Just a few quick thoughts on names throughout The Great Gatsby...
Daisy- white flower (beauty); perfection or excellence
Fay (Daisy's maiden name)- fairy; obsolete; to fit closely
Gatsby- "gat" a gun- Gatsby was shot with a pistol so a bit of a pun
Buchanan (Tom's last name)- 15th US president who struggled with slavery issues
Tom- male of various animal types (such as a turkey)
Jordan Baker- two types of cars of the time; Jordan is also a unisex name- fitting for a golf pro
Myrtle- shrub with white flowers and berries used as an emblem of love
Wilson- common last name
There are several more names that allude to more images based on there names.. see if you can pick them out
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This is really interesting...I think the similarity in Daisy's name meaning white flower and Myrtle's being a shrub with white flowers is significant because Tom Buchanan shifts between the two throughout the novel. It also provides an image in my head that the two are very similar however Daisy's name is more pure; whereas, Myrtle's name conveys a more corrupted image.
ReplyDeleteFascinating.
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