Gone with the wind...

In "The Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri, I noticed two main literary devices: parallelism and irony. The parallelism is quite simple.  Both Mr. Kapasi and  Mrs. Das are revealed to have had major problems in their life.  Mr. Kapasi devoted his life to a career he didn't enjoy, which failed him and left him with a wife he loves even less.  Mrs. Das had an affair, resulting in the birth of her son Bobby.  The irony comes into play when Mrs. Das appeals to Mr. Kapasi and asks him to give her advice.  She thinks that he can sort out her problems, even though he has his own.  There is some possibilty since the two seem to get along well and Mr. Kapasi has fantasies of marrying her.  The piece of paper with Mr. Kapasi's address is a symbol of that connection, the only way for Mr. Kapasi to start a new life.  Mr. kapasi's inability to help Mrs. Das results in an end to her hopes.When the scrap of paper is blown away after the fiasco caused by the monkeys, all hope is eliminated.  "He watched as it rose, carried higher and higher by the breeze.... (p166)."  How ironic, that she appeals to him for help even as he is hoping that she can end his troubles, when in the end, their dreams are blown away, lost amidst the chaos of their lives, just like the slip of paper.

"She doesn't even go here."

In "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, I found significance in Walker's use of imagery and synesthesia.  On page 176, line 20, the speaker says "A dress so loud it hurts my eyes.  There are enough yellows and oranges to throw back the light of the sun.  I feel my whole face warming from the heat waves it throws out.  This use of imagery and synesthesia applies to the senses of touch and sight, but also describes the feelings in terms of sound, using the adjective "loud."  This description seems to characterize Dee, showing her love of fashion and desire to stand out.  The "loudness" of the dress is also made to seem unnatural and unfitting in her current environment.  It is an early indication that Dee has abandoned her family and her past, and has no desire to return to it.  The speaker goes on to describe "bracelets dangling and making noises," a loose and flowy dress, and Dee's hair, "straight up like the wool on a sheep (p 176, line 27)."  These lines also appeal to the senses.  Only taste and smell are left out. The speaker's eventual admission of liking the dress shows Dee's beauty, but still, the "loud" qualities of the dress stand out.  There is nothing inherently wrong with the person of Dee, but the dress of her new society and lifestyle that she has placed upon her shoulders hides her  natural, inherited beauty.  She doesn't belong.

Oh, what a beautiful toad you have there!

In "Toads" by Philip Larkin, I think the toads carry a special symbolism.  When I think of toads I think of an ugly and slimy animal.  I think if disgusting croaking noises and warts.  Do I need to go on?  Toads are not seen as pretty, delightful animals.  The symbol of a toad shows disdain for the things they represent.  Clearly Larkin does not admire these things.  This is slightly ironic, given that he admits to one of the toads living inside of him.  If you examine the poem, the first toad is clearly stated to be work.  The other is not as clear.  I found my interpretation of the second toad in line 35 "But I do say it's hard to lose either, When you have both."  Based on this contradiction and the knowledge that the second toad is an internal problem of his, I believe that the other is laziness.  While Larkin doesn't like to work, seeing it as a boring, painful task that he endures only to pay his bills, he also despises his own laziness that causes him to hate the work.  His own sense of honor in his work contradicts his laziness.  Work and laziness are both ugly toads, but unfortunately, Larkin seems to be stuck with both of them.

EXPLOSION!!!

The organization of "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes consists of 5 similes and 1 metaphor.  These analogies are set up in a way that the 5 similes, featured first, support the ending metaphor.  All of the 5 similes include negative imagery.  They appeal to the reader's senses, giving the impression that deferring a dream is not the wisest decision.  "Does it stink like rotten meat? (line 6)."  The author doesn't ask if it blooms into a beautiful flower.  These 5 similes all lead up to the final metaphor in all its italicized glory.  "Or does it explode? (11)."  I think that this line is stressed by the italics for a reason.  It shows that a dream deferred, while left forgotten, at first only "begins to stink."  It causes maybe minor problems, as the glory of the dream is not realized.  Ultimately, however, the dream must reach its potential, because it still exists.  This causes the "explosion."  If you apply this poem to segregation or slavery in the U.S.  The deferred dream of ending these cruel establishments resulted in the clashes of the Civil War and violence in the Civil Rights Movement.  These sorts of violent crashes are the explosions that Hughes is talking about.

Me? a princess? ...when frogs talk

The trait of "Hazel Tells Laverne" by Kathryn Howd Machan that I took most notice of was the irony in the poem.  Two different situations stuck out to me as being very ironic.  First, I noticed dramatic irony in Hazels actions.  Most readers of the poem are familiar with the story of " The Frog Prince."  We know that the frog is actually a cursed prince that promises marriage for a kiss.  The irony is present in the fact that Hazel does not know this, and therefore doesn't believe the promises of the frog.  I found the second example in the fact that Hazel is more surprised by the frog's offer to make her a prince than by the fact that he is speaking to her.  "me a princess (24,25)." The fact that frogs don't talk doesn't seem to register at all.

I think that these examples of irony give important meaning to the story.  Hazel's mistrust of the frog shows a past of mistrust and manipulation.  She is not used to being given kind offers.  Similarly, her complete disbelief of the notion of being a princess shows that poverty is the only thing she knows.  Her ancestors before her were probably uneducated and possessed lower-class jobs.  Hazel herself cleans hotel bathrooms.  Becoming a princess seems to go against her identity and against logic, even more so than a talking frog.

After reading the article by Laurence Perrine, I set down the paper, let out a sigh of relief, and said "Finally.. It all makes sense now!"  Before reading the article, I had a slight idea that there were correct and incorrect interpretations of poems, but I wasn't sure how to explain this belief.  Perrine could not have expressed my feelings more closely.   I agree with him completely.  I don't think that there is only one right interpretation of each poem, but I know there are wrong ones.  Being a science-minded person, when he stated that "These two criteria are not different from those we bring to the judgement of a new scientific hypothesis, it made sense to me.   Why would the writer of a poem put in details that contradict its meaning?  The presence of those contradicting details would have to be explained by some other purpose or other meaning, which makes no sense.  And I agree that there are seemingly infinite ways to explain any scenario, but that doesn't make all of them good explanations.  The most plausible explanation is the best in my mind as well as Perrine.
Just because I say that I completely agree with Perrine doesn't mean that I am a great interpreter of poetry.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  I actually am pretty terrible at interpreting it.  Perrine put me to shame with his explanations of the meanings of the four poems.  I interpreted all of them wrong.  For some of them I wasn't even close to the meaning.  In the future I plan to pay more attention to details, so that I can better understand the author's intended meaning or at least something close.  I don't think that my interpretations were worthless.  When I read the poems, my interpretation is what came to mind, and it was real to me.  However, after seeing the "real" meanings provided by Perrine, I was more pleased by the poems and my mind could see a more full picture.  Where before I saw a vague canvas with the edges unpainted, coated with only a few colors and details; I now see a full canvas, covered edge-to-edge with countless beautiful colors of paint and brimming with crisp details.  The portrait comes alive, and I know that I am seeing what the writer saw in his mind when he wrote the poem.  For this reason, I agree with Perrine.

Summer Reading Pic

While at King's Island,  I was chase by aliens who wanted to steal my copy of The Great Gatsby.  Of course, Kylie Schreiber and I were so absorbed in the book that we never even noticed that the aliens were pursuing us...Or that we were travelling 54 mph...on a spaceship...that looked suspiciously like a rollercoaster.  Anyway, thank God I found this picture!  Now I have a great story to tell at parties.

Here is the end... Where is the Theme?

Reading the last chapter of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I can't help but notice a lot of irony.  Most of it is in the fact that Nick, who at the beginning of the story said that Gatsby represented all that he resented, is the one who worries about him after his death.  He says "I found myself on Gatsby's side, and alone (164)."  He even claims to have been close friends with Gatsby when talking to Mr. Gatz.  While Gatsby's death was truly tragic, the only things that Gatsby gave Nick were problems.  Why should Nick spend even more time arranging Gatsby's funeral and trying to find non-existent friends to attend.  Again I see Nick as a bit of a pushover, for he didn't truly have to do anything for Gatsby.   On a completely different note, I'm not entirely sure what the theme is.  Randomly at the end of the novel, Nick relates Gatsby to "us" saying "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.  It eluded us then, but that's no matter.... So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back carelessly into the past (180)."  I guess Fitzgerald is trying to warn people against spending life pursuing an unlikely goal, what would for most people be fame or wealth.  In that sense, Gatsby and his pursuit of wealth and social standing through Daisy would symbolize all people who strive for something unlikely or unnecessary.  However, because Fitzgerald uses the word "we," I wonder if he is referring to a whole group of people,  most likely American citizens of the 1920's.  In the "Roaring 20's," a time of great economic prosperity, technological advancement, and material wealth, Fitzgerald could be warning Americans not to become too caught up in the American Dream.  He wants them to rethink their priorities, placing less importance on pleasure, fame, and money.  If this is true, his warning was very smart, for America soon plunged into the Great Depression, and the period of glamour and wealth vanished.

Gatsby's Hubris

Well...Gatsby is dead.  I've reached page 162 of The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the character who give the book it's name has died.  Now, I know this is certainly a tragic event, but I can't say that I didn't see it coming.  Fitzgerald included enough foreshadowing (which I mentioned in earlier blogs) to hint at a tragic ending, and near the end, Gatsby's death seems to be one of the only solutions that would make sense.  Therefore, I'm focusing on the character of Gatsby in this blog, primarily on his hubris, the one tragic flaw that caused him to reach such an end.  In my opinion, Gatsby's hubris is his love for Daisy.  Because of this obsession, he gave up his dreams of working his way to the top of the social pyramid, a feat which he certainly could have accomplished with his good looks, manners, logic, and reassuring smile.  Even after he gave up these dreams, he had the chance to return to them when Daisy married Tom.  However, he chose to spend five years chasing after her and plotting how to bring her back into his life.  As a result, he became involved in Tom's life, caused strife with him and was present at Myrtle's death as an indirect result.  Then, due to his love for Daisy, he decided to take the blame for Myrtle's death, forfeiting any chance if marrying her, making it impossible for him to be happy.  Mick said "He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bear to shake him free (148)."  Then, Wilson killed him because he thought that he had killed Myrtle.  If Gatsby hadn't been in love with Daisy, none of this would have happened.  I suppose you could also argue that Gatsby's hubris was actually his desire for riches and the social status that comes with them, since that is what caused his love for Daisy.  Either way, as Nick said on page 161, "He paid a high price for living too long with a single dream."

Out with the Old and in with the...Older??

As The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald progresses, I couldn't help but notice that through all the struggles and hardships going, things seem to be reverting back to how they were at the beginning of the novel in terms of the overall situation.  When Tom says "It was a yellow car (p140)" we can assume that Gatsby was the one who hit Myrtle.  Later, Gatsby reveals to Nick that Daisy was the one driving and that he will take the blame.  While this is admirable and in a way the ultimate sign of his love, in the end it simply means that Gatsby will either have to flee New York or risk imprisonment.  Like before he met up with Daisy at Nick's house, Gatsby will ultimately be out of the picture.  This opinion is strengthened by the fact that Tom and Daisy are becoming closer again.  With Myrtle out of the picture, Tom is again bonding with Daisy.  Nick said "There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture (145)" when talking about Tom and Daisy talking after Myrtle's death.  Their relationship might even return to how it was when they were married. They could fall in love again.  Lastly, Nick seems to be losing his attraction toward Jordan.  He won't talk to her after Myrtle's death, and when talking on the phone, one of them hung up on the other, and he doesn't seem to care.  So overall, like before the events of the novel began, Tom and Daisy are living together with no affairs somewhat happily, Nick is single, and Gatsby has little to no hope of reuniting with Daisy.  While the death of Myrtle was certainly tragic, this ending seems to be more convenient than I expected.  On the other hand, Gatsby still has yet to escape his situation as the supposed killer of Myrtle.  Maybe his story will be more tragic.

Juxtaposition-ception!

I was reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, when I realized that I found two examples of juxtaposition, one inside of another.  I have coined it... JUXTAPOSITION-CEPTION!!!

The first example was found in Nick's thoughts.  "Thirty - the promise of a decade of loneliness....  But there was Jordan beside me (135)."  Nick had realized that he was thirty, and ironically, he finds time to pity himself while the struggles of Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy rage around him.  The relationship problems that are abundant in this novel make me wonder whether the relationship between Nick and Jordan will work out.  I think not, since they are of different social classes, and they have different personalities.  Second, the novel jumps straight from the description of Jordan and Nick being close to Wilson locking Myrtle in his office.  Obviously, with Tom & Myrtle's affair, their relationship isn't going well.  This emphasizes the desperation of Wilson and Myrtle's situation.  Then, suddenly Myrtle is killed by a speeding car.  Things just keep getting worse.  I can't say I didn't see something like this coming, but it is surprising all the same.  All of a sudden, Nick's situation seems very, very good compared to everyone else (perhaps because he has no desire for money...?).

Could this be the climax?

In the last section I have read of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the action is continuously increasing.  I think that it is the climax because the action is now very intense, and it can't be resolved without some sort of big change.  Plus I'm running out of pages.  That's always a good climax indicator....  Anyways, something important happens ever page, and I find myself reminded of me earlier thought that the novel would have an unhappy ending.  Tom has found out that Gatsby is in love with his wife, and he must figure out what to do.  In the meantime, Myrtle sees Jordan at her husband's shop and assumes she is Daisy, causing her to think that Tom is done with her.  Wilson has found out that Myrtle is hiding a secret life from him, and is considering moving away.  Then Gatsby and Tom finally confront each other openly.  Tom question's Gatsby's past and Gatsby questions Daisy's love for Tom.  To top it all off, Daisy tells Gatsby "i did love him once-but I loved you too (132)."  This really hurts Gatsby, but he still insists that Daisy will leave Tom to be with him.  The question is, now that Tom's relationship with Myrtle is in jeopardy, he is less likely to let Daisy leave.  And it is now seeming that Daisy might not be willing to leave Tom herself.  One thing is clear, now that things are out in the open, things can't go back to the way they were.  The problem must be resolved somehow, and not everyone can be happy.  What will happen?  Which side will Daisy choose?  Once again, I have to read to find out.  At least I'm close to finishing.

Gatsby, Daisy, and Money

"Her voice is full of money (120)."  This line in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald made me realize why Gatsby fell in love with Daisy.  To Gatsby, Daisy represents money and the fine elegant things it could be.  Somewhere in the book (I can't remember where), it says that when Gatsby met Daisy, it was his first exposition to their kind of wealth, with their big house and their nice clothes.  Before he had only been exposed to the pleasure-fueled weilding of money by Dan Cody.  This new wealth fascinated him, and so he was also fascinated by Daisy.  To him, she was the symbol of all the wealth and fame he aspired to achieve.  And Daisy's money did have a certain charm, but I think the money is what really got Gatsby's attention, not Daisy herself.  When he first fell in love with her, he gave up his previous ability to plan his future ascent to riches and glory.  But I think he didn't really give up money, he just gave up his own power to earn it through work.  He would instead gain it from Daisy.  Unfortunately, she is just looking for a man to love her, and Gatsby's obsession with wealth isn't going to win her over.  It might actually be an obstacle for her, as witnessed at the party.  It will be interesting to see how their relationship turns out.

Complications

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is becoming more interesting.  In the last section I have read, Tom and Daisy attend one of Gatsby's parties, and the plot becomes more complicated.  Nick describes the party as "oppressive" and "unpleasant," partly because of Tom's presence.  Tom even starts to question Gatsby's identity during the party and forms the impression that he is a bottlegger.  I think it is also because Gatsby attempts to flaunt his wealth for Daisy.  Surprisingly, Daisy isn't impressed.  Nick says: "I knew that for the half-hour she'd been alone with Gatsby she wasn't having a good time (105)."  Gatsby might have to change his ways if he wants her to leave Tom.  After the party, Gatsby said "And she doesn't understand... She used to be more able to understand (109)."  Will things work out between Daisy and Gatsby.   Things have changed since the last time they saw each other.  It might be that Lily isn't as interested in him now.  Now he wants her to tell Tom that she never loved him.  Will she do this, and if she does, how will he react?  No matter what, Gatsby will continue to be in love with her, and if he can't marry her in the end, he will be absolutely ruined.

The Real Gatsby

In the last section I have read of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick reveals new information about Gatsby that begins to really shape his character.  First, we learn the extent of his love/obsession for Daisy.  Before Daisy visited him at Nick's house, Nick said "He was pale, and there were dark signs of sleeplessness beneath his eyes (84)."  He was so nervous about seeing Daisy again and about her reaction that he couldn't sleep.  Daisy is obviously one of, if not the most important thing in his life.  He know exactly how long it has been since he last saw her.  "He literally glowed... a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room (89)."  Then, in the next chapter, Nick tells the real story of Gatsby's past.  His real name is actually James Gatz.  He spent years cruising with Dan Cody, where he became accustomed to excesses which fueled his imagination and aspiration for success.  This name change symbolizes the change in lifestyle from his previous life of hard labor to the excesses of Dan Cody's yacht.  Overall, the two main characteristics of Gatsby that are made clear are his obsession with Daisy and his desire for wealth.

Foreshadowing... Again

I've found yet another example of foreshadowing in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  On page 79, Nick says: "A phrase began to beat in my ears with a sort of heady excitement:  "There are only the pursues, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired (p79)."  I think this thought foreshadows an unhappy ending to the novel.  The thought itself seems to reflect a pessimistic "there is no such thing as a happy ending" attitude.  "The pursued and the pursuing" could represent Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy and Tom's pursuit of Myrtle.  It could possibly reflect the relationship between Jordan and Nick as well.  As far as I can see, "the busy" doesn't symbolize any main characters, but could possibly represent the people in the working class, somewhat like Nick, who don't possess the riches displayed in the novel, and have to work hard all the time.  "The tired" most likely is the biggest part of foreshadowing, possibly suggesting that at the end of the book, all the characters will be tired and unhappy because they will not find happiness.  They may instead find disaster as the result of their pursuits.  I now think that Gatsby might die at the end of the book.  I looked back at the first few pages and realized that Nick uses past tense when talking about Gatsby, as if he doesn't exist anymore.  This could be because Gatsby dies.  That would certainly be a tragic ending that would make the other characters tired at least.  Once again, I'm probably in for another sad ending.

Can Nick Trust Gatsby?

After the first few pages of chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby begins to tell Nick more about himself.  The question is, can he be trusted?  "He looked at me sideways-and I knew why Jordan had believed he was lying...He hurried the phrase "educated at Oxford," or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before....  I wondered if there wasn't something a little sinister about him after all (p 65)."  After this thought by Nick, I also wonder if Gatsby is telling the truth.  He tells Nick "I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West-all dead now (65)."  This seems to good to be true.  Gatsby offers no explanation as to how his family died, and the assumption that he has no family makes it easy for him to excuse the mystery of his past and makes it hard for Nick to inquire about it.  I'm sure Gatsby is hiding something, and Nick's intuition hear is merely foreshadowing the later reveal of these secrets.  Furthermore, Gatsby later mentions a "sad thing" that happened to him.  Could this be the reason he was staring out over the lake early in the book?  And why is he making Jordan tell Nick about it?   Then we find out he is friends with Mr. Wolfsheim, a gambler who fixed the World Series.  Gatsby claims to be and acts like a gentleman, but it is starting to seem like there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Gatsby.

Honesty: Nick is not in Good Company

At the end of Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I found something that Nick said rather ironic.  He stated "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known (p. 59)."  This doesn't surprise me, taking into account the kind of people that Nick has been around in the last 3 chapters.  Tom is having an affair, Jordan cheated in a golf tournament, and Myrtle also lies to her husband.  Myrtle's friends and the guests at Gatsby's party were just as dishonest.   Even Gatsby has innumerable rumors floating around about him.  Could he be hiding something as well?  I found it ironic that a person who is so honest associates with people with such different personalities.  He even seems to be in love with Jordan, whom he describes as "incurably dishonest (p 58)."  Maybe Nick wasn't in such company before the beginning of the story, and his new associations will ultimately end up causing him trouble, and he will revert to people more like himself.  Overall, this strong contrast seems to set up Nick as a hero, struggling against the corrupt ways of upper-class society.  Again I am reminded of The House of Mirth.  I am curious to see how Nick's friendships with dishonest people will turn out.

Could there be a theme developing?

I was reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald when I reached the part where Nick goes to his first party at Gatsby's house.  At the end of the party, I started to notice that there might be a theme developing.  As the party ended, the book read "Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands (p. 51)".  Fitzgerald mentions several other instances of fighting, dissension, and even a car accident in the following pages.  These instances seem to point to the major theme of The House of Mirth, that money and material possessions don't guarantee happiness.  Most of the people at the party were either celebrities or wealthy people.  At the party, they were treated to luxurious food, drink, and activities.  However, by the time they all left, most of them were angry and/or ridiculously drunk.  This theme also applies to the fact that Nick did not enjoy the party until he started to drink.  Because Fitzgerald makes no suggestion that the party is beautiful, I think that this will continue to be a theme throughout the novel.

Nick is a Pushover

In my latest portion of The Great Gatsby,  the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses an exchange between Nick, Tom, and Myrtle to indirectly characterize Nick.  He says "Hold on... I have to leave you here" when Tom tries drag him to the apartment with Myrtle.  However, Tom says "No you don't," and Myrtle says "Come on, I'll telephone my sister Catherine.  She's said to be very beautiful (p. 28)."  Nick doesn't have the courage to say no.  He could have easily made up an excuse about having to work or visit a friend, but he chose to go with Tom.  This was after he went with Tom to meet Myrtle even though he didn't want to.  Nick isn't even good friends with Tom.  They are really just acquaintances from college.  I think that Nick's inability to stand up to others might get him into trouble later in the book.  He might get mixed up with Tom's affair, or he might be involved with Gatsby somehow where he will do something that he doesn't want to do. This quality could even be a potential hubris.  For now, I haven't read far enough to know for sure, but I'm sure the rest of the story will reveal the answer.

Now that I know Nick, who is Gatsby?

After finishing chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I still don't really know who Gatsby is.  The narrator keeps mentioning Gatsby, but he doesn't explain how he knows him or what he is like.  At the end of chapter two, I think Fitzgerald provides the first real example of Gatsby's personality or personal story.  He wrote: "...he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. (p. 21).   Until now, the story has only characterized Gatsby by mentioning his giant house.  Finally, we are given more insight into how he might play into the story.  Gatsby's actions here make it seem like he is longing for something.  Is he longing for meaning in a material-focused life?  Is there a person that he misses that is no longer in his life?  Furthermore, why is he looking out over the water, or is there even any significance at all?  If this book is anything like The House of Mirth, I would place my bets on the money/material theory, especially given the obvious riches represented by his house.  Based on what the narrator has said so far, he will get to know Gatsby more personally soon.  I'm looking forward to learning more about this elusive character.

Who is this Nick Character? - Start of Great Gatsby

Having recently started The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a certain sentence sort of made me stumble.  "What you doing, Nick? (p. 10) I stopped and did a double-take, which is somewhat embarrassing because the sentence was quite simple.  At first I was thinking "Who is this Nick person?" but after taking advantage of the insane power of context clues, I quickly realized that Nick was the narrator.  I was simply confused as to why Fitzgerald waited 10 pages to reveal Nick's name, and only his first name at that.  I suppose it might be because Fitzgerald doesn't want us to have an attachment to the narrator and wants us to question the morality or logic of actions later in the book.  Although this somewhat seems to conflict with the advantages of  first-person narration.  Perhaps he just didn't think Nick's name was important.  I suppose his name has hardly value, if any, compared to his personality.  Overall I guess I am still confused.  I guess I will have to read on and see if the story explains Fitzgerald's delay.