Some questions about " The Great Gatsby"
By 54susan
@54susan (281)
China
August 9, 2010 10:51am CST
Hello my dear friends here, I'm meeting many difficulties when reading ' the great gatsby' because of my poor English. Can anyone help me?
1-
'The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.'
What's the anomal mind refer to? People who accuse him to be a politician or the wild, unknown men?
What's the meaning of "attach" ?
2
' Most of the confidences were unsought '
What's the "confidences" ?
3
' Frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hoatile levity when I realizeed by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon'
Why has he to pretend those ways when realizing other people's intimate revelation? It does anyone bad?
4
'For the intimate revelations of young men, or at least the terms in which they express them, are usually plagiaristic and married by obvious suppressions.'
Does this mean young men always use some famous saying to express their feelings towards their beloved ones?
5
'I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart.'
This means he wants to settle down, no more excussions, and is not interested in being a reserved lisner anymore? Why ?
6
' If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away.'
The " him" refer to Gastby?"
What is " the promises of life" ?
Also, the analogy, that's too hard for me to understand, can you make it easier and clearer?
Many Thanks!!!!
Sincerely,
Susan
2 responses
@greenowl (71)
• Sweden
9 Aug 10
I am not sure about this because I have not read the book so I don't know the context but I will make a try.
1. A sick person will notice if a normal person is like this and stick to him,
because he can use him in some way.
2. Confidences are secrets you only tell chosen persons.
3. He does not want to hear other people's secrets.
4. Yes, they say things they have heard or read and don't say everything they mean.
5. He doesn't want to hear more secrets.
6. He was so sensitive that he was like one of those machines that register earthquakes far away. He understood what opportunities there were.
@54susan (281)
• China
12 Aug 10
Hello Greenowl,
Thanks very much for your response!
It did take a long time for me to work them all out, and your response helps a lot. I got confused cuz there are many versions of translations in Chinese, your response helps me to decide which is more correct.
Again, many thanks)))
Cheers,
Susan
@mrscallands22 (2852)
• United States
9 Aug 10
Wow... I remember reading that book in the 10th grade... but I vaguely remember anything from it but a party at a house or something lol.
