East and West Egg
To the wingless a more arresting phenomenon is their dissimilarity in every particular except shape and size. -Nick Carraway
Throughout the Novel...
"Twenty miles from the city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay, jut out into the most domesticated body of salt water in the Western hemisphere, the great wet barnyard of Long Island Sound." (4-5)
"To the wingless a more arresting phenomenon is their dissimilarity in every particular except shape and size." (5)
"I lived at West Egg, the — well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them." (5)
"Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water, and the history of the summer really begins on the evening I drove over there to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans." (5)
"Instead of rambling, this party had preserved a dignified homogeneity, and assumed to itself the function of representing the staid nobility of the country-side — East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gayety." (44)
"Or perhaps I had merely grown used to it, grown to accept West Egg as a world complete in itself, with its own standards and its own great figures, second to nothing because it had no consciousness of being so, and now I was looking at it again, through Daisy’s eyes." (104)
"She was appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented “place” that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village — appalled by its raw vigor that chafed under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a short-cut from nothing to nothing. She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand." (107)
"To the wingless a more arresting phenomenon is their dissimilarity in every particular except shape and size." (5)
"I lived at West Egg, the — well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them." (5)
"Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water, and the history of the summer really begins on the evening I drove over there to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans." (5)
"Instead of rambling, this party had preserved a dignified homogeneity, and assumed to itself the function of representing the staid nobility of the country-side — East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gayety." (44)
"Or perhaps I had merely grown used to it, grown to accept West Egg as a world complete in itself, with its own standards and its own great figures, second to nothing because it had no consciousness of being so, and now I was looking at it again, through Daisy’s eyes." (104)
"She was appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented “place” that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village — appalled by its raw vigor that chafed under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a short-cut from nothing to nothing. She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand." (107)
Relevance
The Eggs in the novel represent a clear separation between the old and new money and the group of partygoers and polo players. They also represent the East and West coast of the country, with glitz and glam rivaling the elegant and classy. However, there are tensions between the two characters from the Eggs. The East Egg seemed to have a sense of superiority over the West Egg, considering its long experience with money. These symbols contribute to the story by giving a background and motive to the characters. The characters have tension as a result of suspicion, especially between Tom and Gatsby. Apart from the geographical significance, the Eggs give the inhabitants a certain image. Tom, from the East, suspects Gatsby of being a bootlegger in order to explain his high status. He doesn't necessarily trust him as a result of his wealth with no past.
As a part of the "American Dream," Gatsby had to work toward his status. During the time of Prohibition, being a suspect of bootlegging caused a great deal of attention and suspicion from Tom. In a larger sense, Gatsby and Tom dominate the two Eggs in the story, and their relationship gives a glimpse into the characters of the respective sides.
As a part of the "American Dream," Gatsby had to work toward his status. During the time of Prohibition, being a suspect of bootlegging caused a great deal of attention and suspicion from Tom. In a larger sense, Gatsby and Tom dominate the two Eggs in the story, and their relationship gives a glimpse into the characters of the respective sides.
Reference (Pre-1925)
Jean Valjean and Javert, Les Misérables (Victor Hugo, 1862)
Conflict Synopsis: Jean Valjean (ex-convict) tries to escape his criminal past while Javert still suspects him.
Connection: Javert, police officer, believes in his experience and sense of authority to condescend on Valjean. Valjean tries to stay ahead.
Sunrise and Sunset: Old money in the East, always beginning there. New money in the west, receiving the Sun after a day's work.
Conflict Synopsis: Jean Valjean (ex-convict) tries to escape his criminal past while Javert still suspects him.
Connection: Javert, police officer, believes in his experience and sense of authority to condescend on Valjean. Valjean tries to stay ahead.
Sunrise and Sunset: Old money in the East, always beginning there. New money in the west, receiving the Sun after a day's work.