Streetcar Named Desire: Scenes 4&5

"[Stella has embraced him with both arms, fiercely, and full in the view of Blanche. He laughs and clasps her head to him. Over her head he grins through the curtains at Blanche]" (Williams 84).
       The stage direction above is significant because we see a change in Stanley's behavior after he overheard Blanche and Stella's conversation. Stanley is now fully aware of the way Blanche feels about him, and he is acting so affectionate towards Stella in order to spite Blanche. He does not want to give Blanche the satisfaction that she is right about him. He would like to prove Blanche wrong and prove to Stella that he can be a better husband. However, he does not kiss Stella later on in the scene because they are in front of Blanche. This is odd because if he were trying to prove to Blanche that she was wrong about him, he should have kissed Stella in front of Blanche to show his gentle love for Stella rather than his abusive nature.

Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 1

"Since the earliest manhood the center of his life has been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it, not with weak indulgence, dependently, but with power and pride of a richly feathered male bird among hens. Branching out from this complete and satisfying center are all the auxiliary channels of his life, such as his heartiness with men, his appreciation of rough humor, his love of good drink and food and games, his car, his radio, everything that is his, that bears his emblem of the gaudy seed-bearer" (Scene 1, p. 25).
       This stage direction gives insight to Stanley's personality, in which we are able to see that he is a man that is driven by sexual influence. Stanley's desire for "pleasure with women" determines his actions. The other aspects of his personality are deemed less significant. Stella and Blanche discuss that Stanley does a great deal of traveling, and Stella misses him while he is gone. Stella's love for Stanley is evident during their conversation, but it is not possible to see if Stella's love is reciprocated. Because Stanley travels a lot and focuses his attention on "pleasure with women," we can question Stanley's love for Stella and whether or not he may have cheated on her during his travels.

Great Gatsby Essay Topic

Although Tom and Daisy are depicted as successful, have they accomplished the American Dream?

Great Gatsby Chap. 8&9

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..." (Fitzgerald 179).
       Tom and Daisy were unable to see the consequences of their actions before they committed them. Tom must have suspected that Mr. Wilson was going to kill whoever had killed his wife, but this didn't stop him from telling Mr. Wilson that it had been Gatsby who hit Myrtle. Tom was careless about the fact that Mr. Wilson was going to murder someone. Daisy was also careless in this series of events because she did not stop the car after hitting Myrtle in the first place, and she must not have told Tom that she had been driving because it was probably easier to place the blame on someone else. Unfortunately, she did not consider that Gatsby would have to pay for her dishonesty. Daisy was responsible for the death of two people, but she simply "retreated back into [her] money...and let other people clean up the mess [she] had made" (179). Daisy did not attend Gatsby's funeral, or make any attempt to take responsibility for her actions. She left her "mess" in Nick's hands (179).

Great Gatsby Chap. 7

"There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind, and as we drove away tom was feeling the hot whips of panic. His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control" (Fitzgerald 125).
      Tom's love for Daisy was renewed when he witnessed her interactions with Gatsby, and after being told that Mr. Wilson wanted to move away with Myrtle. Prior to Daisy's revived feelings for Gatsby, she was loyal to Tom, while Tom was having an affair with Myrtle. Tom was mistreating Daisy, so she did not see the problem with spending so much time with Gatsby. Tom's affair with Myrtle seemed to be acceptable, while Gatsby had become a threat to Tom and Daisy's relationship. When Tom realized that he could soon be without Myrtle and Daisy, he decided to pay closer attention to Daisy. He saw more potential in saving his relationship with Daisy rather than trying to prevent Myrtle from leaving her husband because Tom and Daisy were already married. Their love would be easier to sustain.

Is the American Dream Over?

"People who believe a politician of whatever party or persuasion can make their life better than individual initiative are doing more than dreaming" (Thomas 568).
      Thomas believes that people cannot solely rely on politicians and the government to solve their problems. A certain degree of "individual initiative" is necessary in order to make individual progress. Acknowledging the social and economic problems is not enough to solve them. Americans must make their own way in order to achieve the American dream rather than depend on the government to solve their problems.

Great Gatsby Chap. 6

"Perhaps his presence gave the evening its peculiar quality of oppressiveness - it stands out in my memory from Gatsby's other parties that summer" (Fitzgerald 104).
       Nick suspects that Tom's presence at Gatsby's party is causing the party to be less enjoyable. Every thing else about the party remained relatively the same, so Tom was to blame for the "unpleasantness" at the party (104). There must have been some tension between Tom and Gatsby that led to the unusual atmosphere. Tom must have been able to sense that Daisy only enjoyed the party when she was Gatsby. Also, both Tom and Daisy felt a little uncomfortable at the party because they only knew Gatsby and Nick.

Great Gatsby Chap. 5

"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion" (Fitzgerald 95).
      Gatsby has been imagining his meeting with Daisy again for the last five years. Throughout those five years, he had been developing a fantasy as to how things would play out after they saw each other again. He had anticipated their reunification to be simple, without awkwardness. However, he did not realize that people can change over time. Daisy may have become someone he does not want to be with anymore. She could fall short of his expectations, but only because she does not think or act the same way she used to. Gatsby's illusion of Daisy may have set her up for failure to meet his expectations because she may no longer have the same feelings for him.

Great Gatsby Chap. 4

"His name was Jay Gatsby, and I didn't lay eyes on him again for over four years - even after I'd met him on Long Island I didn't realize it was the same man" (Fitzgerald 75).
        Daisy had been in love with Gatsby before she married Tom. Gatsby was the last soldier Daisy had been in a relationship with because it was difficult to say good-bye to him when he went off to the war. After hearing Jordan's account of the relationship Gatsby had with Daisy, it makes sense as to why Gatsby disappeared when Nick tried to introduce him to Tom. Gatsby already knew who Tom was because he had married the woman Gatsby was in love with. When Jordan found Daisy drunk before her bridal dinner with the letter, she had "change' her mine" because it had occurred to her that she was still in love with Gatsby and no longer wanted to marry Tom (76). Daisy was so curious about who Jordan was referring to after Jordan had mentioned Gatsby's name because she probably still has feelings for him.

The Theory of the Leisure Class

"It is by no means an uncommon spectacle to find a man applying himself to work with the utmost assiduity, in order that his wife may in due form render for him that degree of vicarious leisure which the common sense of the time demands" (Veblen 2).
         Veblen defines conspicuous leisure as the idea of having the means to buy material objects that display wealth. Men are often found laboring to achieve the economic means, while the women focus their attention on attaining a high social status. Women are often found conforming to the habits of other women - women most often participate in conspicuous leisure because they do not want to appear less wealthy, and so many other women are doing it as well. In The Great Gatsby, Mrs. Wilson is a a prominent example of a woman who participates in conspicuous leisure. Her husband works to attain their economic means, while she uses the money he makes to buy material objects that she hopes will give her a wealthy appearance.

Great Gatsby Chap. 3

"She was incurably dishonest. She wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body" (Fitzgerald 58).

         Nick describes Jordan Baker as a dishonest woman. He believes that she must lie when she feels insecure or "at a disadvantage" in order to maintain a flawless reputation. She cares so much about what people think of her that she does not want to make an error that may cause people to dislike her. Nick assumes that she has been "dealing in subterfuges" for quite some time because she seems to be very good at lying. She is able to deceive others with a natural instinct. Nick and Jordan are very opposite, but Nick still finds her appealing. Nick claims to be "one of the few honest people that [he] [has] ever known," while Jordan is dishonest and careless (59). Their relationship is interesting because they see the qualities they lack in the other, and appreciate them for them. Jordan "hates careless people," so "that's why [she] [likes] [Nick]" (58). She herself is a careless person, so she recognizes Nick's careful nature.

Great Gatsby Chap. 2

"With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur" (Fitzgerald 30).
         Mrs. Wilson is a very wealthy woman who spends her money excessively in order to fill the void that her husband leaves and to show her wealth to Tom. She uses her money to buy material objects that will entertain her while she is without her husband. For her to have her own apartment on Long Island that she uses to see Tom is an extra expense that she probably does not think twice about because she has the means to afford it. The puppy she purchases on the street is another example of her excessive spending. She wants a puppy simply to have one. She does not consider the responsibilities that come along with have a pet. This is evident while her guests are gathered in her apartment. The puppy is seemingly abandoned.

Great Gatsby Chap. 1

"'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool - that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool'" (Fitzgerald 17).
         Daisy hopes for her child to be a fool with an implication that she herself is a fool. She believes that girls cannot attain any higher title. She knows that her husband has a mistress, and she blames herself for allowing that to happen. Daisy blames herself because she suspects she was not keeping Tom happy enough to remain faithful. Daisy wishes for her daughter to be a fool because she is aware of the worse things that her daughter could become. She does not want her daughter to end up like her.