Question

2nd part of the story

It was time I went back. While the rain continued it had seemed like the murmur of their voices, rising and swelling a little now and then with gusts of emotion. But in the new silence I felt that silence had fallen within the house too.
I went in—after making every possible noise in the kitchen, short of pushing over the stove—but I don’t believe they heard a sound. They were sitting at either end of the couch, looking at each other as if some question had been asked, or was in the air, and every vestige of embarrassment was gone. Daisy’s face was smeared with tears, and when I came in she jumped up and began wiping at it with her handkerchief before a mirror. But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room.
“Oh, hello old sport,” he said, as if he hadn’t seen me for years. I thought for a moment he was going to shake hands.
“It’s stopped raining.”
“Has it?” When he realized what I was talking about, that there were twinkle-bells of sunshine in the room, he smiled like a weather man, like an ecstatic patron of recurrent light, and repeated the news to Daisy. “What do you think of that? It’s stopped raining.”
“I’m glad, Jay.” Her throat, full of aching, grieving beauty, told only of her unexpected joy.


WRITING TASK: Scene Rewrite

Rewrite this scene from Daisy’s or Gatsby’s point of view. Your rewritten scene must include the character’s inner thoughts, description of other characters/the setting, and dialogue between characters.

PLEASE NOTE: You may use the dialogue from the original text, but nothing else. Don’t let dialogue dominate your entire rewritten scene. Also, you may rewrite the dialogue, as long as it stays true to the scene and characters. (Example: Many versions of books change the dialogue but not in a way that changes the representation of the character or scene, ideally.) * Please type your response on the following page*

When you are finished, answer the following questions here.

1. How did the change of narration affect the story ?
2. Which narrator—Nick or Daisy/Gatsby—do you think is more effective in this scene? Explain.

WRITING TASK: Scene Rewrite
CHARACTER’S POINT OF VIEW YOU ARE WRITING FROM: Gatsby

Answer 1

I sat nervously on the couch, my heart beating fast in my chest. Daisy sat at the other end, her eyes fixed on me. I wondered what she was thinking. Was she feeling the same overpowering love that I was? I couldn't help but feel anxious, wondering if she would reject me once again. But then, something changed. A question hung in the air between us, and suddenly, all the embarrassment and tension disappeared. I saw tears in Daisy's eyes and my heart swelled with emotion. I wanted to reach out and comfort her, to tell her everything would be okay.

As Nick entered the room, I felt a new sense of peace wash over me. The rain had finally stopped, and the sun streamed through the window, casting a warm glow over us all. I couldn't help but smile, feeling like everything was coming together at last.

“Oh, hello old sport,” I said to Nick, as if I hadn’t seen him for years. I wanted to share my joy with him, to let him know that everything was going to be okay. “It’s stopped raining.”

“Has it?” Nick replied, and I could see him looking around the room, taking in the change in atmosphere.

“What do you think of that? It’s stopped raining,” I repeated, turning to Daisy.

“I’m glad, Jay,” she said, her voice full of emotion. I could see tears streaming down her face, and my heart ached for her. But at the same time, I felt a sense of hope. Maybe, just maybe, we could finally be together.