make no sense of a book chapter sharing its name with the first leader of the Christian church after Jesus’ death is a social commentary on the confusing nature of religion in the 1920s. The reference, however, is ambiguous. Nick is not sure whether the writing is confusing or if he’s too drunk to understand anything. Likewise, Nick suggests that either Christianity is too confusing or the receivers are too confused.
Life Lesson
I find scripture much easier to understand when I’m not drunk and hanging out with a couple of adulterers. That’s just me.
Are we establishing the right atmosphere for learning in our classroom? Just something to think about.
Links
- The Great Gatsby Unit Plan
- The Great Gatsby Blog Post
- Short Stories for Teaching Symbolism Lesson Plans
