https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception How are artifice and perception shown in the novel? (Consider key literary features such as characterisation, setting, plot). ADD IN QUOTES. Stylistic features which show this en-us 2016-02-23 16:06:12 UTC 2025-06-20 10:35:13 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97001715 Symbols  of Artifice:
The library
Myrtle dresses
The puppy
The parties
Diasy's house



]]> 2016-02-24 14:50:57 UTC https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97001715 https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97123024 Myrtle and the change in her clothing affects the way she wants to be perceived by others, trying to imitate high status women. Nick explicitly says “with the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change." 

By doing this, Fitzgerald criticises the artifice and falseness during the 1920s and lack of a strong and unique personality easily shaped by societal ideals like wealth and status. ]]> 2016-02-24 20:07:24 UTC https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97123024 sebastianfiguer https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97128218 "I suppose he'd had the name ready for a long time, even then. His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people—his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself." 

This quote shows how regardless of Gatsby being aware of his background, he still thought that the best version of James Gatz was that of the character he invented, James Gatsby.]]> 2016-02-24 20:27:19 UTC https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97128218 https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97258637 The initial musings of Nick, Myrtle, and Tom in the apartment about Gatsby show the importance of how people perceive others 

In Chapter 4, Gatsby tells Nick, “I’ll tell you God’s truth…I am the son of some wealthy people in the middle-west [San Francisco].” As a result, the truth of his family background is a definite example of the false reality Gatsby portrays 

And I hope she’ll be a fool – That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (Page 21). Clearly, then, it is apparent that Daisy feels it is better to be beautiful and irresponsible rather than to worry about things that actually matter; this proves that part of Daisy is truly corrupted by the illusion she lives in. 

Daisy's love for Gatsby 

]]> 2016-02-25 13:49:08 UTC https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97258637 https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97262468 The narrow way in which the society of that time interpreted at life shows they aimed to hide the reality. Using the metaphor “life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all" Fitzgerald shows how people only aim to portray a certain aspect of them that would label them as high class. 

Similarly, the "consoling proximity of the millionaires" show the importance given to class and the 1920s]]> 2016-02-25 14:00:46 UTC https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97262468 https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97263013 The dog Tom buys for Myrtle represents the lack of morals and to show off his wealth. Also, Myrtle asks for the dog so that she appears wealthy, artificial perspective was appearances are more important than morals
"Here’s your money. Go
and buy ten more dogs with it.’"

The fact that Gatsby invites people from all around New York that he doesn't know, he puts on a façade, so that people will accept him 
"They're a rotten crowd"

He has a complete set of photos and evidence to disprove people of the rumors about him, maintaining his self-perception of an "oxford man"
"I’ll tell you God’s truth.'"]]> 2016-02-25 14:02:13 UTC https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/97263013 https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/104929467 symbolism:
- The dog
- silk shirts
- the books (library)
_ the color of the cars: Yellow car (gold = money). The American Dream involves people trying to gain wealth and status. And through the desire to obtain this dream, became the significance of cars. Cars were seen as a status of wealth and a sense of new found freedom. 
- Mrytle dresses
- green light: the green light represents his dream, which is Daisy. To attain her would be completing Gatsby’s American Dream. The first time the green light is seen in the novel is also the first time Nick sees Gatsby.
- clock's 
- old money people: Tom's "family" (Tom has a mystery, Myrtle)
- Gatsby's parties, money, mansion, job. The reason Gatsby throws these huge, flashy parties is all part of his attempt to catch Daisy’s attention; either hoping that she would catch a glimpse of the bright lights across the bay or through word of mouth. However even with the grand scale of his parties, none of his guests seem to know who Gatsby is, some even coming up with ludicrous stories to explain his mystery. 
- Cheating: Represents the shallow quality of the characters’ lives thus signifying the hollowness of the American Dream. The wealthy have everything but still not happy. However, cheating is not limited to solely the rich class, as it is present in all social classes. All the relationships in the novel contain a motive or purpose. For instance, Tom has an affair to satisfy his boredom, and escape from his relationship at home.
- sport: Describes the time period 1920; people had a lot of leisure time. The rich who have already achieved the American Dream play a variety of sports to satisfy their boredom. Through sports we are able to see the characters’ true natures. Although sports are meant for leisure and fair play there is still cheating and corruption involved.
-Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg: The eyes symbolize the loss of spiritual values in America. The billboard was erected to promote the business of an optometrist in Queensborough – the eyes symbolize the growing commercialism of America – life in America is all about making money, a lot of money as evidenced by the wealth of people like Tom Buchanan – a man’s success is measured in terms of how much money he is worth, not on what kind of person he may be morally. 

]]> 2016-04-10 16:35:08 UTC https://padlet.com/amccreadie/GGArtificeandPerception/wish/104929467