The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I am pleased to say that The Great Gatsby has arrived at Sam's Space!
Book Summary: This classic novel is set in Long Island, NY during the 1920s and Prohibition. The story is told by a young man, Nick Carraway, who has just moved to the East Coast from the Midwest. There, he meets his neighbor, Jay Gatsby- a man who is full of money and doesn't have the class to go with it. Nick also finds his distant cousin, Daisy, her husband Tom, and Daisy's friend, Jordan. This is the point when everything devolves into a messy soap opera drama. Gatsby is in love with Daisy, Daisy loves money and stuff, Tom cheats on his wife with a married woman named Myrtle, Nick has an affair with Jordan, and everyone is getting drunk at Gatsby's parties illegally. A definite recipe for disaster- as Tom knows Gatsby loves Daisy and Myrtle wants Tom to get a divorce so she can leave her husband (George Wilson). And Nick is the unfortunate observer caught in the middle.

Review: This is not my favorite book in the world, but I did enjoy it. The characters involved in the story will have you frustrated, indignant, and shaking your head at turns. But each has some sort of endearing quality- Daisy is so innocent of the world, George knows nothing of Myrtle's infidelity, Gatsby just wants the love of his life, etc. The book addresses the immorality of society and the injustices dealt to the lower classes without being dry or boring.

What to Look For/Impress Your Teacher: The use of color is extremely important in this novel. The green light that Gatsby sees (no, I won't tell you what it is) represents hope. When Nick first visits Daisy, all the white articles represent her almost child-like innocence and her fleeting nature. Abstractly, using the terms West and East Eggs to refer to the different neighborhoods by Fitzgerald was deliberate. An egg is white on the outside, but yellow at the core. (The appearance of innocence at the surface, but a rotten heart lies beneath.) Also, pay attention to Tom's dialogue when he buys Myrtle a puppy. Read it with the thought that he isn't really talking about canines, but women. Tom had no respect for the fairer sex. And pay attention to the season. Spring is full of hope and budding dreams, Summer is hot and passionate and full of life, Autumn represents death and decay. Hmm. Something to consider when watching Gatsby's actions...

Author Facts: F. Scott Fitzgerald's full name was Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He coined the term "Jazz Age" in reference to the 20s and sometimes found himself nearing bankruptcy- forcing him to work in Hollywood. (He found this distasteful.) His wife, Zelda, was in and out of mental institutions and Fitzgerald himself was an alcoholic. For more, go to Wikipedia.

And after you finish reading The Great Gatsby, be sure to find a copy of Just One of the Guys on Kindle or Quake!

Of Mice and Men

Book Summary: This novella takes place in California during the Great Depression and focuses on two migrant workers with a dream for a better life- tending their own plot of land, complete with a rabbit farm. George Milton guides his mentally-disabled friend, Lennie, through life; Even when Lennie causes problems, George refuses to abandon him. When the pair find work at a ranch, their dream seems closer than ever, until the ranch-owner's daughter-in-law begins to cause trouble.

Review: This book addresses several controversial topics due to the time period and the type of men depicted in the story. It is an excellent book, but it is extremely sad. It's pretty hard to make someone cry in DisneyWorld, but I was tearing up at several points in the book. Still, an excellent book, but heartwrenching. So grab the tissue box and start reading!

What to Look For/Impress Your Teacher: Look at the description of the dream itself. What's unrealistic about it? Answer: Rainbow rabbits. In literature, if something sounds unrealistic, that generally means it can't happen. Also, the dogs involved in the story are key to Lennie's journey/fate. (The author points the fact that Lennie doesn't have much thinking capacity past that of a young child and often is more George's pet than peer.) Also, look up Robert Burn's poem To A Mouse. Steinbeck took his title from these lines in the second-to-last stanza: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." In english, that's "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men/ Go oft awry."

Author Facts: Steinbeck isn't a source of juicy gossip like Ernest Hemingway was, but here are some relevant facts. During World War II, Steinbeck served as a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune. He even went on some commando missions! He also won the Pulitzer prize for his novel, The Grapes of Wrath. In 1962, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. For more info on John Steinbeck and his other works, go to Wikipedia.

Next week, meet The Great Gatsby. And while you're waiting, don't forget to read my short story, Just One of the Guys, available now!

The Old Man and The Sea

Okay, this was actually meant to be a Monday post. But we had some weather and traffic issues down here, so I was kept pretty busy yesterday.

Some techincal info/disclaimers:
Please understand that for the sake of this blog, some information is revealed that depicts the plot of the book under discussion. However, it is nothing like actually reading the book itself and is not enough to pass a test or write an essay! Also, throughout this series, there will be religious and sometimes sexual themes discussed. Everything will be PG unless specifically stated at the beginning of a post. Now, without further ado, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway!



Book Summary: The book takes place in a small Cuban fishing village. The main character, Santiago is an impoverished old man believed to be cursed with bad luck because he has not caught a fish in 84 days. A village boy, Manolin, is forbidden from helping Santiago in his old age due to this unluckiness. So on the 85th day, Santiago sails out to try and catch a fish. A prime marlin catches his eye, and Santiago sets out to catch him. It takes 3 days for him to finally catch the marlin, and he suffers greatly for his prize. Thus, he sets sail home, only to be beset by sharks that rip his prize to pieces.

Review: This recieves 4 out of 5 stars from me. I loved this book for its simple, yet tasteful writing as well as its thorough detail. Hemingway describes his characters and his setting so well that you can taste the salt of the ocean and feel the coastal breeze. The story is a true man vs. nature plot and it truly shows that man must survive against all odds, or he is not a man. (This was Hemingway's thinking, represented by Hemingway's Code Hero.)

What to Look for: This novella is a perfect example of Hemingway's typical writing. He uses very simple words, yet they fit the meaning and point perfectly. Also, the plot is practically a direct parallel to Jesus' journey as depicted in the Christian bible.

Impress Your Teacher: The novella sets Santiago up as Jesus, with Manolin as his disciple. (Santi means "saint" in Spanish) Also notice the eighty-___ days he went without catching a fish. These can be matched with Jesus's time in the desert where he went without food or water. While he was battling the marlin, the injuries Santiago suffered are stigmata (representations of Christ's injuries). He also spent 3 days fighting the Marlin (Jesus rose 3 days after his death). Other details can also be compared- pay attention to the end, when Santiago reaches his port. Hey, you didn't think I'd tell you everything did ya?

Cool Author Stuff: Hemingway was a very neat, and very crazy guy. He basically lived the life of his heroes. (See link above) He was a veteran of WWI, serving in the American Red Cross Ambulance Corps as a driver because his vision wasn't good enough to be a soldier. He loved to hunt, and traveled the world to do so. Hemingway collected six- and seven-toed cats. His Key West house is still used as a shelter for his own pets' descendants! Also, he was a very depressed man. Suicide ran in his family, and he eventually killed himself as well. That's all the really weird stuff. For more, see Wikipedia.
Oh, and Spain hated him! When he wrote The Sun Also Rises he romanticized the bullfighting festival in Pompolona (that race you always hear about). After his book was published, the festival became flooded with drunk young men and other tourists eager to try their luck. Needless to say, the deathtoll rose significantly and the "not-so-smart" non-Spainish people at the festival irritate the Spaniards of Pompolona no end. Hmm.

This concludes this entry in the summer series. Come back next Monday- yes, I mean Monday this time- to learn about Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck!

Latest Updates- Emphasis on Late!

First of all, I'm not trying to ignore all of you guys who read my blog! Secondly, the end of the school year has been pretty crazy!

Update on my last post: When I got there for orientation, all of my name tags, folders, and other paraphernalia read "female." Phew! Disaster avoided.

Anyways, I've just been busy with physical therapy (going great, by the way) and the end of school. I've been studying for finals (got a 100 on my science end-of-course exam) and cleaning out my locker in varying stages. Who knew the smallest possible band locker could hide so much junk?

Great news! I'm starting work on the sequel to Just One of the Guys today! So if you're behind the times, better catch up quick, because who knows what kind of hot water Sam will land in next?

Also, I'm pleased to announce a new Monday feature focusing on required reading. Don't groan yet- in addition to a brief summary of a commonly required book, there will be tips on how to impress your teacher, what it's really talking about, and other cool facts about the book and the author! So come back on Monday for a view of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.

See ya later!
Iris and Sam

P.S. Visit Teen-Seen and find out where I like to spend my summers!