When a group of rowdy guys get together nothing good ever seems to come of it, and when alcohol is added something terrible is bound to happen. Nutbeem's party seems to be no exception to this. I can picture this party scene happening today in an almost similar way. It is quite rare to have a party that consists of solely men, but for the purpose of saying goodbye to a friend it makes perfect sense. And yet the party is still very realistic in how it changes courses once alcohol is involved. Overall this chapter made me feel sorry for Nutbeem and his destroyed boat. He was so excited to finally be heading off to sea again that he threw a farewell party and invited all his friends, only to have them destroy his most prized possession. Quoyle even says, "There was a mood of rough excitement that had more in common, he thought, with a parking-lot fight behind a waterfront bar than a jolly good-bye to Nutbeem." It seems that the crowd of men had come to enjoy free beer and excitement rather than to say goodbye to Nutbeem. Its sad to think that maybe they did not destroy his boat to keep him in Newfoundland, but only as a way to cause some commotion. However, one thing this chapter did not need to tell the story of Nutbeem's party was the "Hairy Devil" story that Tert Card told Quoyle. It seemed to have no relevance to what was going on in the chapter and only took away from the main idea of the party. The only possible benefit from Tert Card's story was for it to show how drunk he and everyone else had become at the party. In reading the excerpt from Cannery Row by John Steinbeck I noticed that in many ways it was similar to "The Hairy Devil" chapter in The Shipping News. "And it is also generally understood that a party hardly ever goes the way it is planned or intended." This excerpt from Cannery Row helps illustrate the main themes of both works. In both stories the parties were not intended to get out of control but they took a sudden change of events, mostly due to the consumption of alcohol. The characters in Cannery Row seem almost happy and excited when a fight breaks out at the party.
The first mate, the owner of the Sally Anne, dominated his life with his boat to the point of never being able to sleep right without the hum of its motors. This artificial connection made between mate and boat can have major complications. From the text we discover that this first mate has dedicated his life to sailing, ever since grade 10. At the finding of the Sally Anne, it becomes an unhealthy obsession of creating, but later not maintaining, the perfect boat. The text shows paragraphs of the first mate going on about the boat, and how he could not leave it for a day. The irony in this situation is that he spent so much recreating this boat, yet rejected the fact the eventual flaws that accompanied the years of use. It was always just another water pump and coat of perfect white paint away from sailing again. At this point it is clear that the boat has become a symbol for him and his insecurities. At the flooding of the boat and at the initial loss of life upon the Sally Anne's wreck the denial towards the destruction shows how he was using the boat as his only life line, now literally as he clings to last of his dream. At this point of the text, there is no survival, and no acceptance of the truth he must
The contrast between the chaos and calm of the boat and McMurphy shows how he helps the men to stay calm and believe in themselves in tough situations. He didn’t doubt himself, so neither did they. The positive tone of the passage reveals McMurphy’s effect on the patients by making them see a brighter side of life, and by doing this gave them confidence. Also, the metaphor of being big vs. being small shows how McMurphy turns the patients from weaker, scared individuals into strong, self-assured men who had control over their lives. All they needed was someone to pull them out the fog and show them what they could be. Maybe all people need to create change in their lives is a little push to start a chain reaction of
As I have thought and prayed a bit more about what you have experienced this weekend it strikes me that as you entered it with the expectation that it was a beginning, Ruben entered it with a number of lines drawn in the sand that He knew he couldn’t cross, and was entering the weekend seeking to discover where you stood in relationship to those lines before he took the risk of allowing his heart to get too attached. If he had, he may have found himself in a position later on having to decide between what his heart wanted and erasing the line he had drawn and stood behind for so long. As hard as this may be to understand, in many ways the decision has very little to do with the real you, and more to do with the wishdream he has been holding onto. I know it doesn’t ease the pain, and it may not even help with the confusion you are feeling, but I think it is true. He has an idea of what perfect looks like and he is committed to holding on to it. He has held it for 32 years. Maybe he
The lavish parties in Gatsby are perfect illustrations of our social lives that have become overzealous and desperate in light of the controversial prohibition laws. Fitzgerald describes the “floating rounds of cocktails permeat[ing] the garden” and “amusement park” behavior of typical partygoers with unmatchable insight (40). The debonair host, Gatsby, is a man we have all met at some point—significantly wealthy and relentlessly mysterious.
In the description of Gatsby’s party, Fitzgerald uses specific language and word choice in order to convey Nick’s judgment of the superficiality and fickleness of the people attending the party and of the party itself.
Society today is split in many different ways: the smart and the dumb, the pretty and the ugly, the popular and the awkward, and of course the rich and the poor. This key difference has led to many areas of conflict among the population. The rich and the poor often have different views on issues, and have different problems within their lives. Moral decay and materialism are two issues prevalent among the wealthy, while things such as socio-economic class conflict and the American dream may be more important to those without money. Ethics and responsibilities are an area of thought for both classes, with noblesse oblige leaning more towards the wealthy. The world in the Roaring Twenties, shown in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the world today all hinge on the same ideas and issues, the most basic of which is the difference between the poor and the rich.
CONSUMERISM: The 1920s brought a wave of new opportunities throughout the United States. Women were indoctrinated into their voting rights, the United States won the war, and a bloom of economic prosperity. However, racial tensions continued to dichotomize the north from the south, and the blacks from the whites. It is important to note the intensity of this matter was small but limited the opportunities for some.
Stephen Crane’s short story “The Open Boat” is a story of conflict with nature and the human will and fight to survive. Four men find themselves clinging to life on a small boat amidst a raging sea after being shipwrecked. The four men, the oiler (Billie), the injured captain, the cook, and the correspondent are each in their own way battling the sea as each wave crest threatens to topple the dinghy. “The Open Boat” reflects human nature’s incredible ability to persevere under life-and-death situations, but it also shares a story of tragedy with the death of the oiler. It is human nature to form a brotherhood with fellow sufferers in times of life threatening situations to aid in survival. Weak from hunger and fatigue, the stranded men work together as a community against nature to survive their plight and the merciless waves threatening to overtake the boat. The brotherhood bond shared between the men in “The Open Boat” is evident through the narrator’s perspective, “It would be difficult to describe the subtle brotherhood of men that was here established on the seas. No one said that it was so. No one mentioned it. But it dwelt in the boat, and each man felt it warm him” (Crane 993). Crane understood first-hand the struggle and the reliance on others having survived the real life shipwreck of the S.S. Commodore off the coast of Florida in 1897. “The Open Boat” is an intriguing read due to Crane’s personal experience and though it is a fictional piece it shares insight into the human mind. Crain did not simply retell a story, but by sharing the struggles with each character he sought to portray the theme of an inner struggle with nature by using the literary devices of personification of nature, symbolism of the boat, and iron...
Considered as the defining work of the 1920s, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925, when America was just coming out of one of the most violent wars in the nation’s history. World War 1 had taken the lives of many young people who fought and sacrificed for our country on another continent. The war left many families without fathers, sons, and husbands. The 1920s is an era filled with rich and dazzling history, where Americans experienced changes in lifestyle from music to rebellion against the United States government. Those that are born into that era grew up in a more carefree, extravagant environment that would affect their interactions with others as well as their attitudes about themselves and societal expectations. In this novel, symbols are used to represent the changing times and create a picture of this era for generations to come. The history, settings, characters, and symbols embedded in The Great Gatsby exemplify life in America during the 1920s.
Is living a life a fake life of fame and fortune worth all of the pain of the lies? This is a question that many characters face throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby. They have to make tough decisions deciding if all of it is worth the suffering, or should they continue living a normal life? Throughout the book there are many characters who lie and cheat. Even though each character cheats in his or her own different way they all do it for the same reason, which is to be wealthy and have high social class. The theme for this novel is sometimes it is worse to live a life full of lies and riches than to live a life of normality.
A leader and a fatherly figure, the Captain serves as the men's compass and keeper of order. His firm navigational commands and calm demeanor make the men a “ready-to-obey ship's company” regardless of their lack of practical experience. Ironically, the Captain is also the most physically useless man on board. Injured from the sinking, the Captain is filled with a quiet despair over his own ability to survive. A hardened seaman, he believes in the idea that a captain should perish with his ship -- to live at sea and to die at sea. The Captain even clings to the dinghy upon being rescued as if he feels a sense of obligation to remain with his boat in the briny deep. Though distraught over the fate of his ship and crewman, the Captain takes solace in providing for the dinghy’s survivors. Occupied with the well-being of others, the Captain does not contemplate his purpose or circumstances in life; he uses his energy to protect his crew and vessel, finding a renewed sense of meaning in this lesser form of leadership. Even when a callous seagull attempts to nip his open wounds, the Captain gently waves the bird away, respecting its life. The Cook on the other hand, attempts to swat it with an
In terms of drinking, the author uses it a means of showing just how much the two were not keen on having a meaningful discussion of their problems and how to solve them. Throughout the story as the two are waiting for the train, the author points out that they are both drinking alcohol as if they are trying to avoid the important discussions that they were having. As soon as the two set their foot in the station, they order large beers with the hope that drinking will take as much of their time as possible and would not give them the chance to communicate. The lack of commitment in the conversation about how to deal with the white elephant or the baby is shown when the girl requests to order more alcohol just to avoid having that discussion. The reader can also get the sense that the two are also drinking to forget about other problems that they seem to have throughout their relationship. This is depicted when the girl points out that the two do not really engage in other activities apart from the tasting out of new alcoholic drinks. One can also get the view that as a result of the drinking and the lack of communication between the two, the future is not that far for them and that they are bound to lead separate ways. This is shown as they separate when the girl is drinking with another
The 1920s were an thrilling time in American history, as the economy was booming with the rise of the stock market and mass consumerism, which can be seen in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Following WW1, America experienced a great economic boom which brought an increased demand for American goods and rapid industrial growth. A strong part of the economy was the rise of stock market investing. Stocks were seen as a fast way to make money, and could be bought on margin- meaning a person wouldn’t pay full price for the stock at first. Even middle class Americans could purchase stocks this way.
The word visually stunning could be used to describe the 2013 Baz Luhrman directed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel The Great Gatsby. Speaking of the director, I enjoyed his portrayal of the lavish lifestyle and carefree party like attitude in such a beautiful visual experience. The way in which the party scenes were filmed in the movie made perfect sense compared to the source material and were something I have never seen done by any other directors in a live action film. Another positive for me about this film was the soundtrack. When I first started watching the film I expected to hear old time music prevalent in the 20s. I however was pleasantly surprised when I learned the soundtrack was compiled by Jay-Z and featured many tracks I enjoyed featuring him either alone or accompanied by another musical guest. While Jay-Z is not exactly an accurate representation of the music of the 20s, the soundtrack adds a modern flavour over the previously mentioned beautiful backgrounds and architecture. The story however is where the movie at times falls flat. When stripped down to basics it is nothing more than a generic love story with a few twists added in for extra kick. The characters in the same vain can be very bland and not make you care much for them due to their backstories not being deeply explored. The only character that I found to be interesting was Jay Gatsby because of the mystical aura that surrounds his character at the beginning of the movie that leads you to want to uncover more of this ever mysterious man. All in all the visuals clearly outpace
At the onset of this book, the reader is introduced to the narrator, Nick Carraway, who relates the past happenings that construct the story of Jay Gatsby and Nick during the summer of 1922. After fighting in World War I, or the Great War as Nick called it, Nick left his prominent family in the West of America for the North where he intended to learn the bond business. Nick was originally supposed to share a house in West Egg near New York City with an associate of his, but the man backed out and so Nick lived with only a Finnish cook. Right next door, Gatsby lived in a glorious mansion with expansive gardens and a marble swimming pool, among other luxuries. Yet Nick did not even hear about Gatsby until he went to visit his distant family at East Egg next to West Egg.