Monday, April 2, 2012

Chapter 8
Trace the movements of Gatsby and Wilson at the end of Chapter 8. What is Nick’s meaning when he says, “…the holocaust was complete”?

28 comments:

  1. Earlier in the chapter, Gatsby said that the pool should not be drained because he hadn't used it all summer. Even after all the events that went down, he remained calm. Almost too calm. He just said for the servents not to take the car out of the garage and decided to take an evening swim. Wilson on the other hand was not calm. He was at unrest since his wife died.He left and went around to find out who killed her and when he did, he went toward their house. The holocaust reference was because Gtasby was found floating dead in the pool and Wilson was also found dead in the backyard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. When Gatsby was talking to Nick they were interrupted because a worker was going to drain the pool. Gatsby then decides to not get the pool drained yet and that he was going for a swim. He is completely calm like nothing happened. Wilson on the other hand is not good. Wilson was looking for the person who killed his wife and did. He then kills Gatsby and himself. The holocaust reference was because they find Gatsby and Wilson both dead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And Nick has had a premonition of sorts regarding it.

      Delete
  3. Wilson is obviously deeply upset about his wife, but he has gotten to the point where he can't control himself or his emotions. He has no desire to control himself. He wants one thing, and that's revenge. Wilson mentions multiple times throughout the chapter that he "has ways of finding out" who killed his wife. Gatsby on the other hand is in control of his emotions. He is calm and really only concerned with Daisy. He even decides to go for a swim before the pool is drained, since he hasn't used it all summer. Unfortunately for Gatsby, it turns out to be the last swim that he will ever take because Wilson murdered him in the pool. Wilson's death(probably suicide) completed the holocaust because both men were dead.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gatsby remains clam after the death of Myrtle and doesn’t seem hesitant to get the dent in his car fixed any time soon. Wilson on the other hand goes roaming around town looking for the yellow car that killed his wife. It just so happens, for the first time, Gatsby wanted to use his pool, it almost seems Gatsby knew Wilson was going to come and he was just waiting around for the moment of confrontation. The reference to the holocaust is because both men ended up dead.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Based on Nick's words, Gatsby inflates an air mattress and sets it afloat in his pool, laying on it and looking up at the sky, probably thinking about what has happened. Wilson on the other hand, observes the advertisement of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's eyes and interprets them to be the eyes of God urging him to seek justice. Wilson then goes to Long Island and finds Gatsby and kills him using a gun before turning it on himself. While it wasn't stated directly, I believe that Wilson found Gatsby's address from Tom. The meaning of Nick's words, I interpreted to mean that the deaths had come to an end.

    ReplyDelete
  6. When the gardener told Gatsby about draining the pool, Gatsby insisted on leaving it full one more day so he could go for a swim, since he never used it before. Wilson is very emotionally shot in this chapter after going through everything with his wife. Especially at the end of the chapter, after his wife is killed, Wilson's emotions are definitely on edge. On the other hand, Gatsby is very at ease. Towards the end of the chapter, he is resting in the pool floating on an air mattress reflecting on his love for Daisy, that is until Wilson shows up. Being so enraged, Wilson murders Gatsby, then kills himself. Gatsby dies with a peace of mind while Wilson dies with a troubled heart. The quote spoken by Nick, "...the holocaust was complete," means that the all the deaths have ended.

    ReplyDelete
  7. At the end of the chapter, Wilson is heartbroken and going kind of crazy at the death of his wife. He leaves his home and makes his way towards West Egg, where he finds Gatsby's house and shoots him. Gatsby prior to the shooting was calm and collected, waiting on a call from Daisy. He told the servants not to let his car out under any circumstances. When Nick says "the Holocaust was complete" he is referring to how Wilson killed Gatsby then killed himself. I think he might have meant that it was all over, and the dead sort of buried the dead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or that it was a complete slaughter on Gatsby's estate.

      Delete
  8. Gatsby was extremely calm during his conflict. He wanted to take a dip in his pool for the first and last time of the summer. So, he told his servant not to drain it yet, but to wait a day. Even though Gatsby was upset, he still found a way to relax in his pool and remained calm. George Wilson on the other hand was angered over the death of his wife. George was seeking for revenge and he finally found it. He killed Gatsby in his pool and then shot himself right after. The holocaust reference was because both men were finally dead in Gatsby's backyard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe a lesson is not to wait until the end of the season to swim. Or in other words, enjoy each day.

      Delete
  9. Gatsby returns home after staying outside of Daisy's house the whole night. He decides to take a dip in the pool, which he has never been in before. Wilson is going crazy at his garage for most of this chapter, saying that he has ways to find out who was driving the car. He goes around town, and somehow finds out that the person's name is Gatsby. He makes his way to West Egg, where he then finds out where Gatsby lives. He finds Gatsby in his pool. By "....the holocaust was complete," Nick means that Gatsby was killed. Wilson went to Gatsby's pool and shot him. Holocaust is defined as a" great destruction resulting in the extensive loss of life," and that is exactly what the murder of Gatsby is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And Wilson's own suicide is part of this holocaust.

      Delete
  10. In this chapter, Gatsby is less emotional than the very emotional Wilson. I think Wilson's rage is understandable. He has so many thoughts and feelings racing through his head and cause him to be irrational. Gatsby on the other hand is very calm and collected. He is just very concerned about Daisy and making sure she is okay. He loves Daisy so much that it Gatsby would be willing to take the fall for driving into Myrtle. Wilson ends up killing Gatsby and himself. What Nick meant by holocaust was, I think, an emotional holocaust. Myrtle's death was the first of three deaths in the holocaust. Wilson was a victim in the emotional holocaust because his emotions were played with a lot. Gatsby was one of the people who caused the holocaust. Everything seemed to be fine until Gatsby came into the picture and began playing with people's emotions to get closer to Daisy. Nick feels that the holocaust has ended because now Tom no longer has Myrtle to continue ruining their marriage and Daisy no longer has Gatsby to tempt her. Wilson is now dead and Tom no longer has to worry about anyone coming after him about his affair because all of the loose ends are gone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gatsby shouldn't shoulder the entire blame for the problems between Tom and Daisy, whose marriage was on the rocks before he came back into the picture. That said, Gatsby didn't exactly help the situation.

      Delete
  11. Gatsby had asked the gardener to not drain the pool yet, because he hadn't used it all summer. He relaxes in the pool on an air mattress, reflecting calmly on the events that had taken place, he was too calm in my opinion. Wilson was the complete opposite. Even after everything else that had happened, his wife also died. In a fit of rage, Wilson found out who had killed his wife, and in turn killed him, him being Gatsby. After he murdered Gatsby, he committed suicide with the same gun. When Nick said "...the holocaust was complete," he was referring to the deaths that kept accumulating, they were finally done.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gatsby asked one of his servants not to drain his pool, because he wanted to take a swim. He also decided not to get his car fixed. He was very calm about Myrtle's death. Wilson was not calm at all, and wanted to seek revenge for his wife's death. He figures out that it was Gatsby car that killed him so he goes and kills Gatsby in his Pool. Then Wilson ended up committing suicide. The reference to the Holocaust is about how they both ended up dieing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Holocaust, in this case, is lower case. The book was released before what we commonly call the Holocaust, in reference to Hitler's attempt to murder all Jews.

      Delete
  13. Gatsby is clam after the death of Myrtle and doesn’t seem hesitant to get the dent in his car fixed. Wilson on the other hand is the opposite and goes to looking for the yellow car that killed his wife, he wanted justice I think. And, for the first time ever, Gatsby actually wanted to use his pool. I think Gatsby knew that Wilson was going to come confront him it was just a matter of time until when. The reference to the holocaust is because both men ended up dying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gatsby is very fatalistic about everything, as if he wants to die.

      Delete
  14. Gatsby is suspiciously calm after having killed daisy with his car (even though he claimed Daisy was driving). Wilson is struck with grief and decides to go out in search of the car that killed his wife. He knows that Tom is familiar with the car, but wasn't the driver (Wilson saw Tom driving a different car that day). When Wilson finds Gatsby at his pool, he kills him and then takes his own life. Nick calls it a holocaust because both men are dead in the same place, the same day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you NOT think Daisy was driving? Would Gatsby purposely name her to divert guilt from himself?

      Delete