"People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away" (Fitzgerald 37).
While Fitzgerald was referring to a specific party at Gatsby's house, I found this statement parallel to the relationships and interactions between acquaintances throughout a lifetime. Fitzgerald recognizes a very common behavior: people grow apart, see each other again, promise to meet up again, lose each other again, and then see each other again. I know this is true for me. I will see someone I used to be close with and immediately wonder why I'm not closer with them, make plans with them, but of course those plans will fall through. In fact, it seems that Fitzgerald is almost making fun of how superficial people can be and how people lose touch so quickly with people they claim they are close with.
Pages later, Fitzgerald does almost the same thing, referencing a seen at Gatby's party, saying, "The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath..." (Fitzgerald 41). Instead of talking about how two people interact, now he is referring to how groups change over time.
Do you think Fitzgerald is making a valid point about human behavior? Why does he use Gatsby's parties to make this point?
I think Gatsby is making a valid point about human behavior. Although humans crave connection, relationships tend to "dissolve and form in the same breath" because their often sought for wrong (and often superficial) reasons. Gatsby uses parties to highlight this point because parties invite this behavior and encourage individuals to act connected with everyone -- even if the connections have "disappeared."
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