Major English Notes
Class XII
1.
2.
3.
4.
Generations
Encounter
Plays in One Act
The Great Gatsby
Compiled By:
Narayan Prasad Sapkota
Bhadrakali Higher Secondary School
Pokhara-13, Kundahar
All the sources are highly acknowledged.
Encounter
-------------------------------------------------Use of Force--------------------------------------------@ What does the story tell us about the use of force? How is the doctor affected by resorting to
the use of force? @ How is the child affected by being forced to open her mouth against her
will? [2065-10 ]
@ Why does the doctor respect the child but find the parents contemptible? [2064-5]
@ Describe the relationship of the parents with the child? [2063-5]
@ Comment on the nature of conflict in the story 'The Use of Force'. [2062/59-10]
@ Justify the use of force on a patient as shown in the 'Use of Force'. [2059-5]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
"The Use of Force" by William Carlos Williams shows the conflict between a doctor and
his patient at one level and doctor and the parents at another level. The conflict between doctor
and the patient is physical. But the conflict between doctor and parents is psychological. This
story tells that use of force for benevolent purpose is ethical and justifiable.
The narrator is a doctor who visits the house of Olson family. Their small daughter
Mithalda has had a high fever for three days. Since no medicine worked, her parents called the
doctor. Being fearful that the girl may be suffering from diphtheria, the doctor asked her parents
if she had sore throat. The parents had not taken a look at her throat because they did not want to
hurt her. The doctor asks Mithalda to open her mouth but suddenly the girl attacks his eyes with
her nails. The doctor hates the parents when they say that doctor is a nice man and will not hurt
her. Then the doctor decides to use force than to leave her die. When the doctor is about to look
into her throat, her father suddenly releases her. The parents are restless and fearful that the
doctor may harm her child. On next attempt he grasps the child's head and tries to get the
wooden depressor into her mouth. The girl breaks it with her molars. The child's mouth starts
bleeding. Later he forces the spoon back of her teeth and throat. He finds that she has a sore
throat and is suffering from diphtheria.
Generally force is unjustifiable, but if it is used with good motives in order to save
somebody's life, it becomes a necessity. Here the basic conflict is between the doctor and the
parents of the patient. Doctor uses force because of social responsibility while the parents do not
want the use of force. Their love towards their child was about to cause the death of their child.
The parents concentrate on the immediate pain without thinking the consequences of the deadly
diseases. So the doctor loves the innocent child but finds her parents contemptible.
---------------------------------------------The Penalty of Death--------------------------------@ Identify Mencken's three reasons for his support of capital punishment. Do all three seem to
you equally strong? [2065-5]
@ What are Mencken's three reasons for death punishment? Explain if you are for or against
him. [2063/62/60/58-10]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------H.L. Mencken's essay "The Penalty of Death" advocates in favor of the death penalty.
Mencken thinks that capital punishment is a very beneficial component of any justice system.
Mencken thinks that death penalty should be given to those who take the lives of other people
challenging all civilized order. He presents three reasons for his support of capital punishment.
They are pleasantness of the ancient art, deterrence and katharsis.
Mencken attacks the abolitionists idea that hangman's job is unpleasant. He claims that
there are many jobs which are unpleasant like that the job of soldier, sweeper, plumber etc. but
which are needed for the society. He thinks that hangman is satisfied to practice his ancient craft
and also is needed for the society.
Mencken mentions that capital punishment saves lives. It saves lives because it stops
those who murder from ever murdering again. It also deters potential murderers from ever
committing the crime.
The last reason that Mencken gives is the strongest of all. He claims that the main reason
of death punishment is to provide Katharsis to the victims, relatives and society at large.
Katharsis is the healthy release of emotions, grief, hatred or anger. It provides sudden emotional
and mental satisfaction. It also brings sense of security and mental peace to the public at large.
-----------------------------------------------Enemies---------------------------------------------------@ Chekhov says unhappy men are selfish. How does it apply to Dr Kirilov? To Aboguin?
Discuss. [2065/064/61-10]
@ Why do we sympathize with Dr. Kirilov? [2063/62-5]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
"Enemies" is a story written by Anton Checkov. The story suggests that grief and misery
do not bring people together to share, but force them apart. Pain is egoistic.
Kirilov is a district doctor. His six-year old son has just died of diphtheria. He stands
watching his unconscious wife near the dead body. The doorbell rings and a wealthy stranger
Aboguin enters begging the Doctor to come to treat his wife who is in great pain. Kirilov says
that he cannot possibly leave his wife at this time. Abogin requests to treat his wife in the name
of humanity. Kirilov forgets his social responsibility as a doctor and is observed in his own pain
and grief. In the other hand, Aboguin thinks that his grief is worse than the doctor's. However,
after much request Kirilov unwillingly goes with Aboguin in his carriage. But when they arrive
at Aboguin’s house, his wife is not at home. She pretended to be ill in order to run away with her
lover. Aboguin is sad and begins to complain to Kirilov. Kirilov is angry and he does not like to
hear the grief of Aboguin. He thinks that Abguin played a joke with him. They scream at one
another and the doctor returns home cursing the rich people like Aboguin and forming a deeprooted enmity towards them.
In unhappiness, both became selfish, wicked, unjust and unable to understand each other. Pain
and anxiety made them egoistic and selfish. However, we sympathize with Dr. Kirilov because
his loss is greater that Aboguin's.
----------------------------------Zeroing in on Science Fiction----------------------------------@ How does Ghoshgarin draw distinction between hard science and soft science fiction? [20645]
@ How does Goshgarin distinguish science fiction from other kinds of fiction? [2060-5]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
In his essay "Zeroing in on Science Fiction" Gary Goshgarin defines science fiction as
the branch of literature that imaginatively speculates the human life in scientific or technological
world. Science fiction differs from other kinds of fiction in the sense that science fiction always
gives a scientific logic for any imagination. It does not present any event without scientific
rationale. In other kinds of fiction the consequences are caused by magic or supernatural powers.
Science fiction always predicts possibility while other kinds of fiction may present any event that
is impossible. Goshgarin thinks that Frankenstein is a science fiction while Dracula is a fantasy
fiction.
Goshgarin also distinguishes between Hard SF and Soft SF. Hard SF takes help of known
principles and inventions to fill their stories with scientific jargon. The heroes are usually
scientists or engineers. The readers with good knowledge of science can only enjoy this type of
fiction. Caves of Steel by Asimov is a Hard SF. Soft SF takes help of sociology, anthropology,
psychology, philosophy and other branches of knowledge to show the moral and social results of
scientific advancement. It deals with how the scientific developments will influence morality,
evolution and environment. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is Soft SF.
-------------------------------------------The Time Factor--------------------------------------------@ How do you interpret Steinem's thesis that your sense of time is partly a function of power, or
the lack of it?" [2065-5]
@ How does Steinem differentiate the future planning, which is 'culturally masculine habit of
planning', to women's plans for future in the essay? [2059-10]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
`The main thesis of Gloria Steinem's essay "The Time Factor" is that our sense of time is
partly a function of power or lack of it.
Time-sense is always governed by power- either monetary power or social power.
Planning ahead depends on class, sex and caste. The rich and the middle class plan for the future
generations while the poor plan for a week or a few days. Women also can not plan ahead as they
are dominated by men. Even well-to-do women have to adjust their life according to the life of
their husband and children. Females are powerless in the society so they also only plan for few
days. They live in flux, present and uncertainty. Even some feminists only look at their painful
past and do not focus on future. Women are limited to day to day existence. While men always
live in dreamy future without living in the day to day present. The Blacks who are socially and
culturally powerless also can not plan for the future. A black, successful journalist and critic also
could not plan beyond one assignment.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------@ How do you explain the difference between the terms 'class' and 'caste'? Discuss with
examples. [2061-5]
= Class is social group whose members have the same economic status. Since they have same
economic status they also have same social and political status. Generally class can be
distinguished into three - upper class, middle class and lower class. The people of upper and
middle class have monetary power so they plan for future while the people of lower group only
plan for day to day existence.
Caste is an unchangeable marks of sex and race. Whites belong to upper caste while blacks
belong to lower caste. In our hindu culture, there are four castes- Brahamin, Kshetriya, Vaisya
and Sudra. Brahmin and Kshetriya belong to upper caste and are powerful in society while
Vaisya and Sudra belong to lower caste with no power.
-----------------------------------------------------Duchoux--------------------------------------------@ What is the reason behind the Baron's rejection of his son, whom he had longed to see so
much? [2065-5]
@ What is a son according to the story? [2063-5]
@ Does the story imply that the modern civilization has alienated man from his true self or
nature? Give reasons for your answer. [2061/58-10]
@ What is the theme of this story? [2057-5]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
Maupassant's story "Duchoux" is about a self-centered old man named Barone Mardiane
who values position more than family. This story implies that modern civilization has separated
man from his true self or nature. Modern men only crave for comfort, money and sex. They have
forgotten the values of family bonds and love.
Barone Mardiane, an aristocratic old bachelor is fed up of with his monotonous life. He
feels lonely and sad because he is bored with the same friends, gambling and same activities. In
loneliness, he is haunted by the memory of his illegitimate son. He wishes to spend rest of his
life with him and his grandchildren. In his young age, he had a short romantic relationship with
the wife of governor of a colony. A son was born secretly. The mother died of tuberculosis after
three years. Baron had secretly arranged for the boy's education and marriage. Barone goes to
meet his son's house. When he reaches there, he meets a boy, lifts him and tries to kiss him. But
the smell of garlic coming out from his mouth prevents him. Barone notices that everything the
son has does not suit his standard. The servants are dirty, the room is dark and dirty, his son
Duchoux is bald headed, shabbily dressed and even daughter-in-law is dirty and shabbily
dressed. The room is filled with the odour of garlic. Though Duchoux resembled in many ways
with his mother, Barone dislikes him. When the boy comes and calls Duchoux 'father' in a
Southern tone, Barone is struck by the word. He hates the rural and uncultured environment of
his son's house and returns to Paris.
-----------------------------------------What is Poverty? ---------------------------------------------@ How does Parker create a real and graphic account of what being poor actually means on a
daily basis? Do you have anything more to add to her definition of poverty? [2064-10]
@ Is "What is Poverty" a realistic essay? Discuss with reasons for your answer. [2062-10]
@ Why did Parker quit her job? [2061-5]
@ What is Parker's purpose in defining poverty as she does? [2058-10]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
Jo Goodwin Parker in her realistic essay "What is Poverty" gives a real and graphic
account of what being poor actually means on a daily basis. Parker stresses that poverty is more
ugly, cruel and devastating than it is shown in newspapers.
She defines poverty as a lack - that is living without hope, better foods, medicinal care,
proper sanitation and proper education. It is like an acid that destroys pride, honour, health and
future. Parker's main purpose is to show how shameful, humiliating and disgusting it is to be a
poor. She wants to draw the readers' attention to the pathetic state of poor people.
Poor people have to live a restless life looking at the dark future of their children. Poverty
breaks relationships. Parker had three children. She divorced with her husband because he had
lost his job and they couldn't buy contraceptives to prevent unwanted birth. She had a job. Once
she left the children under the care of their grandmother. She found her children under pitiable
condition when she returned home. Her youngest son was covered with fly specks and his diaper
had not been changed since morning. Her another child was playing with broken glasses and the
oldest one was playing alone at the edge of a lake. She did not have enough income to admit
them at a nursery school. She made 20 dollars a week and a nursery school cost 20 dollars a
week for three children. Therefore she quitted her job.
----------------------------- An Episode of War ----------------------------------------------------@ How is war a sad scene in respect of the war front, barracks or hospital. Comment. [2063-10]
@ Describe the grim, inhuman picture of war presented in "An Episode of War". [2060-10]
@ Is there any reason for Crane's refusal to give the lieutenant's name? [2058-5]
@ How did the lieutenant lose his arm in the story 'An Episode of War'? How does the wound
set the lieutenant apart form his fellow soldiers? [2057-10]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
'An Episode of War' written by Stephen Crane presents the bitter experience of a
wounded lieutenant at the war front, barracks and hospital. Crane hasn't given name to the
lieutenant but used generic name in order to show that war is bitter experience not for an
individual only but for all soldiers of any nationality, place and time.
While dividing the coffee powder, the Lieutenant was mysteriously shot on his right arm
by a bullet. The fellowmen gazed at him with awe and some offered him help. But lieutenant did
not accept their help. Soon all his fellowmen had to take their position in the battle field, so he
started walking alone towards the military hospital. On the way he met some stragglers who did
not care about his wound. In the barrack, several officers came out to see him and started asking
several questions. One of them noticed his wound, but without any right treatment or sympathy
he tied his wound with a handkerchief. He even scolded him. Lieutenant reached hospital. He
found that the hospital was mismanaged- the ambulances were stuck up in the mud and no one
cared the wounded soldiers. He met a busy surgeon who behaved him in an indifferent manner.
He talked to the lieutenant as if he was talking to a criminal, not to a brave soldier. Though the
surgeon told that he would not amputate his hand, he found himself losing his arm. When he
went to his home the family members started crying because they did not realize his bravery.
Though he was a war hero, he felt himself ashamed.
Thus this story shows the gap between appearance and reality. War is glorified but
soldiers are treated indifferently. A brave war hero is misbehaved wherever he goes. The wound
sets the lieutenant apart from his fellow soldiers. He becomes disillusioned by the war while his
fellow soldiers glorify war.
@ What are the implications of Crane's comparison of the actual battle to 'an historical
painting'?[061-10]
= In the story the lieutenant sees that a general is presented a paper by an assistant. He compares
this event to the historical painting. Crane's comparison of the actual battle field to 'an historical
painting' suggests the existence and glorification of war even in the past. The painting shows the
beautiful picture of war but in reality it hides the brutality of war. This also suggests that from
ancient times the medals are awarded to generals not to the soldiers who win war.
---------------------------------- A Day in the Life of a Salaryman----------------------------------@ What is the significance of the time 'Salaryman' spends outside his job improving work skills
and attending training program? [2064-5]
@ Describe "Salaryman's" job in brief. [2060-5]
@ How does 'salaryman' represent Japanese white-collar workers? [2059-5]
@ Describe the events that normally take place in the working day of a "Salary man " in Japan.
How do you view that the "Salary man" is representative of Japanese white-collar workers?
[2057-10]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
The 'Salaryman' described in "A Day in the Life of a Salaryman " is the representative of
average male Japanese white-collar worker who devotes his soul and body to his company. He is
a university graduate, lives in mortgaged house, always wears formal dress and is equipped with
every essential items. He is the industrial warrior and a driving force behind Japan's economic
success. He gives more preference to the office than his own family.
He wakes up late. After a quick wash, shave and dressing, he takes his breakfast. His wife
drives him to the train station for a 70 minute ride. He then catches a train and starts reading
book on computers in order to improve his skills. He reaches his office at 9:10 where he is a
section manager. At 10:30 he assembles data and attends a meeting about a contract. He works
consciously in order to gain promotion. At 4:00 he attends another meeting and by 7:00 he
finishes his compiling work. Yet he does not go home. At 7:30 he attends a dinner with the client
company. Around 11 pm, his friends rush towards bath house for entertainment, but he rushes
towards his house. At home, he takes the late supper left on the table, gives a sentimental gaze at
his sleeping children and goes to bed.
Thus, for the Salaryman the office is a real home.
------------------------------ The Day of the Dead----------------------------------------------------@ What are the Mexican attitudes towards the celebrations of life and death? [2062-5]
@ What are the factors which make fiestas so popular in Mexico and what are the psychological
and cultural motivations behind them? [2059-5]
=
Octavio Paz in the essay "The Day of the Dead" presents the psychological and cultural
motivations behind the popularity of fiestas in Mexico. The Mexican people celebrate fiestas
with all the colors, strange costumes, dancing, fireworks, drinking, shouting and gathering
together. By means of fiestas Mexican people free themselves from the monotony of life,
solitude, order, rigidity, poverty and harsh reality. During fiestas, society frees itself from the
laws, traditions, order and come out purified with new energy.
In certain fiestas, the very idea of order disappears, chaos comes back and sexual freedom
rules. All the social, sex, caste and trade differences disappear. Fiestas are like revolution
because individual dissolves in mass and forms a unity. The people reveal their hidden secrets
and desires and free themselves from mental burden.
Generations
On His Blindness
John Milton’s sonnet ‘On His Blindness’ enlightens us about Milton's blindness, his mental
anguish and his desire to serve God.
He begins the poem by lamenting how he wasted his ability to see. In this poem he used word
light for vision. He also used word light to represent the spirituality and he meant here that how
he ignored his spiritual capacity. He further tells that he will spend his remaining half of the life
in darkness. Now when he lost his vision, he found himself surrounded by the darkness only.
Here he used the term dark world as his inability to understand the spiritual world and
knowledge. After losing his vision he has realized the importance of God and now he wishes to
serve him more than ever to prove that how much he loves him. But his own wisdom answers
him that God does not need anyone’s hard work or any kind of sacrifice to please him. One can
serve the God by obeying his wishes. It is the only best way to serve the God.
There is no point in lamenting or complaining about our short comings in life! For, God does not
need any of our service or want anything from us as He is infinitely self-sufficient and selfreliant ever! Talented or not, bright or blind it is our duty to the best we can to prove our mettle
before Him being worthy of ourselves being His creations! It is Milton's best example of his
intellectual analysis and resolution that made him noble and great ever!
Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer Day
The poem starts with a flattering question to the beloved—"Shall I compare thee to a summer's
day?" The beloved is both "more lovely and more temperate" than a summer's day. The speaker
lists some negative things about summer: it is short, rough winds in summer disturb the buds,
sometimes the sunshine makes the temperature too hot and other times sun often hides behind
clouds. Then the speaker makes a generalization that everything in nature including the seasons
and even people degenerate. However, the beloved has beauty that will last forever, unlike the
fleeting beauty of a summer's day. By putting his love's beauty into the form of poetry, the poet
is preserving it forever. The lover's beauty will live on, through the poem which will last as long
as it can be read.
Shall I compare you to a summer's day? You are more lovely and more moderate: Harsh winds
disturb the delicate buds of May, and summer doesn't last long enough. Sometimes the sun is too
hot, and its golden face is often dimmed by clouds. All beautiful things eventually become less
beautiful, either by the experiences of life or by the passing of time. But your eternal beauty
won't fade, nor lose any of its quality. And you will never die, as you will live on in my enduring
poetry. As long as there are people still alive to read poems this sonnet will live, and you will
live in it.
The Tiger
The Tiger is the Masterpiece of God’s creation on earth. Through the thick cover of darkness of
the unexplored forest, the Tiger, with his bright burning eyes, moves in majesty and his presence
is felt by other animals of the woods. With a perfect eye and a mighty hand God-The Creator
planned the perfect ‘Symmetry’ of this creature that is capable of striking fear in the hearts of
every fauna on the face of this earth, including man.
To what depths of the mighty waters of the earth and to what heights towards the skies did the
Almighty took all the pains to gather the immortal fire and breathe life into this unique creature
called ‘The Tiger’. On wings much larger than his Arch Angels, as one may imagine, God would
fly to aspire His earnest desire to fulfill His perfect intention to create this extremely ferocious
animal. With His powerful immortal hand, He would have carried this Heavenly Fire in His palm
and return to finish the work of creating the fearful tiger.
God created a magnificent piece of art when He formed the broad shape of the Tiger’s shoulders.
He then went to twist the ‘sinews’ and created the perfect shape of the tiger’s heart. When God
touched the lifeline of the heart, it immediately started to beat. The Tiger’s hands and feet
stretched as he is waking up to a brand new life. They all looked equally dreadful like the rest of
his body.
The manner in which the brain was formed and the understanding that dwelled within this
Creature is extremely lethal. The ferocity of ‘The Tiger’ is closely embraced with his heart,
mind, body and soul. That is why it is believed that the tiger can strike with deadly force.
Even the stars are believed to throw down their spears in fear or rebellion or allegiance. Would
God take a few moments of his precious time to look at His masterpiece and admire it from His
Throne? Perhaps, but who knows the mind of God? Could the same God who made the gentle
lamb made the fearful tiger too?
The same ‘Tiger’ who roams the thick forest in deep cover of darkness with his glimmering eyes
creates the extreme fear to all creatures around it. Only God’s powerful hands and magnificent
eyes of immortality would dare to create the ‘fearful symmetry’ of the tiger.
Plays in One Act
Lord Byron's Love Letter
@ Narrate the story of young woman’s meeting with Lord Byron. [2065/2064/2061-10]
@ Describe briefly the young woman’s meeting with Byron. [2064-5]
@How did the American girl go alone to the Acropolis? [2063-5]
@ How did the glove provide an opportunity for romance? [2058/2059-5]
Like many American girls of those days, the Spinster’s grandmother visited Europe when
she was just sixteen. Near the end of her tour, she went to Greece with her aunt to see the ruins
of Athens. One beautiful April morning, she with her aunt went to see the Acropolis. Her aunt
was not feeling well, so she stayed with the driver. She started climbing the steps of Acropolis
alone. She saw a young and handsome man, walking with a slight limp, before her. The man who
was Lord Byron turned again and again round to watch the scene, but actually he was watching
the girl. At the top of the steps, he stopped and spread his hands wide like Apollo. She tried not
to see him, but the steps were narrow at the top, so she had to pass him. Just at that time, she
accidentally dropped her glove, and he picked it up to return. As he returned her the glove, his
fingers touched her palm and their eyes met. They fell in love and had a summer filled with
romance. After Byron died in Greece, the grandmother retired from the world and remained in
complete seclusion as an honor to his memory.
@What are the spinster and the old woman feeling upset in the end? [2062-5]
@ What is the role of Winston Tutwiler? [2060-5]
@ Summary
===================================================================
Tennessee Williams’ play Lord Byron's Love Letter has four characters: The Spinster,
The Old Woman, The Matron, and The Husband.
The Old Woman and the Spinster live in an old and faded house in New Orleans. They
advertise that they have a love letter from Lord Byron, written to The Spinster's grandmother.
They charge money to anyone who wants to see it, and hear them tell the tale of how this
meeting took place. A Matron visits them to see the letter. She is in town with her husband for
Mardi Gras. Her husband Wiston Tutwiler is drunken and uninterested in the letter. As the
spinster reads from her grandmother's diary, it becomes clear that the grandmother and the old
woman are one and the same. According to the two women, the grandmother met Lord Byron in
Greece, shortly before his death. The Spinster reads aloud the meeting of Lord Byron and her
grandmother from the journal. They only allow The Matron and her Husband to look at the letter
from a distance. When Wiston Tutwiler hears the band of Mardi Gras festival, he raises from his
unconscious state and rushes out of the house. He is a man who wants to forget ugly reality and
live in illusory unconscious state. The Matron also follows him. Then the spinster quickly asks
for some money. The Matron does not pay any attention to them and rushes out without paying.
This upset them because they had created a fake letter in order to earn money and survive.
The Romancers
@ Narrate the events that cause anxiety to the lovers. [2058-5]
@ Describe the character traits of young romancers as seen in Sylvette and Percinet. [2064/2059-10]
@ Summary
In his play “The Romancers” Edmond Rostand satirizes the sentimentalism and escapism of
Romantic literature of his times.
Percinet is the only son of Bergamin and Sylvette is the only daughter of Pasquinot. Their
fathers who are widowers and neighbors make a plan to marry their children with each other. In
order to accomplish this, the fathers separate their children so that they may love each other the
more, and desire to be re-united. As a part of their plan, Bergamin warns his son to stay away
from Pasquinot and his daughter. Similarly, Pasquinot also warns his daughter that she should
not be near to his mortal enemy Bergamin and his son. Inspite of their fathers’ warnings, Percinet
and Sylvette fall in love. They think themselves as the counterparts of Romeo and Juliet. They
are worried that their love will also end in tragedy like that of Romeo and Juliet. They are
emotional, daydreaming teenagers who have recently finished their school studies. They are
deeply influenced by romantic literature of their times- especially by the romantic play “Romeo
and Juliet” of William Shakespeare. They are so in love with each other that they desire to die
rather than separate with each other. Bergamin then hires Straforel and his company for a fake
kidnapping. At midnight hours, when Percinet and Sylvette are about to meet, Straforel with his
company kidnap Sylvette and put her into the sedan chair. Percinet hears the cry of Sylvette,
jumps over the wall and fights with his sword. At the same time, as planned, Pasquinot enters
and calls Percinet a hero. He suggests Bergamin to put an end to their enmity and arrange the
marriage of their children. Thus in the end the two children seem like puppets in the hands of
their fathers.
@ Comment on the role of Straforel and his men. [2065-5]
= Straforel is a performer who is hired by Bergamin to do a fake and grand kidnapping. He is not
a villain but a comedian who is expert in his profession and make-believe acting. He makes a
combination of the different elements so that the kidnapping will be memorable. He brings his
swordsmen, musicians and torch-bearers during the kidnapping and places them in their
positions. In the end his expert acting during kidnapping unites the lovers.
@How does Percinet justify his presence in the garden? [2063/2060-5]
=Percinet justifies to his father that he is present in the garden to enjoy the natural beauty of the
garden, especially the flowers, creepers and the mosses that have decorated the wall. He tells him
that the wall with its cracks and vines has made the bench next to it as a royal throne.
@ What is Parquinot’s reaction on finding his daughter strolling about? [2061-5]
= When Pasquinot finds his daughter strolling alone in the garden, he scolds her. He reminds her
that she should remain away from his mortal enemy Bergamin and his son. He is afraid that they
may attack and insult her when they find her alone. So he wants to put a row of spikes on the top
of the wall to harm the attacker.
Waterloo
@Attempt a character sketch of Corporal Brewster. [2065-5]
@ How did Brewester show his bravery in the battlefield? [2063-5]
@ Why does Norah come to visit Corporal Brewster? [2062-5]
@What part of the Bible does the Corporal find interesting and why? [2060-5]
= In Arthur Conan Doyle’s play “Waterloo” the main character is Corporal Gregory Brewster.
He is 96 years old, looked after by a housekeeper. It was rumoured that he was not being looked
after properly. So his grand-niece Norah is sent by her parents from Essex to look after him.
Even McDonald of Royal Artillery and Colonel Midwinter of Scots Guards come to see him. In
the play Brewster is doddering, thin, with white hair and wrinkled face. He is hard of hearing,
worried about the cold weather and impatient for food and rum. Due to his old age he has
become childish and remembers giving a bull pup to his brother. He is surprised when Norah
says that she has come by train and can read the Bible. Even in the Bible, he wants to listen about
war. He likes to hear about the Israelites and their wars in the Old Testament of the Bible. He
gets angry with Norah when she says that everything is peaceful in heaven. He requests the
Colonel to give him a military funeral when he dies. He does not appreciate the new
developments. He cries like a baby when his pipe breaks and smiles immediately when given a
new pipe by McDonald. He loves to see the soldiers marching, the band playing and loves to feel
a gun. When someone says that they are proud of him, he remembers the Regent and his words.
Brewester is a war hero who showed his bravery during the battle of Waterloo, between
Britain and France. On the 18th of June, four companies of the Third Guards held the important
farmhouse of Hougoumont. At a critical point of the fight, there was short of powder. So
Brewester was sent to bring the reserve ammunition. He returned with two carts filled with
powder. But the French forces had set fire in the hedge around the farm. One of the cart exploded
killing the driver. The other driver was frightened and tried to turn away his cart. Seeing this,
Brewester jumped into the seat, threw the driver down and drove the cart through the fire to his
friends. Thus the British forces were able to win the battle because of Brewester’s heroic act.
Riders to the Sea
@ Describe the circumstances of Bartley’s death. [2065/2062-10]
@ Do you see difference between the attitude of men and women towards the sea? [2064-5]
@ Sketch the character of Mauriya. [2064\2061-10]
@ Discuss “Riders to the Sea” as a unique modern tragedy in one act. [2060-10]
"Riders to the Sea" written by J.M Synge portrays the hardships and sufferings of Maurya
who lives in the Aryan Island. Often critics identify Maurya with mother Ireland who has been
losing her sons due to war, famine, poverty and diseases.
Maurya is a poor old lady, who once had a full family -a husband, father-in-law, six sons
and two daughters. When the play opens, she has lost all male members of the family except
Bartley. Recently her beloved son Michael has died in the sea but his body has not been found.
Her daughters Catheleen and Nora know the fact that Michael has been given a clean burial in
Donegal. Maurya now fears losing Bartley, her only remaining son. Bartley comes and says that
he wants to sell his horses at a good price in Galway fair. There is only one boat going on that
day and there will be no boat for the next 15 days, so he insists that he will cross to the mainland,
in spite of winds and high seas. He is a responsible man. He makes a halter out of the rope and
hurries to catch the boat. Due to anger Maurya does not bless her son while leaving to the fair.
The girls ask her to give him the lunch they had prepared and then bless him on the way.
At this point Maurya returns terrified with a vision she had had of Michael riding on the
grey pony behind Bartley. Now she is sure Bartley will also die. She is so upset that she keeps on
talking about her sufferings. Women and men follow bringing the dead body of Bartley who was
knocked off a cliff by the grey pony. He fell into the sea and strong waves dashed him on the
white rocks.
Maurya is a truly a tragic figure, not suffering from tribal curse or from her own
weakness. She is defeated by circumstances. Even in her defeat she does not curse God. She has
great endurance and she consoles herself by saying "No man at all can be living forever, and we
must be satisfied".
A Marriage Proposal
@ Narrate the series of changes in the attitudes of Natalia towards Lomov. [2065-10]
@What is Lomov’s idea of marriage? [2064-5]
@ Sketch the character of Lomov. [2063-10]
@ Why does Choobookov have to shout for champagne at the end? [2063-5]
@ How does the topic of dogs bring about exchange of heated words? [2062-5]
@ Why is Choobookov surprised at the appearance of his visitor? [2061/2058-5]
@ Make a comparison of the characters of Choobookov and Lomov. [2060-10]
@ Write about the purpose of Lomov’s visit to Choobookov’s house. [2059-5]
=In the short play "A Marriage Proposal," Anton Chekhov describes the odd courtship of
Lomov, who seeks a marriage with his neighbor's daughter.
Lomov, aged 35, is a long time neighbor of Choobookov. He is a landowner who has
inherited property from his aunt. Though he is well fed and healthy, he is hypochondriac. He
suffers from palpitations and sleeplessness due to his nervousness. He has passed a critical stage
of marriage. He now knows that if he will search for an ideal woman or true love, he will never
marry. So he is now desperate to marry Natalia. He thinks that she is not bad-looking and has
some education. He wants to lead a steady and regular life. So, he visits the house of his
neighbour Choobookov early morning dressed in formal suit. Choobookov is surprised at the
unexpected arrival of Lomov in his formal dress. Lomov asks him Natalia's hand in marriage.
Choobookov is also desperately looking for a suitable man for his 25-year-old daughter, Natalia.
As a father of a grown-up daughter, he immediately gives joyful permission to marry Natalia.
She is invited into the room. Lomov becomes nervous and instead of putting his
proposal, he begins to beat about the bush. When he says that his Ox Meadows touch her birch
woods, she begins to argue with him about the ownership of that piece of land. After her father
notices they are arguing, he joins in, and then sends Lomov out of the house. Choobookov then
tells his daughter that Lomov was there to propose her. Natalia repents and asks her father to call
him back. Lomov comes and she asks him about his hunting program. He says that he will start
hunting after harvest because his best dog has gone lame. At this point, Natalia contradicts him
again and claims that her dog Leap is better than his dog Guess. Thus the quarrel begins again
till over-excitement makes Lomov faint in a chair. Seeing him quiet and unmoving, Natalia
thinks that he is dead and becomes hysterical. At last Lomov comes into senses and Choobookov
forces them to kiss each other and accept the marriage proposal. Immediately following the kiss,
Natalia and Lomov start quarrelling. Choobookov shouts for Champagne because he wants to
celebrate their marriage and at the same time he feels free by the burden of his grown-up
daughter.
Lomov
He is healthy, well fed but
hypochondriac. He suffers
from
palpitations
and
sleeplessness because of
his nervousness.
Choobookov
He feels an unbearable burden of a
grown up daughter. He does what
his shrewd daughter tells him.
When Natalia and Lomov accept
marriage proposal, he celebrates
with Champagne.
He is quarrelsome and He is quarrelsome. He always
always beats about the sides with his daughter in her
bush.
argument with Lomov.
Wealthy landowner
He acts childishly and
impractically.
He is aged 35 and has
passed the critical age of
marriage. He wants to lead
a regular and stable life.
So, he is desperate for a
wife.
Wealthy landowner
His behaviour is childish but is a
practical man.
As a father of a grown up
daughter, he is desperate to find a
husband for his daughter.
Natalia
She is shrewd and always
begins the quarrel. She lacks
feminine qualities.
She is quarrelsome. She is
never polite with Lomov
though she loves to marry
him.
She also acts childishly and
impractically.
She is 25 and is desperate
for a husband.
The Happy Journey
@ Give an account of the people and places the Kirby family see during their happy journey.
[2065/2058-10]
@ Describe the Kirby family and it’s relationship with neighbours. [2063-10]
@ Why do Arthur and Caroline cry before they eat the hot dogs? [2062-5]
@ Why does Caroline complain about Arthur? [2061-5]
@ What traits of the character of older woman is reflected when Ma Kirby asks Beulah to lie
down and shut her eyes for ten minutes? [2059-5]
=================================================================
=
"The Happy Journey" written by Thornton Wilder, describes a simple journey of the
Kirby family from their home to Camden, to visit the family's married daughter Beulah. Beulah
was sick while giving birth to a dead child and had to undergo operation.
Before they begin the journey, Ma Kate Kirby advises her 13 year old son Arthur to put
on hat, and warns Caroline not to use any cosmetics. Kirby family has kept good relationship
with their neighbours. They help each other in need. Ma Kirby asks about the health of the baby
of her neighbour Mrs. Schwartz, and also asks her to feed her cat during her absence. She tells
her to use anything she needs by opening the door. Mr Schwartz readily accepts it. When another
neighbour Mrs. Hobmeyer comes Ma Kirby asks Caroline to greet her. Mrs. Hobmeyer does not
beat the rug because she does not want to choke the Kirby family. Before they leave the
neighbours greet them best wishes.
Arthur requests his father not to drive by the school because he is afraid that his teacher
may scold him. But mother Kirby thinks that she has right to take her children anywhere she
likes. On the way they see a funeral procession, and father Elmer takes off his hat. Ma Kirby
asks Arthur to take his hat off as sympathy to the dead ones. She even becomes philosophical
and says that everyone has to die one day.
They see various advertisement billboards-- for suits, suspenders, spaghetti and
cigarettes. Arthur asks permission for taking a paper route with the Newark Daily Post but Ma
Kirby does not like it because for her family and health is more important than money. Arthur
speaks disrespectfully about God, this makes her very angry. Around New Brunswick, they see a
collie dog and Ma Kirby pities the rather weak dog. On the gas station, Ma Kirby talks with the
young garage man and sympathies with him. They stop again to have hot dogs. At this time
Arthur repents that he was wrong for making fun of God. Ma pardons him asks to him to be good
in words and deed. So, Arthur and Caroline start crying. They reach the house of Beulah and all
are happy. Beulah eyes are filled with tears. She kisses her father and embraces him. She
presents gifts to her brother and sister. Later Ma Kirby asks her daughter Beulah to lie down on
the bed and take rest. Being a responsible mother, she goes to the kitchen and starts preparing
food.
Ma Kirby is the main and strong character in this play. She is a loving mother, active,
strict about dress and manners. She is happy and satisfied with her family. She thinks that the
place where her family live is the best place in the world for her. She wants her children be
honest in deeds and manners. She is thoughtful, determined and kind person.
To Bobolink, For Her Spirit
@ Sketch the character of Bobolink [2064\2062-10]
@ Explain the reason why some of the celebrities are considered to be not at all stuck up. [20615]
@Discuss what happened outside the “St. Regis”. [2060-5]
@ Describe Bobolink’s inability to get Elizabeth Taylor’s autograph. [2059-5]
@ What is the attitude of autograph seekers to Lana Turner? [2058-5]
=
In William Inge's play "To Bobolink, For Her Spirti", Bobolink is the ringleader of the
group of autograph seekers who are outside the 21 Club in New York waiting for Perry Como.
She is in her early thirties, with a very fat body that looks like a circle from sides. She looks selfsatisfied and happy. She smiles showing her teeth. Her hair is short and curly. She wears
powerful glasses that make her eyes look like buttonholes. Her clothes are simple. She is the
most experienced autograph hunter and has collected the autographs of most movie stars and
celebrities. She is very confident and proves her claims by showing her autograph book. She is a
quasi-adolescent.
Bobolink once waited patiently for three hours one snowy night to get the autograph of
Elizabeth Taylor outside the Stork Club because someone told her that there was Elizabeth
Taylor. There was no Elizabeth Taylor at all but she was some college girl trying to pretend she
was Elizabeth Taylor.
Bobolink and Nellie once waited outside the St. Regis for Ronald Colman. They waited
for whole night and when they were about to give up, she saw movie stars Van Johnson and
Peter Lawford get out of taxi. They went towards them and asked for autographs in which Peter
Lawford wrote 'All my love to Bobolink'.
Bobolink has the autograph of Lana Turner which she shows to the other autograph
seeker kids. Gretchen's girlfriend saw Lana last summer on the beach and she reacted friendly.
Bobolink thinks that some celebrities who are really famous are not stuck up ( proud). Bobolink's
favourite is Tyrone Power. She is the president of the Tyrone Power Fan Club. She met Tyrone
at the train when he was coming in from Hollywood. She had to fight the man at the gate to let
her pass. She found him in a carriage packing his things hurriedly. She introduced herself as the
president of the club and told him that the club had 43 members who met once a week to discuss
his career. He was not proud at all and gave her and other members lots of his autographs. In the
autograph of Bobolink he wrote "To Bobolink for her faithful enthusiasm and spirit".
The Great Gatsby
Author:
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Type of work: Novel
Genre:
Modernist novel, Jazz Age novel, novel of manners
Time and place written: 1923–1924, America and France
Date of first publication: 1925
Publisher :
Charles Scribner's Sons
Narrator :
Nick Carraway; Carraway not only narrates the story but implies that he
is the book's author.
Point of view: Nick Carraway narrates in both first and third person, presenting only what
he himself observes. Nick alternates sections where he presents events
objectively, as they appeared to him at the time, with sections where he gives
his own interpretations of the story's meaning and of the motivations of the
other characters.
Tone:
Nick's attitudes toward Gatsby and Gatsby's story are ambivalent and
contradictory. At times he seems to disapprove of Gatsby's excesses and
breaches of manners and ethics, but he also romanticizes and admires Gatsby,
describing the events of the novel in a nostalgic and elegiac tone.
Tense:
Past
Setting (time): Summer 1922
Settings (place): Long Island and New York City
Protagonist:
Gatsby and/or Nick
Major conflict: Gatsby has amassed a vast fortune in order to win the affections of the upperclass Daisy Buchanan, but his mysterious past stands in the way of
his
being accepted by her.
Rising action:
Gatsby's lavish parties, Gatsby's arrangement of a meeting with Daisy at
Nick's
Climax:
There are two possible climaxes: Gatsby's reunion with Daisy in Chapters V–
VI; the confrontation between Gatsby and Tom in the Plaza Hotel in Chapter
VII.
Falling action: Daisy's rejection of Gatsby, Myrtle's death, Gatsby's murder
Themes :
The decline of the American dream; the hollowness of the upper class; the
spirit of the 1920s, the difference between social classes, the role of symbols
in the human conception of meaning, the role of the past in dreams of the
future
Motifs:
The connection between events and weather, the connection between
geographical location and social values, images of time, extravagant parties,
the quest for wealth
Symbols:
The green light on Daisy's dock, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, the
valley of ashes, Gatsby's parties, East Egg, West Egg
Foreshadowing: The car wreck after Gatsby's party in Chapter III, Owl Eyes's comments about
the theatricality of Gatsby's life, the mysterious telephone calls Gatsby
receives from Chicago and Philadelphia.
Questions:
1. The Great Gatsby is a satire on the American society. Discuss. [2064-5]
OR,
2. Comment on 'The Great Gatsby' as a comment on American dream.[2064-5]
OR,
3. Decline of the American Dream in the 1920's.
OR,
4. Role of money and wealth in The Great Gatsby.
OR,
5. Main theme of The Great Gatsby.
OR,
6. How does The Great Gatsby represent it's age?
OR,
7. Discuss the novel "The Great Gatsby" as an American Dream. [2065-10]
OR,
8. How is 'The Great Gatsby' a story on American Dream? Comment. [2063-10
OR,
9. Comment on the elements of satire in the novel "The Great Gatsby"[2062-10]
10. "The Great Gatsby" is a comment on the American Dream. Explain briefly. [2059-10]
11. "The Great Gatsby assumes that the idea of American dream rooted in the concept of life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness is far from reality." Discuss [2058-10]
12. What is Fitzgerald's view of the American dream? [2058-5]
13. Discuss "The Great Gatsby" as a tragedy of American dream. [2057-10]
14. Discuss Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" as the projection of the American Dream.
[Model-10]
American dream is the false lesson taught by the American society that money can buy
happiness, satisfaction and everything a man desires. It is the belief that it is possible for anyone
in America , however poor, to win success and wealth by their own effort. The American dream
was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s written in the
American Constitution that every individual has the right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of
Happiness”. This right soon took a twisted turn in the early 1920’s which is clearly shown in The
Great Gatsby. The pursuit of happiness soon turned into the pursuit of wealth and ultimately to
greed. Corruption of values decreased the spirituality of life. Meaningful goals of life were
deleted by material achievements. Liberty advanced collapse of family and social bonds and
introduced sexual freedom. Money brought social rifts and hatred between the different classes.
Throughout The Great Gatsby it is shown how social rift came between the love of two
individuals, Daisy and Gatsby. This led to the eventual corruption of Gatsby himself, the pursuit
of wealth, greed, and illegal deeds. Settlers first came to America with one ambition, a better
life-- a life in pursuit of opportunity, freedom, love, equality, and wealth. These dreams soon
diminished as materialistic values seemed to be above all else. The family values collapsed. Tom
is not faithful to his wife Daisy. Similarly, Daisy keeps extramarital relationship with Gatsby.
Myrtle Wilson makes illicit love affair with Tom. Gatsby does not show sympathy towards his
poor father. These materialistic values consequently led the decay of the American Dream. The
new American Dream described in this novel portrays a world where greed, the pursuit of money
and pleasure are above all else. In the 1920s depicted in the novel, easy money and relaxed social
values have corrupted the American dream, especially on the East Egg. Gatsby's dream of loving
Daisy is ruined by the difference in their respective social statuses, so he leads a life of crime and
earns enough money to impress her. But even billions of money can not provide him true love.
The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole, an era
of unparallel prosperity and material excess. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed
social and moral values, shown in its distrust, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. Gatsby gives
magnificent parties every Saturday night in order to win Daisy's love, not for noble cause. This
shows the irresponsibility of youths. The lofty rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war
led to a sudden, sustained increase in the national wealth and a newfound materialism, but at the
same time created hollow, selfish, irresponsible youths. Additionally, the passage of the
Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, which banned the sale of alcohol, created a thriving underworld
designed to satisfy the massive demand for bootleg liquor among rich and poor alike.
The various social climbers and ambitious opportunists who attend Gatsby's parties show
the greedy rush for wealth. In The Great Gatsby, its characters are representatives of people in
the Jazz Age in which there is the expansion of business enterprise and the rapid growth of
material interests. The collapse of social values can be seen as the outcome of corrupt American
Dream. The relationship between money and sex (pleasure) is seen through Daisy and Tom’s
married life, Daisy’s relationship with Gatsby and Myrtle’s relationship with Tom. Marriage
contract serves to Daisy as a different form of the exchange of her body for financial support
from Tom Buchanan. She gives Tom her body and Tom gives her the comfortable upper class
life. Tom is a representative of the established rich class. He entertains his guests by showing off
his possessions, including his mistress. Daisy has to be silent when she knows about his affair
with Mrytle.
The connection between money and sex is obviously seen in Tom and Myrtle’s affair, as
well. Myrtle enjoys material comfort that Tom can offer to her and like other men; Tom exploits
this desire in Myrtle to use his money to buy her. Trying to grasp youth, beauty and love by
means of riches is a corruption of the once idealistic promise of the newly discovered America.
Gatsby thinks that if he has money he can recreate his past, can buy happiness, can
achieve prestige in his society and can win Daisy. But he is unable to achieve all of these though
he is enormously rich. Gatsby believed that once he achieved his financial goal, he would live a
better life. Even Gatsby dresses in white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold coloured tie. Silver and
gold are the colours of wealth. Gatsby's every items are lavish with smell of wealth. In the end,
this wealth can not rescue and save his life. Thus this novel can be seen as the tragedy of the
American dream.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GATSBY
@ Discuss the relationship between Tom Buchanan and Gatsby. [2065-10]
@Describe Gatsby's parties that become the topic of the area. [2065-5]
@ Describe the first Gatsby's parties which Nick attends. [2064-10]
@ Nick Caraway's first meeting with Gatsby in the Gatsby mansion. [2057-5]
@ What does Gatsby's car indicate? [2063-5]
@ What rumours does Nick hear about Gatsby? [2063-5]
@ What was the past of Gatsby like? [2062-5]
@ Sketch briefly the character of Gatsby. [2061-10]
@ What kind of personality has Gatsby built of himself? [2061-5]
@ Discuss Gatsby's death in brief. [2060-5]
@ Write down the separation of Daisy and Gatsby. [2059-5]
@ Write a character sketch of Jay Gatsby. [2058-5]
@ Daisy once had coldly rejected Gatsby's love for her. But Gatsby cherished passionate feeling
to her. Explain the possible reasons why Gatsby tries so hard to win back Daisy to his love?
[2057-10]
@ Gatsby's war experience in Europe. [2057-5]
@ Describe the extreme ways of love shown by Gatsby for Daisy. [2059-5]
Gatsby is the main character in the novel. In fact, this novel is about the story of Gatsby's
dream. He is a mysterious figure, extremely rich but no one knows the source of his wealth. Now
at his early thirties, he has a great desire to win the love of Daisy. Gatsby has made Daisy a
symbol of everything he values, and made the green light on her dock a symbol of his destiny
with her. Gatsby is destroyed by the illusion that he had lived with - illusion is that he can
recreate past and win the love of Daisy by accumulating wealth.
His past:
His real name was Jay Gatz, the son of unsuccessful farmer. He left home at the age of
17 to make his fortune. One day he rescued a millionaire named Dan Cody and went with him.
From that day he changed his name and the image of himself. From his early days Gatsby hated
poverty and longed for wealth. When he was young military officer in Louisville before leaving
to fight in World War I in 1917, he immediately fell in love with Daisy. Daisy promised to wait
for him when he left for the war, but married Tom Buchanan in1919, while Gatsby was studying
at Oxford after the war in an attempt to gain an education. So Gatsby engages in criminal
activities like bootlegging, trading in stolen securities in order to win back Daisy and recreate his
past.
His lavish parties
Rumors about Gatsby:
Role of social gathering:
Gatsby is the symbol of American dream. He is almost alone in most of his life. He gives
lavish parties and invites everyone he knows. He gives parties in order to relieve from loneliness;
but he remains more lonelier in the crowd. More than invited, the uninvited guests attend the
party. Most of the people who come to the party even do not know Gatsby. They return from the
party even without meeting him. Gatsby's main aim of giving parties in his large mansion is to
impress Daisy with his wealth. He thinks that one day Daisy would come to his parties and meet
him. Most of the people who come to the party do not know each other. He gives parties because
he has a mistaken notion that from it he can buy identity and fame. He gives parties every Friday.
There is music in the night and men and girls rush there like moths. Parties run whole night.
Servants bring food, juice, fruits and drinks from the town. Tents are set in the garden. Orchestra
plays music. Hams, salads, pastry pigs and turkeys, and drinks are served. As the night
progresses, there is noise of the bottle smashing and people falling and dancing in wild ecstasy.
Gatsby remains as a mystery in the novel. He remains mysterious for Nick too. In the
party, the guests talk about him as 'an oxford man', 'German spy', 'murderer', 'fraud' etc. Some
said 'he killed a man'; while others said, 'he earned money by bootlegging'.
Personality of Gatsby:
To understand Gatsby one has to look at not only his true life, but the life that he tried to
create for himself. He is a showy person. He has a formal style of talking to fit his social
position. He is a self-invented man. Gatsby thinks that if he has money he can recreate his past,
can buy happiness, can achieve prestige in his society and can win Daisy. But he is unable to
achieve all of these though he is enormously rich. Gatsby believed that once he achieved his
financial goal, he would live a better life. Even Gatsby dresses in white flannel suit, silver shirt
and gold coloured tie. Silver and gold are the colours of wealth. Gatsby's every items are lavish
with smell of wealth. He has his own library with unread books. He wants to show the people
that he is an 'oxford man.'
His illusion:
Gatsby has an illusion that he can recreate his past and gain the love of Daisy. For him,
illusion is more real than reality itself. He believes that he can win Daisy by wealth and
prosperity. So, he accumulates wealth by criminal and illegal means. He also has illusion that
Daisy is equally faithful to him. But at the end, he dies before he knows that illusions are
destructive.
His meeting with Daisy and his deep love for her:
Separation of Gatsby and Daisy:
His death :
Gatsby has a sincere and deep love for Daisy. When he was young military officer in
Louisville before leaving to fight in World War I in 1917, he immediately fell in love with
Daisy. Daisy promised to wait for him when he left for the war, but married Tom Buchanan
in1919, while Gatsby was studying at Oxford after the war in an attempt to gain an education.
After his return, he purchased the huge mansion in West Egg in order to be close to her. Gatsby
asks Nick to arrange a tea party and invite both Daisy and him. Gatsby meets Daisy in the tea
party given by Nick. Again, they resume their love. They both start meeting in privates. Later
during the quarrel between Tom and Gatsby, Gatsby asks Daisy in front of Tom to declare that
she never loved Tom. But Daisy is unable to declare that she never loved Tom.
When Daisy denies that she did not love Tom, Tom incites both Gatsby and Daisy to
drive home on the same car. On the way Gatsby's car kills Myrtle Wilson. Daisy was driving the
car. She does nothing to own the accident. George Wilson, the husband of Myrtle Wilson, goes
to Tom to inquire about the car. Tom shows him the way to Gatsby's mansion explaining that it
was Gatsby's car and Gatsby was driving.
Wilson goes to Gatsby's mansion and meets him at the pool, and then shoots him. Thus
Gatsby dies for love. Gatsby's death is caused by his illusion.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TOM
@ Sketch the character of Tom Buchanan. [2064-5]
@ Why does Tom wish Nick to meet his mistress? [2063-5]
@ Why did Tom break Myrtle Wilson's nose? [2062-5]
@ Discuss Tom's attitude towards Gatsby. [2060-5]
@ Write what type of character is Tom Buchanan. [MOdel-5]
@ Tom Buchanan's attitude to the fame of Gatsby. [2057-5]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Being born into a wealthy family has made Tom a spoiled man. He hasn't really worked
his entire life and instead spends his days in indulgence and ease. He only searches self-
gratification. He has a shameless affair with Myrtle because it satisfies his needs. He flaunts their
relationship in public because he does not concern himself with the consequences of his actions.
This is also why he and Daisy escape in the end of the book. There was a situation they would
have to face and they didn't want to. So they ran to their money and fled the situation, leaving it
to be dealt with by others. He is a careless man who won't be bothered by the suffering he causes
to others. He represents upper class manner and morality. He thinks that his race is responsible
for all the civilized, decent things in life while he is involved in an adulterous relationship.
His physical appearance:
He is a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious (proudy)
manner He has a huge and cruel body. He wears conservative clothes and patent leather shoes.
His vision of women:
His wish to show Myrtle Wilson to Nick:
His breaking the nose of Myrtle Wilson:
Tom's most fatal weakness is his vision of women. He views women only as the
possessions of man. He sees women as an inanimate doll that has a value marked by money. His
relationship with Daisy is superficial, lacking mutual love and understanding. He is a selfish,
self-centered, and hypocritical character. His only means of entertaining his guests is to show
them his belongings. Daisy is only a piece of property for him. He wants Nick to meet Myrtle
only to show him that he possesses not only a beautiful wife but also an energetic mistress. When
Tom and Myrtle are enjoying party, Myrtle insists that she has the right to call Daisy's name
whenever she desires. But all of sudden, Tom breaks her nose. He breaks Myrtle's nose in the
same way he had earlier bruised Daisy's finger simply from a sense of brutal power
His attitude to the fame of Gatsby:
Tom and Gatsby belong to different social order. Tom represents Old Money while Gatsby
presents New Money. Tom remarks Gatsby as 'devil' and in one of Gatsby's parties he says "who
is this Gatsby anyhow? ........ Some big bootlegger?" He did not like Daisy being near to Gatsby.
During the drive, Tom spoke all the time in disgust, "An Oxford man ! Like hell he is !"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DAISY
@ Sketch the character of Daisy. [2064-5]
@ Why does Gatsby say Daisy's voice is full of money? [2063-5]
@ Sketch briefly the character of Daisy Buchanan. [2062-10]
@ Discuss the role of Daisy Fray in the novel in brief. [2060-5]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Daisy, the main character of the book, is a typical representative of women of the upper
class of the 1920s, the type of woman that has two values in life, acquiring a rich partner and
maintaining a wealthy lifestyle. Gatsby remarks that 'her voice is full of money. She marries
Tom because she is attracted towards his wealth and sophistication. Gatsby knows that if he will
accumulate enormous wealth, he can buy Daisy.
She is emotionally passive. She plays at love with Gatsby as she plays with everything
else in life. She likes life without difficulties and always tries to stay in her comfort zone. All she
cares about is her. She is careless and emotionless. She runs away after she kills Myrtle with her
careless driving. Her love towards Gatsby is fake. She does not attend the Gatsby's funeral. She
loses her nerve at the critical moment when she has to decide whether she loves Gatsby or Tom.
The word careless also describes Daisy well. Many of the things that Daisy does, the accident
with Myrtle in particular, show a woman who is just careless. Part of this is due to the fact that
she had been spoiled all her life. She was born into money and had an endless group of men who
would continue to spoil her. So she has learned to think only of herself without regard for other
people.
Daisy is a trapped woman. She's trapped in a marriage that she is unhappy in and
trapped in a world where she has no chance to be free or independent. She is at the mercy of her
husband, a man who takes her for granted. Daisy is also terribly clever, delivering some of the
funnier lines of the book. When a reader looks at the foolishness and shallowness of Daisy they
must realize that Daisy may be doing out of necessity. As she said when she delivered her
daughter, "- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool". Daisy is smart
enough to understand the limits imposed on her and has become jaded and indulgent because of
them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NICK
@ Discuss the role of Nick Carraway in 'The Great Gatsby' [2064-10]
@ Sketch briefly the character of Nick Caraway , and say why you like or dislike him. [206310]
@ Why is thirteenth birthday peculiar to Nick? [2063-5]
@ How was Nick's attitude towards woman's dishonesty? [2062-5]
@ Comment on the presentation of Nick Caraway. [2058-5]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Nick is a thoughtful young man of thirty from Minnesota, who travels to New York in
1922 to learn the bond business. He lives in the West Egg district of Long Island, next door to
Gatsby. Nick is also Daisy's cousin, which enables him to observe and assist the resurgent love
affair between Daisy and Gatsby. Nick is both the character and a first person narrator in the
novel. He is the readers' access to Gatsby. This method lends compactness and unity to the novel.
He easily makes friends. Nick is keen observer of men and events around him. He is a spectatornarrator. He is half-inside and half-outside of the action.
Nick is also well suited to narrating The Great Gatsby because of his temperament. As he
tells the reader in Chapter I, he is tolerant, open-minded, quiet, and a good listener, and, as a
result, others tend to talk to him and tell him their secrets. Nick states earlier on that one of his
flaws is that he never lies. Gatsby, in particular, comes to trust him and treat him as a confidant.
Nick generally assumes a secondary role throughout the novel, preferring to describe and
comment on events rather than dominate the action. Often, however, he functions as Fitzgerald's
voice, as in his extended meditation on time and the American dream at the end of Chapter IX.
He is in mental dilemma; on the one hand, Nick is attracted to the fast-paced, fun-driven
lifestyle of New York. On the other hand, he finds that lifestyle ugly and damaging. This inner
conflict is symbolized throughout the book by Nick's romantic affair with Jordan Baker. He is
attracted to her energy and her sophistication just as he is repelled by her dishonesty and her lack
of concern for other people. In the end, he leaves New York to live a peaceful life in his own
village.
He arranges the reunion of Daisy and Gatsby. However, many critics find Nick as an
unreliable narrator in the sense that he doesn't do justice to female characters. The female
characters are described as hollow, emotionless, adulterous and unreliable. In the end of chapter
III, he remarks "Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply....". His attitude
towards woman is stereotypical. He thinks that dishonesty is in the blood of women.
His role in Gatsby's love affair / His vision about women's dishonesty:
Nick’s fascination with Gatsby helps to shape Nick as the rescuer of the story., yet when
he discovers Gatsby and Daisy are responsible for Myrtle’s death, he does nothing to about it. In
fact, he comes to Gatsby’s aid. He tries to convince Gatsby to go away for a few weeks to
Atlantic City or Montreal. Gatsby refuses Nicks attempts to rescue him from the situation.
Gatsby winds up dead. Nick feels a sense of responsibility to organize Gatsby’s funeral. He
attempts to recruit mourners for Gatsby’s funeral.
Prior to his departure from West Egg, Nick feels it is necessary to tie up all the loose ends
that he has left. He attempts to patch things up with Jordan. He does not want to leave without
having closure. For a brief moment, Nick is reluctant to leave, but comes to the realization that
the city life is no place for a Westerner.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MYRTLE
@Sketch the character of Wilson. [2065-5]
@ How does Myrtle Wilson's manner of dress contradict with her grammar? [2062-5]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Myrtle Wilson is the wife of George Wilson, who lives in Valley of Ashes. She is in mid
thirites, and faintly stout but sensuous woman. She deceives her husband and keeps extramarital
love affair with Tom Buchanan. She tells her husband that she is going to meet her sister, but she
spends time with Tom. Myrtle Wilson is the victim of poverty. She represents the lower class
society. She does not know that Tom is playing with her. She hates her husband because during
their marriage ceremony he had worn the borrowed suit. She is crazy for Tom because he buys
her everything she wishes for. She has a deep desire to fit in the social position of upper class
society. She is a typical fashionable woman of artificial life and taste of American Jazz Age. So,
her manner of dress contradict with her grammar.
Her husband locks her inside the room when he finds that she is unfaithful to him. When
she sees the yellow car of Gatsby, she jumps towards it thinking that it is the car of Tom. She is
instantly killed. Though Daisy was driving the car, the blame goes to Gatsby. Later Gatsby is
killed by George Wilson.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GEORGE WILSON
@ What part does George Wilson play in Gatsby's story? [2061-5]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------George Wilson owned a garage in the desolate Valley of Ashes. George was married to
Myrtle who kept extra-marital affair with Tom. He was spiritless, blond and sick. He was
gullible. He represents the innocence of lower class that becomes the victim of cruel upper class.
When he knew that his wife had some sort of adulterous relationship, he became quite disturbed.
He even locked her inside the room to prevent her from running with the other man. When his
wife was killed by Daisy in a car accident, he was easily persuaded by Tom that Gatsby was the
murderer of his wife. Like a mad person, he determined to kill Gatsby and shot him with the
pistol. Later he killed himself with the same pistol. George loves and idealizes Myrtle, and is
devastated by her affair with Tom. George is consumed with grief when Myrtle is killed. George
is comparable to Gatsby in that both are dreamers and both are ruined by their unrequited love
for women who love Tom.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SYMBOLISM
@ Discuss the use of symbols in the novel 'The Great Gatsby' [2065 -5] [2064-5]
@ Discuss "The Great Gatsby" as a symbolic novel. [2061-10]
@ Explain the symbols of green and white colours in "The Great Gatsby". [2059-5]
@ Describe the symbols applied in 'The Great Gatsby'. [2058-10]
@ What is the Valley of Ashes applied for? [2058-5]
@ Explore the symbols as used in "The Great Gatsby"[Model-10]
@ What is the implication of the "Valley of Ashes" , as used in The Great Gatsby? [Model-5]
@ What does Gatsby's car indicate? (2063-5)
@ What does Gatsby's car symbolize? How is it proved to be the cause of his downfall? [2061-5]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Great Gatsby is rich in symbolism, which is portrayed on several different levels in a variety
of ways. The colours, the geography and even the characters act as symbols in this novel.
Gatsby's dream of love and money is identified with the American dream.
East and West Egg
One of the most important themes in the novel is class and social standing. It is a barrier
for almost every character. East and West Egg acts as a symbol of this in it's physical makeup.
Tom and Daisy live on the East Egg which is far more refined and well bred. East Egg represents
Old money. Nick and Gatsby are on the West Egg which is for people who don't have any real
standing, even if they have money. West Egg represents New money. The green light shines
from the East Egg attracting Gatsby towards what he has always wanted. And Daisy, the woman
that Gatsby has always wanted but never gets, lives on East Egg. The barrier that the water
creates between these worlds in symbolic of the barrier that keeps these people apart from one
another and from much of what they want.
The Green Light
Located at the end of the Buchanans' dock, is a green light which represents Gatsby's ultimate
aspiration: to win Daisy's love. When Nick first sees Gatsby he was looking at the green light
from Buchanan's dock and stretching his arms. Green is the colour of promise, hope and renewal.
But here hope and promise gets lost for the crave of money and love. It represents illusory and
ideal world that Gatsby has dreamt of. It also represents lure of money.
The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg
In the faded and old advertising billboard in the Valley of Ashes is a pair of spectacled eyes of
Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. These eyes are facing towards George Wilson's garage. George associates
these eyes to the God's watchful eyes over mankind. These eyes provide solace to Wilson. They
are placed near Wilson's because that is where some of the most selfish acts take place: Myrtle's
death, Tom's affair. All of these crimes go unpunished. It represents God who has been created
by modern society to make money. It represents a God who no longer sees nor cares. So the eyes
look on and remind the characters of the guilt that they forget to have for what they have done.
Following the central theme of modernism, this new God watches over his paradise which has
been reduced to ash-heaps by modern man.
Valley of Ashes
Located between West Egg and New York is a gloomy land Valley of Ashes created by the
dumping of “industrial ashes,” this valley acquires a sense of decay. It seems as if the rich, men
like Tom Buchanan and Gatsby dump their “ashes” in the valley, with nothing but concern for
themselves. It represents the modern world, which is like ugly hell created by modern industry. It
is a physical desert that symbolizes the spiritual desolation that a society based on money creates.
The negative outlook of the Valley of Ashes also connects to the people that live their. George
and Myrtle Wilson own a house in the valley of ashes. It is in the valley of the ashes where Tom
has his affair with Myrtle, where Daisy kills Myrtle with Gatsby's car, and where George Wilson
decides to murder Gatsby. So, it seems as if the valley of ashes does in fact represent a place of
decadence; a place where the rich dump their “ashes”. This valley recalls the moral wilderness of
T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Waste Land."
Gatsby's house:
This image serves as a key symbol of aspiration, reflecting both Gatsby's success as an American
self-made man and the mirage of an identity he has created to win Daisy's love. Gatsby follows
his American Dream as he buys the house to be across the bay from Daisy, and has parties to
gain wide-spread recognition in order to impress her. Yet, Owl Eyes compares Gatsby's mansion
to a house of cards, muttering "that if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to
collapse". Ultimately, the inevitable collapse occurs, as Gatsby loses Daisy and dies absolutely
friendless, prompting Nick to refer to Gatsby's mansion as "that huge incoherent failure of a
house"
Gatsby's car:
Gatsby's car is the biggest, magnificent, grandest and the most luxurious automobile of the time.
The car becomes the symbol of all material wealth. The car becomes the instrument of
destruction and murder. Both Myrtle's death and, indirectly, Gatsby's are caused by this car. Thus
it signals that wealth, as an absolute ideal, is ultimately destructive.
White colour:
Throughout the novel, Daisy is strongly associated with white colour. When she first appears she
is dressed in white. She speaks about her own 'white girlhood'. Since white means absence of
colour also, it symbolizes the vacancy and emptiness within Daisy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------@ Discuss the significance of the title "The Great Gatsby" [2064- 5]
@ Comment on the suitability of the title of "The Great Gatsby". [2061-10]
@ What is great about the Great Gatsby? [Model-5]
@ Do you agree with Fitzgerald's verdict on "The Great Gatsby" as a title? [2060-5]
@ Justify the title "The Great Gatsby". [2059-10]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Though Fitzgerald had thought of several other titles for this novel such as Trimalchio,
The High-Bouncing Lover, On the Road to West Egg , Gold-Hatted Gatsby etc, the present title
"The Great Gatsby" is the most suitable because it gives the total impression of Gatsby's
personality. This title was formulated with the intention of heightening characterization through
the use of irony.
Gatsby can more or less be identified with Tamburlaine , the main character of
"Tamburlaine, the Great" by Christopher Marlowe. Gatsby is great in the sense that he is not
defeated by circumstances. He has high passion and lust for love. Everything is correct in love
and war. So he does everything to win the heart of his beloved. He earns wealth for the sole
purpose of love. He is untroubled by doubt. Allegorically considered, all the other characters are
reason, while Gatsby is imagination, innocence and dream. Besides all his illusion and
bootlegging, he has a great positive quality - his faith in life's possibility and loyalty to Daisy. He
is self-made and self-invented man who desires for the Earthly Paradise in West Egg.
He is like the Romantic poets desiring the unattainable. His extraordinary quality of hope,
idealistic dream and yearning for the future make him a truly romantic figure. He is Saint of
Love because he dies for love. While all the other characters exchange love for sex, he seeks
love for love's sake. We find him great if we look at him by contrasting him with other shallow
characters like Tom, Myrtle Wilson, Jordan, George and Daisy, in the backdrop of corrupt
American world of 1920s.
In spite of all Gatsby's weakness and errors, he is still the only sympathetic character
apart from Nick. He died with devotion for his idealism. Other characters believe in nothing and
care about nothing other than their own pleasures. Obviously, Jay Gatsby, with the gift of hope,
placed in comparison to the aimlessness of Tom and Daisy, reaches heroic nobility.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------JORDAN
@ Explain the role of Jordan Baker in the novel. [2065-5]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jordan Baker is Daisy's friend. She is a woman with whom Nick becomes romantically
involved during the course of the novel. She represents one of the 'new women' of the 1920s cynical, boyish, and self-centred. She is a competitive golfer. Jordan is beautiful, but also
dishonest: she cheated in order to win her first golf tournament and continually bends the truth.
She is the person who first introduces Nick with Gatsby.
Jordan Baker is a feminist who represents the new movements and attitudes of women of
the Jazz Age. Jordan faces the same problems that Tom and Daisy do. She has been born with
money and has lived in a culture full of money and has been spoiled by it. She is surrounded by
people like the Buchanans who continue their pleasure-seeking behavior. She is also careless like
Daisy and Tom.