The Great Gatsby: Living the Dream in the Valley of Ashes
2011-09-07 · explainer · John · 6:47 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Books & writing · mode: Explainer · tags: recurring series, self promotion
John reads The Great Gatsby from chapter two on, through its symbols (the Valley of Ashes, Eckleburg's eyes, the green light, gold), and argues that Gatsby's doomed dream of reclaiming a golden past is the American dream and everyone's.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Intro (no massive spoilers); chapter two's great metaphors: the Valley of Ashes and the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg
- ★★ John sets out to introduce, without massive spoilers and as quickly as he can, everything he finds interesting about The Great Gatsby, since life is fleeting, one of its themes. — 00:00:01
- ★★ John says the beginning of chapter two gives two of the great metaphors in American literature, first the Valley of Ashes that Nick describes outside Manhattan. — 00:00:11
- ★★ John says the Valley of Ashes was real: in 1922 there was an ever-growing dump of burned waste from people living in and around New York. — 00:00:18 · New York City
- ★★ John describes the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg in the Valley of Ashes: huge, disembodied, unblinking eyes that cannot punish or chase anyone but see everything. — 00:00:43
00:01:01 — Tom's New York apartment party: debauchery without fun; the 'no one is likable' criticism rejected
- ★★ John notes that the novel always has some debauched party going on at which no one has any fun: everyone in the room just wants more money and more class. — 00:01:13
- ★ John jokes that Tom Buchanan, who has what everyone else wants, is such an unbearable ass-face that he makes Paris Hilton look charming and grounded. (joke) — 00:01:25
- ★★ John thinks the criticism that no one in The Great Gatsby is likable is unfair to Gatsby, to Nick and, to an extent, to Daisy. — 00:01:34
- ★★★ John says characters in books need not be likable: books are not in the business of merely likable characters for simple identification but of great stories. — 00:01:44
00:02:00 — Gatsby's party, the mystery of Gatsby, the drunk-driving scene and the 1920s dream; Gatsby's motive is Daisy and the green light
- ★★ John calls Gatsby charming despite his annoying 'old sport' habit, quoting Nick: his smile makes you feel he is irresistibly prejudiced in your favor. — 00:02:10
- ★★ John notes that for much of the book no one knows anything about Gatsby (bootlegger, killer, drug-store owner?), though everyone drinks at his parties. — 00:02:20
- ★★ After the first party's drunk-driving scene, John suggests that, at least in the novel, the 1920s American dream was a leisurely, debauched life with cars and whiskey to crash them. — 00:02:45
- ★★★ John says Gatsby differs from his guests: he doesn't drink or use his pool; he built wealth and status for Daisy, whose dock across the bay has a green light. — 00:03:06
00:03:21 — The yellow reunion; symbols as enchanted objects; does Gatsby love Daisy or her gold and class
- ★★ John recounts that Gatsby asks Nick to arrange a reunion with Daisy, at which everything is yellow: car, tie, dress buttons, even flowers smelling 'pale gold'. — 00:03:29
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★★★ Taking Nick's phrase for the green light, John defines symbols as enchanted objects; yellow or gold is an enchanted colour in the novel and in our lives. — 00:04:01
“Symbols are enchanted objects”
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★★★ John asks whether Gatsby loves Daisy or her gold ('her voice is full of money'): 'Mr. Nobody from nowhere' lacks class, Daisy's family would help, as the Midwest flashback suggests. — 00:04:16
00:04:56 — Gatsby must reclaim the past: the American and the world's dream of a golden age; the last chapter; we all share his ambition
- ★★★ John says that by the climax Daisy's love is not enough for Gatsby; she must say she never loved Tom, because he needs to reclaim his past innocence. — 00:04:56
- ★★★ John argues Gatsby's dream is the American dream and the world's: never enough money, fame and love, because what we really want is to return to a pure, golden past. — 00:05:23
- ★★ John says the relentless pursuit of that dream leads only to more violence and corruption, up to a violent moment witnessed by Eckleburg's eyes. — 00:05:40
- ★★★ John calls the last chapter one of the saddest passages in American literature, showing muddied innocence and guilt and the unfairness of a society supposedly founded on equality. — 00:05:54
- ★★★ John submits that those who sneer at Gatsby do so because we all share his ambition and believe in the green light that eludes us. — 00:06:11
00:06:31 — Two non-rhetorical questions for Hank and comments: is Gatsby's quest heroic, is yours; sign-off
- ★★★ John asks Hank two non-rhetorical questions to discuss in the comments: to what extent is Gatsby, and his quest, heroic, and is Hank's own quest heroic? — 00:06:31 · Hank Green
- ★★ John says the discussion must happen here in the comments because Your Pants has been hacked. — 00:06:31
In the description and comments
- ★★ In the description John says his new novel The Fault in Our Stars is available for preorder and all preorders will be autographed. — video description · The Fault in Our Stars
Threads in this video
- milestone · Blurbing Book Club 2011: group reading of The Great Gatsby — John posts his reading of The Great Gatsby from chapter two onward, without massive spoilers, after his chapter one video. (00:00:01)
- restate · What is art for? — John rejects the idea that characters in books are supposed to be likable: books are in the business of creating great stories, not merely likable characters for simple identification. (00:01:40)
- restate · Do money and success bring happiness? — John says there will never be enough money, fame and love, because every time we get what we wanted we want more; what we really want is a pure golden past. (00:05:23)
- asked · John asks Hank and commenters whether Gatsby's quest, and their own, is heroic (2011) — John asks Hank, for discussion in the comments, to what extent Gatsby and his quest are heroic, and whether Hank's own quest is heroic. (00:06:31)
- reminder · John points viewers to pre-order The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — In the description John says The Fault in Our Stars is available for preorder now. (video description)
- progress update · John: sign every copy of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — In the description John says all pre-orders of The Fault in Our Stars will be autographed. (video description)
Where the stories that moved here went next
- John: sign every copy of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — kept; last: recalled, 2024-12-31
Mentioned
Central: American Dream · green light · Jay Gatsby · The Great Gatsby · Valley of Ashes
Also: People: Paris Hilton
Projects: Your Pants
Concepts: close reading · hedonic adaptation · nostalgia
Places: Manhattan · Midwestern United States · New York City
Characters: Daisy Buchanan · George Wilson · Myrtle Wilson · Nick Carraway · T. J. Eckleburg · Tom Buchanan
Only in the description or credits: F. Scott Fitzgerald · The Fault in Our Stars
Also centred on American Dream: Gatsby's American Dream: Reading The Great Gatsby Critically, Chapter 1 · Started from the Bottom: Benjamin Franklin and Drake Compared · Is the American Dream Real?
Also centred on Jay Gatsby: Gatsby's American Dream: Reading The Great Gatsby Critically, Chapter 1
Also centred on The Great Gatsby: Froghoppin' with Gatsby · Question Tuesday! Paula Deen Riding Me (and critical reading) · THE FAULT IN OUR STARS · Gatsby's American Dream: Reading The Great Gatsby Critically, Chapter 1 · Our Capacity for Wonder: A Review · The Best Books Get Better
Later videos replying to this one
- 2011-09-12 · Adorable Baby and Insufficient Cartography (John) — continues — “So was my map last week about the Great Gatsby” (00:01:38)