Her gray, sun-strained eyes stared straight ahead, but she had deliberately shifted our relations, and for a moment I thought I loved her
This can be connected to many high school dramas. People get very easily confused about love and relationships. This is an important part of Nick's life because this is a rare moment when his life is seen, and the main focus is Nick instead of being the narrator. His tangle with the other girl causes confusion and he needs to untangle his problems.
I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known
He is almost boasting in this, but I think I would have to agree with statement myself. I can connect this because I think I am one of the few honest people I know as well. Everyone around me is lying about one thing or another, because they need to look good in front of other people. I have a friend who constantly says "I got nothing to hide," and I really respect that, so I chose to become more honest my self. I don't care about what others think if I'm speaking about myself.
ty feet from the door a dozen headlights illuminated a bizarre and tumultuous scene. In the ditch beside the road, right side up, but violently shorn of one wheel, rested a new coupe which had left Gatsby's drive not two minutes before. The sharp jut of a wall accounted for the detachment of the wheel, which was now getting considerable attention from half a dozen curious chauffeurs. However, as they had left their cars blocking the road, a harsh, discordant din from those in the rear had been audible for some time, and added to the already violent confusion of the scene.
This reminds me of the scene in Wolfe of wallstreet when Jordan tries to go home in a car while doing drugs. He gets home but his car is terribly dented and scratched. This is probably the result of drunk driving or night driving because the author describes it as kind of violently wrecked, no just a slight accident.
When he saw us a damp gleam of hope sprang into his light blue eyes.
His eyes can be seen to suddenly have energy. He probably endured tough work everyday, causing him to lose life and hope. Doing the same grueling task everyday is not something a kid wishes to do when they grow up. His only way out, is most likely Tom's car. He plans to make money off of it some how and gets away. His eyes show hope because he immediately asks if the car is ready. He hopes that it is and Tom can sell it already. This connects to when the bell rings after a boring class of physics and I finally have life again.
Who said I was crazy about him? I never was any more crazy about him than I was about that man there.
This shows denial because of toms presence. She wants desperately to be with Tom, so she lies or even could be telling the truth about her marriage. I believe she really likes Tom and got tired of Wilson.
valley of ashes
valley of ashes makes me think of the ruins of after disasters. I don't know if this are is this way because of a disaster or if it is just a bad place, but the line makes me think of the wreckage after the atomic bombs in japan. My grandparents would tell me stories of her being orphaned because of nagasaki, and many pictures I saw
ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud
He illustrates them almost zombie like. This makes me think of the walking dead when a bunch of zombies swarm the people coming from desolate areas. this shows the author intent on trying to illustrate them as inhuman like. He on purposely uses words like swarm instead of group and to emphasize their not professional way of walking the author illustrates the cloud of dust coming off their feets.
Main Street ministering to it, and contiguous to absolutely nothing. One of the three shops it contained was for rent and another was an all-night restaurant, approached by a trail of ashes; the third was a garage--Repairs.
this makes me think of a desolate town. Deserted and empty. The authors intention of painting this run down main street is very effective. If the Main street is this run down then you could predict that the entire area is in poverty and in terrible condition. The image makes me think of post apocalyptic movies where the main character journeys through wasted towns.
He was a blond, spiritless man, anaemic, and faintly handsome.
This is like the movie unbroken when louie Zamporini would be forced to work in the japanese concentraion camps. His spiritless labor and torture comes to mind when reading this line. The author intended the miserable labor these men had to endure was making them spiritless and lifeless.
"No, he doesn't," said Tom coldly. "And if you feel that way about it, maybe I'd better sell it somewhere else after all."
This is exactly how my brother s when i need something from him. He knows he has the upper hand and he is very cold about it. Although he can be nice if i need something from him he definitely uses it to exercise authority. The author shows us that Tom is obviously superior and Wilson quickly falters after he says this.
dozen very recent puppies of an indeterminate breed.
This reminds me of the time I went to go adopt my kitty, and there were swarms of puppies and kitties. In the rooms they were all swarmed around toys and I vividly remember picking out mine. The author does a good job using diction to strike up the image in my head.
drunk just twice in my life, and the second time was that afternoon; so everything that happened has a dim, hazy cast over it
This reminds me of movies where the main character gets drunk and the camera shows his point of view. You can see the hazy overcast and the dizzy feeling you get. The author writes this whole portion confusingly and scattered to show how drunk he was.
little dog was sitting on the table looking with blind eyes through the smoke,
This reminds me of puss in boots, sitting there innocently. While the whole party was going on everything was happening around the dog and he is just sitting there understanding nothing.