"In his blue gardens, men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars"
In this passage, Nick observes the social interaction between the guests at Gatsby's party. By dissecting each symbolism, I reached a conclusion on the underlying meaning of the passage. The "blue gardens" probably indicates that it was at night when this took place, and the nighttime in the gardens could symbolize mystery and some fantasy at the party. When Nick says, "men and girls", it could also be a reference to how Nick might be sexist in saying that the women at the party are not as sophisticated as the men, so they are considered "girls." Also, the moths can be a reference to how the guests were not substantial creatures. They basically served to just feed on their "food", which in this case was "the whisperings and the champagne and the stars." Nick indirectly is showing how the guests were not "real" people and they just fluttered around to "survive" in the party. The meaning behind this image is actually not pretty or whimsical at all.
Why would they have to survive this party? Could the reference to "men and girls" suggest anything else?
ReplyDeleteMy guess for why they would have to survive this party is because they want to stay up on the social ladder. They have to maintain their reputations and their statuses, so they must "survive" the parties. The reference to men and girls could also suggest a sexist view of women from Nick (or Fitzgerald). Rich males were considered men while wealthy ladies were "girls".
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you day that the blue gardens suggests an air of mystery and fantasy. However in references to the men and girls being moths, I thought maybe they were attracted to the gossip (whispering), alcohol, and the stars like moths to a flame. The guests thrive and live for the rumors, the alcohol, and the parties.
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