the great gatsby: ch. 1-2

Passage 1 – “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t’ had the advantages that you’ve had.”

When I first started reading this novel, this line from the very first page stuck out to me. It is a line that is so true even in 2010, not just 1920. In all societies around the world, in the past and present, people have a tendency to judge one another. However, what we all fail to remember is that there is always more to the picture than you can see. There is always a reason behind how someone looks, whether it be good or bad. We as human beings, are still learning to try to stop judging before meeting and actually knowing someone.

Passage 2 – “Can’t stand them.’ She looked at Myrtle and then at Tom. ‘What I say is, why go on living with them if they can’t stand them? If I was them I’d get a divorce and get married to each other right away.”

This passage that I picked shows a major difference between present and past. Today, divorce is almost as common as buying a pair of jeans in the United States. However, in the past like 1920, it was so uncommon and frowned down upon because it was not the right way to go. Although divorce is very common in the United States and Europe, I feel like divorce in other places like Asia, is still less common and not as accepted in society. So in a sense, the way of thinking from the 1920s still exist in some countries in the world, even if it is not shown in the United States.