Monday, June 29, 2015

What did Mr. Gatz pull from his wallet to show Nick?

Mr. Henry C. Gatz, Gatsby's father, is pacing up and down in the hall of Gatsby's house on the morning of his son's funeral. His pride in his son and his son's accomplishments is nearly palpable. He pulls from his wallet a photo, "cracked in the corner and dirty from many hands" (Fitzgerald 180) to show Nick. This is a photo of Gatsby's mansion, clearly cherished and looked at often by Mr. Gatz. Mr. Gatz...

Mr. Henry C. Gatz, Gatsby's father, is pacing up and down in the hall of Gatsby's house on the morning of his son's funeral. His pride in his son and his son's accomplishments is nearly palpable. He pulls from his wallet a photo, "cracked in the corner and dirty from many hands" (Fitzgerald 180) to show Nick. This is a photo of Gatsby's mansion, clearly cherished and looked at often by Mr. Gatz. Mr. Gatz lingers over the photo, pointing its details out to Nick. Since they are actually standing in the house itself looking at a photo of the house, this is rather sad and silly, and Nick says "I think it was more real to him now than the house itself" (180). I think Mr. Gatz is one of the saddest characters in The Great Gatsby, and his appearance at the end is heartbreaking. 

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