Question

part 2: the buchanan illusion
stopping point: after the description of tom and daisy’s hallway and the “floating” women (\the only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon\).

1. fitzgerald uses words like bright, breezy, floating, and balloon to describe daisy’s home. what kind of “reality” is he creating here? does this world feel solid and reachable, or like a dream that could pop?

the reality that he is showing is like a dream that could pop.

1. look at the description of tom buchanan. nick says tom has a body capable of “enormous leverage—a cruel body.” how does tom’s physical presence contrast with the “airy” atmosphere of the house? which one represents the reality of the american dream?

Explanation:

Question 3

Fitzgerald's word choices (bright, breezy, floating, balloon) create a dreamy, ethereal reality. The imagery of floating women on a couch like an anchored balloon suggests a lack of solidity. This world feels like a dream that could pop because the descriptions lack grounded, tangible details, emphasizing fragility and impermanence, as if the luxurious, airy setting is unstable and not truly "real" or lasting.

Tom's physical presence is described as having "enormous leverage - a cruel body", which is solid, forceful, and imposing. The house's atmosphere is "airy", light, and dream - like. Tom's presence contrasts with the house's atmosphere by introducing a sense of harsh reality and power. In terms of the American Dream, Tom's presence represents the reality of the American Dream. The American Dream often has an idealized, dream - like (airy) facade, but the reality (like Tom's presence) is marked by power struggles, cruelty, and the use of force to maintain status, which is more in line with the actual, often harsh reality behind the dreamy ideal of the American Dream.

Answer:

The reality created is a dream - like, fragile one that could pop. The world does not feel solid and reachable; it feels like a dream that could pop.

Question 4