Gatsby's+mansion

Gatsby’ Mansion In __The Great Gatsby__ written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which revolves around an affluent man who goes by the name Gatsby, Gatsby’s mansion is a key setting. Situated in West Egg amongst other wealthy residence, the enormous mansion is not only home to Gatsby, but also the site of many extravagant parties attracting guests of all kinds. As one of the main settings in the novel, Gatsby’s mansion contrasts sharply with other settings such as the home of the Buchanans, Nick’s house, Myrtle’s NYC apartment and others. It is also a crucial setting used for characterization. Throughout the book, Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s mansion to show that the building is part of Gatsby’s display to attract Daisy’s attention, to demonstrate characters' perception of Gatsby based on material possessions, as well as to contrast Gatsby’s gaudy façade with his lonely nature.






 * Gatsby’s mansion is part of Gatsby's lavish display to show off his wealth and status in order to attract attention from others, specifically Daisy. **

‘…the halls and salons and verandas are gaudy with primary colors and hair shorn in strange new ways and shawls beyond the dreams of Castile. The bar is in full swing and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meetings…’(46)  “He wants her to see his house,” she explained. “And your house is right next door…I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night, but she never did.”(84)
 * Description of only a part of Gatsby’s fancy party
 * Gatsby’s mansion is extensive, has many different rooms and facilities
 * Filled with colour and energy, creating a fun, wild, exciting atmosphere
 * Reference to Castile, former kingdom in Spain : implying that the shawls were better than those of the inhabitants of Castile, tells of the enormous wealth and riches belonging to the guests at Gatsby's party

‘It was when curiosity about Gatsby was at its highest that the lights in his house failed to go on one Saturday night – and, as obscurely as it had begun, his career as Trimalchio was over.’(119)
 * After five years of separation from Daisy, the first thing that Gatsby wants to show her is his house
 * When Daisy goes over to his house in chapter five, Fitzgerald goes into extreme detail about Gatsby’s mansion, describing the rooms and colours and different material possessions that Gatsby owns
 * Gatsby’s eagerness to show his house to Daisy suggests that he acquired the mansion and other possessions so that he could one day show them to Daisy, display his wealth and success, feel worthy enough to be with her
 * Emphasizes the fact that Gatsby held parties in his huge mansion to attract Daisy's attention, ulterior motive to hosting the parties
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Gatsby’s parties aree filled with bright, colourful lights used to attract attention
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">After Gatsby and Daisy grow closer, Gatsby stops holding parties
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"><span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">‘Trimalchio’ is an allusion to the character in the novel __The Satyricon__ by Petronius, who was a man known for throwing lavish dinner parties
 * <span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Gatsby had finally ‘regained’ Daisy, there was no need to hold parties anymore
 * <span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Emphasizes Gatsby’s true reason for holding parties at his mansion: to attract Daisy’ attention
 * <span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Also a way to prevent others from finding out about Daisy's visits - prevent gossip


 * <span style="color: #324bae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Gatsby's mansion reflects ****<span style="color: #324bae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">characters' perception of Gatsby's success and importance based on material possessions. **

<span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">‘He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel which lost their folds as they fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray. While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher - shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple green and lavender and faint orange with monograms of Indian blue. Suddenly with a strained sound Diasy bent her” (97) >
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">When Gatsby takes out all his colourful shirts and displays them before Nick and Daisy, Daisy begins to cry at the beauty of the shirts
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"><span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Gatsby showing off that he is successful and wealthy enough to afford so many different kinds of shirts
 * <span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">lavish wealth of the upper class - there is a huge array of colours, materials, designs
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The ridiculousness of weeping about the colours of shirts: Daisy’s shallowness, easily satisfied by material goods

<span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">‘It was a photograph of the house, cracked in the corners and dirty with many hands. He pointed out every detail to me eagerly. “Look there!” and then sought admiration from my eyes. He had shown it so often that I think it was more real to him now than the house itself. (180)
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Henry Gatz, Gatsby’s father is so fascinated by Gatsby’s mansion that even a photograph of the house was so dear to him
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The worn out quality of the photo, as well as Henry Gatz’s eagerness to point out details suggests that he has shown the photo to many other people
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Significance of photo of the house: instead of a photo of his son, a photo of the house seems to be more important and admirable
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Shows Henry Gatz’s ‘pride in his son and in his son’s possessions’ (180)
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Believes that his son ‘made a success’ (181) just by judging his material possessions


 * <span style="color: #324bae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Gatsby’s extravagant mansion is used to create a false impression of him, using an ostentatious exterior to belie his inner emptiness. **

<span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">“Absolutely real – have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact they’re absolutely real.”(50)
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Owl Eyes is in Gatsby’s library, remarks to Nick and Jordan Baker his astonishment that the books are real, but he also reveals that the pages of the books are not cut and that Gatsby knew when to stop
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Repetition of ‘absolutely real’ shows Owl Eyes’ disbelief and surprise
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">(Empty) books symbolize the hollowness of the upper class
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The tone of voice shows that many residents of East/West Egg use an outward show to mask their inner moral corruption
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Similarly Gatsby tries to create a false outward appearance, but by going as far as using real books, he is portrayed as different from the others in a way

<span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">‘His bedroom was the simplest room of all – except where the dresser was garnished with a toilet set of pure dull gold.’(97)
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Reflects the simplicity of Gatsby’s character and personality
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Contrast between ‘simplest’ and ‘pure dull gold’ shows a conflict
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Just like with the books, Gatsby’s possessions show that he is trying to put on an impression
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">A simple and plain room, but by having a ‘toilet set of pure dull gold’, he is trying to create a impression that is different from the truth
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Shows how much thinking goes into the planning and designing of his mansion

<span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">“I love it, but I don’t see how you live there all alone.” ... “I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day. People who do interesting things. Celebrated people.” (96)
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Daisy’s comment about Gatsby’s mansion
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Gatsby’s mansion as described in the beginning, is a ‘colossal affair’ (9), Gatsby lives in a huge house by himself, with a few guests and servants living along with him
 * <span style="color: #325dae; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"><span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Gatsby invites people to his parties, keeps his mansion busy crowded to make his house seem busy and exciting
 * <span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Even Daisy realizes how lonely it would be to live alone in the huge house
 * <span style="color: #325dae; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The opulence of Gatsby’s mansion and the grandeur of his parties masks his loneliness, keeps him entertained

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Bibliography (Images):

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Rosecliff Mansion. Digital image. Swisseduc.ch. SwissEduc-Team, 2006. Web. 5 Sept. 2010 <http://www.swisseduc.ch/english/readinglist/fitzgerald_fscott/gatsby/rosecliff.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The Great Gatsby: Inspiration for Gatsby's House. Digital image. Shmoop.com. Shmoop University. Web. 5 Sept. 2010. <http://www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/photo-inspiration-gatsby.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Gatsby's Party. Digital image. English 11 Honors 09-10. Web. 5 Sept. 2010. <eng11h09-10.blogspot.com>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Faux Book Library. Digital image. The Faux Book Specialists. The Original Book Works. Web. 5 Sept. 2010. <http://www.fauxbooks.co.uk/faux_books.htm>.