The+Great+Gatsby

1. What is a simple pleasure that a character lives by? Why does the character need this simple pleasure? Natalie- His simple pleasure is he likes to get drunk because he is a suicidal man. (A clean well lighted- place) "The two waiter inside the cafe...kept watch on him" pg.379 Nomin: Nick's simple pleasure is being with his father and feeling safe and at ease. "In the early ... would never die"(p. 95). "Indian Camp". __Carla__: "Nick trailed his hand in the water. It felt warm in the sharp chill of the morning”.Nick needs this "simple pleasure" in order to feel some comfort in the terrible situation he is living.
 * Tomas: The old man in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" likes sitting in the cafe during the night and enjoys the silence of the night as "it was quiet and he felt the difference" (p 379). **

2. How does a character live for the “here and now”? Who do they avoid focusing on the past or the future Natalie- The character lives by money. He tries to avoid being alive because he tries to kill himself. "You should have killed yourself last week"pg.380 (A clean well lighted- place) Nomin: The old man had a wife once and the cafe was the only place where he could get drunk and think of things whether its in the past or future without people's interference. "He had a wife once too". __Carla:__ The characters avoid the uncomfortable present by focusing on other things. For instance when Nick didnt want to see when his father operated the woman,and looked at another place. 3. How does a character avoid complications or complexities in life? Why do they avoid them? Nomin: The father of a new born child killed himself because he couldnt endure the pain his wife was having. "He pulled back ... in the blankets". 4. How does the character demonstrate the ability to do something well, especially under pressure? **David: Nick's Father in the story //"Indian Camp"//, shows great self control as he gives an Indian woman a C-section using only "a Jack knife and sewing it up with nine-foot, tapered gut leaders." (pg. 94) ** Sergio: Yes, his dignity is pretty much all the old man's got left so he shows it and keeps on going. ** Nomin: It must have been hard for Nick to see those kinds of things at young age but still he didnt complain or show any kind of signs that he was under pressure. "Nick said ... father was doing".
 * Tomas: The waiters want to just go home so they can sleep and complain that they "never go to bed before three o'clock" (p 380). They also desire to avoid the complications the old drunk man might have on them. **
 * Tomas: The old man "walking unsteadily but with dignity" (p381) shows how characters keep pretending and try to demonstrate they are calm under the pressure of others and society.

5. What is the main theme of the story? Explain.

**Great Gatsby Group: Nick’s Father in “ //Indian Camp”// finds the father of the newborn child dead in the bunk above the mother, “His throat had been cut form ear to ear.” At first he is stunned but quickly tries to cover it up by having his brother, George, remove the young Nick from the scene so he didn’t have to witness the death so young. Later as they were walking back to the boat Nick asks about dying “Is dying hard, Daddy?” His father makes death sound like something that isn’t scary or hard at all, “No I think it’s pretty easy, Nick. It all depends.” Showing how his father creates an illusion to shroud Nick from the cruel reality of death. Pg.(94-95)**