The Great Gatsby: Blog 12

   It strikes me as interesting how Nick describes the tragic layout of the bodies of Wilson and Gatsby as a  holocaust.  "...Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete" (Fitzgerald, 162).  This surprised me, considering that the murderous killing in Europe, at the time the novel is set at, has not even occurred yet.  The word "holocaust" is defined as destruction or slaughter on a mass scale.  I believe this word is used to express that the scene shows a total ending.  The high, merry points in the novel have completely ceased.  The tragic incident that took place cannot be reversed.  In connection with 1940's mass murder, the unfortunate incident at Gatsby's residence that can now only be looked back upon.  The characters can choose to forget, or they can learn from the event.  If these characters choose the latter, they can remember the horrible situation and put an end to the hatred.