A Quote

The other day, on arbitrarydustbunnies, I posted this quote as a stand alone entry:

“The wind had blown off, leaving a loud, bright night, with wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life.” The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The Great Gatsby has page after page of beautiful descriptives that paint a masterpiece of words. Fitzgerald has taken a simple moment and filled it with life in a single sentence. I was there, breathing the night air right along with Nick listening to the symphony of sounds.

Another passage from the book takes the idea of a telephone jangling in the background, as if it were an additional guest at the party, and twists it into a tight ball of nerves preventing anyone from ignoring it.

I couldn’t guess what Daisy and Tom were thinking but I doubt if even Miss. Baker, who seemed to have mastered a certain hardy skepticism, was able utterly to put this fifth guest’s shrill metallic urgency out of mind.”

The story captivated me from the first chapter to the last word, and, in the end, I was left saddened. This world of Gatsby, Daisey, and Nick was painted in my mind through the written word, and with the last letter, I had to leave.