Comments on Ophelia (Act IV)
I think that Ophelia is a pretty trivial character in the play. She adds to the dramatic features in the play because she is always in the background, always the innocent that gets affected by the actions of all the men in her life. No one seems to think of her feelings much. Hamlet disgregards her and doesn't trust her with his plan even after declaring his love for her. Her father makes her do his bidding even if it is against her will while her brother, being the only person that Ophelia could actually confide in, left her.
In my opinion, the play would still be the same if Shakespeare took her out. Yes, she does add to the drama because the audience is bound to feel sorry for her and her death is, in a sense, tragic because she has not done anything to deserve the pain she went through. She is merely a pawn in his father's plans with the King and Queen to spy on Hamlet. I think there is enough drama to be getting on with without her getting affected by everything on the sideline. Without her, there would have been other means of spying on Hamlet and his madness would have been blamed solely on the death of his father and the sudden marriage of his mother and his uncle. The play would still be similar if you took her out.
However, I think Shakespeare uses her role to emphasise the tragedy and the extent to which Hamlet would go to get his revenge. Yes, he didn't plan to kill Polonius but if he truly loved Ophelia he would have thought of the consequences that her father's death might bring to her. Instead, he carries on as if Polonius's death was of no real importance and Ophelia was left to go mad. She is the symbol of abandonment and solitude, the woman who took all the pain but never actually got any sympathy back. Her character is tragic in every way.
Her death was portrayed beautifully and romantically, which I think contrasts to the way her character has been seen throughout all her appearances in the play. She seemed weak and unable to make up her own mind. She was like a puppet, the victim of what she thought was Hamlet's real madness and the means in which the King and Queen could find out the real truth about their son. In her death, Shakespeare showed the real beauty within her. Shakespeare made her death very grand and picturesque as if to make the audience really imagine the scene. Even if she still died quite alone, it made her the centre of attention for once, making the audience think about the effect and the consequence of all the characters' actions in the play.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
English Literature Homework - Hamlet Act 1 and 2
Comments on tragedy and Hamlet's character
Hamlet goes through several stages in the first two acts. First of all, we see grief and disappointment. The death of his father and the fact that he is mourning alone, because his mother married again to his uncle not long after, has affected him as a person. His soliloquies often reflect these feelings. We find out that Hamlet has a lover, Ophelia, but we do not really get to see the romantic side of him, we only hear Ophelia's version of their love, which is quite interesting in a way because it leads on to the second act where he puts on a 'mad' act and lets Ophelia witness it first. Ophelia ignored Hamlet on her father's orders and I get the feeling that Hamlet lacks trust amongst the people around him. Finding out about his uncle's treachery to his father most probably affected his thoughts about everyone else around him. He cannot trust anyone again, not even the girl he has proposed his love to. He doesn't share his plan with Ophelia and leaves her confused and with only herself to blame for Hamlet's 'transformation'.
Hamlet calls himself a 'coward' because he hasn't killed Claudius, his uncle, straight away after finding out that he murdered his father. His dilemma is a big one, that he has to think about his mother's feelings and not rush into anything. He also has to prove that what the Ghost said was true. He wants to get revenge but he has to go the long way about it, which frustrates him and makes him feel like he hasn't progressed at all.
Tragedy, in the modern sense, is conveyed through the death of Hamlet's father. The loss of his father is a tragedy not only because his own brother killed him but because Hamlet is left mourning his loss alone and he is also alone in succeeding in getting revenge for his father. Arguably, another tragedy within the first two acts is that Hamlet has lost his mother too. Death might not be the case here but Hamlet probably wanted to mourn with her but instead she moved on with none other than his father's own brother and his murderer nonetheless. Also, tragedy is conveyed through Ophelia and Hamlet. The lack of trust between them shows and the fact that Ophelia didn't fight for their love with her father also shows weakness, leaving their relationship torn and leaving Hamlet with no choice but to act mad around her too instead of sharing his plans with her, in fear that she will obey her father to spy on him.
Comments on tragedy and Hamlet's character
Hamlet goes through several stages in the first two acts. First of all, we see grief and disappointment. The death of his father and the fact that he is mourning alone, because his mother married again to his uncle not long after, has affected him as a person. His soliloquies often reflect these feelings. We find out that Hamlet has a lover, Ophelia, but we do not really get to see the romantic side of him, we only hear Ophelia's version of their love, which is quite interesting in a way because it leads on to the second act where he puts on a 'mad' act and lets Ophelia witness it first. Ophelia ignored Hamlet on her father's orders and I get the feeling that Hamlet lacks trust amongst the people around him. Finding out about his uncle's treachery to his father most probably affected his thoughts about everyone else around him. He cannot trust anyone again, not even the girl he has proposed his love to. He doesn't share his plan with Ophelia and leaves her confused and with only herself to blame for Hamlet's 'transformation'.
Hamlet calls himself a 'coward' because he hasn't killed Claudius, his uncle, straight away after finding out that he murdered his father. His dilemma is a big one, that he has to think about his mother's feelings and not rush into anything. He also has to prove that what the Ghost said was true. He wants to get revenge but he has to go the long way about it, which frustrates him and makes him feel like he hasn't progressed at all.
Tragedy, in the modern sense, is conveyed through the death of Hamlet's father. The loss of his father is a tragedy not only because his own brother killed him but because Hamlet is left mourning his loss alone and he is also alone in succeeding in getting revenge for his father. Arguably, another tragedy within the first two acts is that Hamlet has lost his mother too. Death might not be the case here but Hamlet probably wanted to mourn with her but instead she moved on with none other than his father's own brother and his murderer nonetheless. Also, tragedy is conveyed through Ophelia and Hamlet. The lack of trust between them shows and the fact that Ophelia didn't fight for their love with her father also shows weakness, leaving their relationship torn and leaving Hamlet with no choice but to act mad around her too instead of sharing his plans with her, in fear that she will obey her father to spy on him.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
English Literature Homework
Reading Journal – ‘The Great Gatsby’ Chapter Eight and Nine
Point of View
Chapter 8 is very interesting because the point of view used changes from Nick to Gatsby. Gatsby is telling the story to Nick and Nick narrates it but there are some sections where it jumps to Gatsby making a speech.
Use of Time
The order of events jumps from the present to the past in the first four sections of Chapter 8. It makes it more dramatic and thrilling (jumping from one scene to another different one at different time zones).
Characterisation
Nick – growing affection for Gatsby (wanting to warn him, ‘I didn’t want to leave Gatsby’)
Gatsby – obsession with Daisy (his huge dreams/obsession end up in his death), this could suggest how naïve he really was and nothing was ever going to come out of it. We find out more about what Gatsby was really like when his father reveals his past but only after his death does this happen.
Daisy and Tom – ‘They were careless people… They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money’
Daisy – the fact that she didn’t tell Tom that she was the one who caused Myrtle’s death suggests how incredibly selfish she is. She let Gatsby take the blame while she escaped with Tom, pretending nothing ever happened and hiding the unhappiness she feels inside with him.
Action Progress
The last four sections jumps from four different scenes that Nick doesn’t witness – all leading up to Gatsby’s death. This is an interesting technique that Fitzgerald uses and the readers are bound to think – how could Nick retell these events accurately when he wasn’t even there? You could argue that this technique doesn’t really work as such. The first of these four sections contains Nick’s conversation with Jordan. This suggests that Nick has a different life and other things to do than stay with Gatsby. The one time he’s not there by his side, something bad occurs. It then jumps to an account of George Wilson and his friend. Their conversation mirrors Wilson’s need for revenge because he has nothing else to live for now that Myrtle’s death.
Themes
Friendship – between Gatsby and Nick. Nick’s the only one who attended the funeral but this could just be perceived as sympathy or loyalty. The lack of friendship between Gatsby and the people he was meant to be friends with is seen.
Relationships – most relationships are broken in the end; Tom and Myrtle, George and Myrtle, Daisy and Gatsby, Nick and Jordan. The relationship of father and son is reinstated between Gatsby and his father but only at his death.
Death/Love – You could argue that Gatsby, Wilson and Myrtle all died for love.
Settings
Gatsby’s house – ‘his house had never seemed so enormous to me as it did that night’ – use of setting to imply how enormous Gatsby’s dream was and how it was so out of place. Gatsby, even Nick, Daisy and Tom all belonged in the West and moving to the East gave them great consequences. They were all trying to be someone they’re not.
Ideology
Higher class – Daisy and Tom prove the theory that the higher class at the time could get away with whatever they want. Daisy manages to escape from the death she caused and Gatsby took the blame because of their selfishness. Even Daisy’s supposed love wasn’t enough for her to want to share the blame with Gatsby.
Reading Journal – ‘The Great Gatsby’ Chapter Eight and Nine
Point of View
Chapter 8 is very interesting because the point of view used changes from Nick to Gatsby. Gatsby is telling the story to Nick and Nick narrates it but there are some sections where it jumps to Gatsby making a speech.
Use of Time
The order of events jumps from the present to the past in the first four sections of Chapter 8. It makes it more dramatic and thrilling (jumping from one scene to another different one at different time zones).
Characterisation
Nick – growing affection for Gatsby (wanting to warn him, ‘I didn’t want to leave Gatsby’)
Gatsby – obsession with Daisy (his huge dreams/obsession end up in his death), this could suggest how naïve he really was and nothing was ever going to come out of it. We find out more about what Gatsby was really like when his father reveals his past but only after his death does this happen.
Daisy and Tom – ‘They were careless people… They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money’
Daisy – the fact that she didn’t tell Tom that she was the one who caused Myrtle’s death suggests how incredibly selfish she is. She let Gatsby take the blame while she escaped with Tom, pretending nothing ever happened and hiding the unhappiness she feels inside with him.
Action Progress
The last four sections jumps from four different scenes that Nick doesn’t witness – all leading up to Gatsby’s death. This is an interesting technique that Fitzgerald uses and the readers are bound to think – how could Nick retell these events accurately when he wasn’t even there? You could argue that this technique doesn’t really work as such. The first of these four sections contains Nick’s conversation with Jordan. This suggests that Nick has a different life and other things to do than stay with Gatsby. The one time he’s not there by his side, something bad occurs. It then jumps to an account of George Wilson and his friend. Their conversation mirrors Wilson’s need for revenge because he has nothing else to live for now that Myrtle’s death.
Themes
Friendship – between Gatsby and Nick. Nick’s the only one who attended the funeral but this could just be perceived as sympathy or loyalty. The lack of friendship between Gatsby and the people he was meant to be friends with is seen.
Relationships – most relationships are broken in the end; Tom and Myrtle, George and Myrtle, Daisy and Gatsby, Nick and Jordan. The relationship of father and son is reinstated between Gatsby and his father but only at his death.
Death/Love – You could argue that Gatsby, Wilson and Myrtle all died for love.
Settings
Gatsby’s house – ‘his house had never seemed so enormous to me as it did that night’ – use of setting to imply how enormous Gatsby’s dream was and how it was so out of place. Gatsby, even Nick, Daisy and Tom all belonged in the West and moving to the East gave them great consequences. They were all trying to be someone they’re not.
Ideology
Higher class – Daisy and Tom prove the theory that the higher class at the time could get away with whatever they want. Daisy manages to escape from the death she caused and Gatsby took the blame because of their selfishness. Even Daisy’s supposed love wasn’t enough for her to want to share the blame with Gatsby.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Chapter Six and Seven
English Literature Homework
Reading Journal - 'The Great Gatsby' Chapter Six and Seven
Chapter Six
We learn a lot about Gatsby's history at the start of the chapter, the true reason for Gatsby's wealth and past. The fact that Gatsby shares the truth to Nick suggests a bond of trust starting to form between the two of them. As the novel portrays lack of friendship, considering the events at the end, it might not have been full-proof but this could have been the start of Nick's, if not friendship, mutual respect with Gatsby. After Nick narrates Gatsby's true history, he says 'I've put it down here with the idea of exploding those first wild rumours about his antecedents, which weren't even faintly true'. Nick starts to get rid of the doubts and the confusion about this mysterious man. The language used like 'wild' and 'exploding' also suggests that now that Nick knows the truth, he thinks the rumours were absolutely preposterous. Gatsby's character is more clear to us at this point.
However, after not seeing Nick in several weeks, Gatsby comes across him again but this time, Tom Buchanan is present. Gatsby even invites him to his next party. He seems both aggressive towards him (p.109 'continued Gatsby, almost aggressively') and also interested to spend more time with him (p.109 'he wanted to see more of Tom'). This could be for self-assurance. He can't help but be a little aggressive because Tom is the reason why it's difficult for him to get Daisy back but he also wants to know what Daisy could possibly like about him and most likely, prove that there was nothing special about him. He wanted to be assured that he is a better person, a better character than Tom will ever be and therefore, a more worthy husband to Daisy.
Tom's arrogance comes through again at the party. The fact that people are illegally drinking at a huge party and that Gatsby is too polite to object to uninvited party crashers intrigue him (p.115 'I'd like to know who he is and what he does'). The ideology of classes comes through. The fact that they're doing something illegal at a huge venue and there are no authorities suggest that the higher class can get away with almost anything through the right contacts or through money and paying people off. Tom probably wants to prove to Daisy or whoever else who would care to listen, that Gatsby shouldn't be relied on. This could be out of jealousy or just out of sheer arrogance, wanting to prove himself a better man, which you could argue makes him and Gatsby alike in one way.
We also get a clear view of Gatsby's real affections toward Daisy. Gatsby tells Nick that he 'wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: "I never loved you"'. He is determined to 'fix everything just the way it was before'. He sounds so sure of himself that he can re-write the past through starting off with a new future with Daisy. This could be because he is blinded by love but he is clearly stuck in the heartbreak he felt in the past when Daisy couldn't wait for him so it could also be because he is blinded by pain. Maybe he wants to prove that he is good enough and he just came to her life at the wrong time.
He cannot bear the disappointment and the crumbling of his self-esteem when she married someone else that he spent the rest of his time building up to the time when he would meet Daisy and not hopefully but surely get her again. This could be perceived as selfish and naive at the same time. He is only thinking of himself. Tom isn't a great person himself and no woman deserves to be cheated on but in my opinion, Gatsby is just as bad to not care who he tramples on to get what he wants.
Chapter Seven
The series of events in this chapter are increasingly important in the novel. First of all, we get another insight to Nick and Gatsby's relationship. A stronger bond is again portrayed as Nick worries about Gatsby and checks on him when he stops seeing Gatsby for a while and when he also notices the abrupt halt of his weekly parties. We find out that Gatsby hires new servants and fires all his old once for the petty reason of Daisy's frequent visits to his home. He didn't want rumours spread. Again, this gives us a view of how the higher class can act, how they can get away with anything and how they can do anything without thinking of the consequences it may bring to other people, especially his servants as the lower class.
The theme of secrecy crops up in this chapter, secrecy that is lost. Tom Buchanan finally realises that Daisy loves Gatsby, and his usually poor temper begins to get the best of him. Tom decides they are all going to New York City, then declares he will drive Gatsby's yellow car. When Tom orders Daisy to come with him she refuses, going alone with Gatsby in Tom's blue coupe. This is very stupid of Daisy as it will just make Tom even angrier than he already is. She lets her feelings get the best of her without thinking of the consequences. Also, Wilson declares that he is moving west with his wife immediately as he has also found out of her unfaithfulness, just not with whom. Finally, Nick notices Myrtle watching them with 'jealous terror' from a window, as she mistakenly presumes Jordan Baker to be Tom's wife. Myrtle probably thinks that the secrecy about Tom's wife had, at that time, been revealed to her.
Also, the secrecy that surrounded Daisy and Tom's baby is finally revealed. 'I don't think he ever really believed about its existence before' Nick says, talking about Gatsby. The fact that the word 'its' was used suggests that the little girl wasn't shown enough to be of any importance. She's constantly hidden throughout the novel, as if the happenings and the events do not affect her and as if she isn't exposed. This is arguably unfair as her parents' relationship and the fact that she has to have a nanny because her parents don't look after her enough, surely affects her. Her lack of appearance in the novel suggests that she was purposely not exposed to Nick, and to everyone else by the looks of it. This again reflects upon Tom and Daisy's selfishness. They are so self-involved and wrapped up in their own lives that their kid is nothing more than abandoned. Their plans don't revolve around her but around each other and other people.
Tom, pride wounded by his wife's affair, makes several unsuccessful attempts to insult Gatsby when they are in New York. Gatsby responds by saying Daisy doesn't love Tom, and that she only married him because Gatsby was too poor. This again reflects on Gatsby's firm belief that wrong timing is the sheer reason as to why he couldn't have Daisy and now that his status is stable, he can have her for sure. He had no doubt about that. His certainty once again borders naivety.
Tom loses his temper and insists Daisy once loved him and still does. Gatsby is trying to get Daisy to say she never loved Tom and that she's leaving him, and Tom on the other side declaring Daisy's not leaving, leaving Daisy in the middle, acting helpless and wanting to escape the situation. Finally, Tom tells Daisy and Gatsby to drive back in Gatsby's car, taunting him that he must realize 'his presumptuous little flirtation is over'. Tom obviously does not think that Daisy would leave him for her, again his arrogance comes through. He is so sure of himself when it comes to Daisy. This concludes to the fact that when it comes to Daisy, Gatsby and Tom both have a lot in common following from the comments I made about chapter six.
That same night, George Wilson has Myrtle locked up in their room, where he plans to keep her until they move west. Myrtle escapes, however, but when she rushes out into the night she gets hit by a 'big yellow car' that doesn't stop. On their drive home, Tom, Jordan, and Nick come upon the crowd gathered outside Wilson's garage. When Tom discovers his mistress has been killed he quickly makes the connection that Gatsby's yellow car killed her. The readers instantly assume the same thing.
Back at the Buchanans', Nick finds Gatsby hiding in the bushes. Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy had been driving his car, that she has locked herself in her room, and that he intends to watch the Buchanan house to ensure Tom doesn't physically harm her. Nick goes to the house to look for any sign of commotion, only to find Tom and Daisy talking intimately at the kitchen table, holding hands. Nick goes home alone, leaving Gatsby to his vigil over the house as he watches 'over nothing'. This could be a clue as to what the next series of events are going to be like. The fact that Daisy and Tom look like they're having an intimate conversation suggests that Daisy had no intentions of leaving him at that point and Gatsby's watch just reflects his desperation and his love, which borders obsession, over Daisy. He was prepared to keep her act a secret, which could portray Gatsby as either selfless or extremely stupid, oblivious and naive to what the Buchanan couple could be capable of. He is so sure that Daisy's love is enough but the following events prove him and the readers wrong.
Reading Journal - 'The Great Gatsby' Chapter Six and Seven
Chapter Six
We learn a lot about Gatsby's history at the start of the chapter, the true reason for Gatsby's wealth and past. The fact that Gatsby shares the truth to Nick suggests a bond of trust starting to form between the two of them. As the novel portrays lack of friendship, considering the events at the end, it might not have been full-proof but this could have been the start of Nick's, if not friendship, mutual respect with Gatsby. After Nick narrates Gatsby's true history, he says 'I've put it down here with the idea of exploding those first wild rumours about his antecedents, which weren't even faintly true'. Nick starts to get rid of the doubts and the confusion about this mysterious man. The language used like 'wild' and 'exploding' also suggests that now that Nick knows the truth, he thinks the rumours were absolutely preposterous. Gatsby's character is more clear to us at this point.
However, after not seeing Nick in several weeks, Gatsby comes across him again but this time, Tom Buchanan is present. Gatsby even invites him to his next party. He seems both aggressive towards him (p.109 'continued Gatsby, almost aggressively') and also interested to spend more time with him (p.109 'he wanted to see more of Tom'). This could be for self-assurance. He can't help but be a little aggressive because Tom is the reason why it's difficult for him to get Daisy back but he also wants to know what Daisy could possibly like about him and most likely, prove that there was nothing special about him. He wanted to be assured that he is a better person, a better character than Tom will ever be and therefore, a more worthy husband to Daisy.
Tom's arrogance comes through again at the party. The fact that people are illegally drinking at a huge party and that Gatsby is too polite to object to uninvited party crashers intrigue him (p.115 'I'd like to know who he is and what he does'). The ideology of classes comes through. The fact that they're doing something illegal at a huge venue and there are no authorities suggest that the higher class can get away with almost anything through the right contacts or through money and paying people off. Tom probably wants to prove to Daisy or whoever else who would care to listen, that Gatsby shouldn't be relied on. This could be out of jealousy or just out of sheer arrogance, wanting to prove himself a better man, which you could argue makes him and Gatsby alike in one way.
We also get a clear view of Gatsby's real affections toward Daisy. Gatsby tells Nick that he 'wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: "I never loved you"'. He is determined to 'fix everything just the way it was before'. He sounds so sure of himself that he can re-write the past through starting off with a new future with Daisy. This could be because he is blinded by love but he is clearly stuck in the heartbreak he felt in the past when Daisy couldn't wait for him so it could also be because he is blinded by pain. Maybe he wants to prove that he is good enough and he just came to her life at the wrong time.
He cannot bear the disappointment and the crumbling of his self-esteem when she married someone else that he spent the rest of his time building up to the time when he would meet Daisy and not hopefully but surely get her again. This could be perceived as selfish and naive at the same time. He is only thinking of himself. Tom isn't a great person himself and no woman deserves to be cheated on but in my opinion, Gatsby is just as bad to not care who he tramples on to get what he wants.
Chapter Seven
The series of events in this chapter are increasingly important in the novel. First of all, we get another insight to Nick and Gatsby's relationship. A stronger bond is again portrayed as Nick worries about Gatsby and checks on him when he stops seeing Gatsby for a while and when he also notices the abrupt halt of his weekly parties. We find out that Gatsby hires new servants and fires all his old once for the petty reason of Daisy's frequent visits to his home. He didn't want rumours spread. Again, this gives us a view of how the higher class can act, how they can get away with anything and how they can do anything without thinking of the consequences it may bring to other people, especially his servants as the lower class.
The theme of secrecy crops up in this chapter, secrecy that is lost. Tom Buchanan finally realises that Daisy loves Gatsby, and his usually poor temper begins to get the best of him. Tom decides they are all going to New York City, then declares he will drive Gatsby's yellow car. When Tom orders Daisy to come with him she refuses, going alone with Gatsby in Tom's blue coupe. This is very stupid of Daisy as it will just make Tom even angrier than he already is. She lets her feelings get the best of her without thinking of the consequences. Also, Wilson declares that he is moving west with his wife immediately as he has also found out of her unfaithfulness, just not with whom. Finally, Nick notices Myrtle watching them with 'jealous terror' from a window, as she mistakenly presumes Jordan Baker to be Tom's wife. Myrtle probably thinks that the secrecy about Tom's wife had, at that time, been revealed to her.
Also, the secrecy that surrounded Daisy and Tom's baby is finally revealed. 'I don't think he ever really believed about its existence before' Nick says, talking about Gatsby. The fact that the word 'its' was used suggests that the little girl wasn't shown enough to be of any importance. She's constantly hidden throughout the novel, as if the happenings and the events do not affect her and as if she isn't exposed. This is arguably unfair as her parents' relationship and the fact that she has to have a nanny because her parents don't look after her enough, surely affects her. Her lack of appearance in the novel suggests that she was purposely not exposed to Nick, and to everyone else by the looks of it. This again reflects upon Tom and Daisy's selfishness. They are so self-involved and wrapped up in their own lives that their kid is nothing more than abandoned. Their plans don't revolve around her but around each other and other people.
Tom, pride wounded by his wife's affair, makes several unsuccessful attempts to insult Gatsby when they are in New York. Gatsby responds by saying Daisy doesn't love Tom, and that she only married him because Gatsby was too poor. This again reflects on Gatsby's firm belief that wrong timing is the sheer reason as to why he couldn't have Daisy and now that his status is stable, he can have her for sure. He had no doubt about that. His certainty once again borders naivety.
Tom loses his temper and insists Daisy once loved him and still does. Gatsby is trying to get Daisy to say she never loved Tom and that she's leaving him, and Tom on the other side declaring Daisy's not leaving, leaving Daisy in the middle, acting helpless and wanting to escape the situation. Finally, Tom tells Daisy and Gatsby to drive back in Gatsby's car, taunting him that he must realize 'his presumptuous little flirtation is over'. Tom obviously does not think that Daisy would leave him for her, again his arrogance comes through. He is so sure of himself when it comes to Daisy. This concludes to the fact that when it comes to Daisy, Gatsby and Tom both have a lot in common following from the comments I made about chapter six.
That same night, George Wilson has Myrtle locked up in their room, where he plans to keep her until they move west. Myrtle escapes, however, but when she rushes out into the night she gets hit by a 'big yellow car' that doesn't stop. On their drive home, Tom, Jordan, and Nick come upon the crowd gathered outside Wilson's garage. When Tom discovers his mistress has been killed he quickly makes the connection that Gatsby's yellow car killed her. The readers instantly assume the same thing.
Back at the Buchanans', Nick finds Gatsby hiding in the bushes. Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy had been driving his car, that she has locked herself in her room, and that he intends to watch the Buchanan house to ensure Tom doesn't physically harm her. Nick goes to the house to look for any sign of commotion, only to find Tom and Daisy talking intimately at the kitchen table, holding hands. Nick goes home alone, leaving Gatsby to his vigil over the house as he watches 'over nothing'. This could be a clue as to what the next series of events are going to be like. The fact that Daisy and Tom look like they're having an intimate conversation suggests that Daisy had no intentions of leaving him at that point and Gatsby's watch just reflects his desperation and his love, which borders obsession, over Daisy. He was prepared to keep her act a secret, which could portray Gatsby as either selfless or extremely stupid, oblivious and naive to what the Buchanan couple could be capable of. He is so sure that Daisy's love is enough but the following events prove him and the readers wrong.
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