Article by Phoenix writer Mary O’Brien ’27:
After all the sophomore English classes read “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Thirty members of the sophomore class took a field trip to the West Egg and East Egg of Long Island on April 30.
The students were accompanied by Miss Green and Mr. Brown, who pointed out important landmarks along the way. The group traveled through West Egg and East Egg. In the novel, East Egg is populated with people who have old money, while the West Egg is full of people who have acquired new money. They stopped at Gatsby Lane in West Egg, where they saw the house of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel’s characters were supposedly inspired by the wealthy residents and the social scene of Great Neck, which is where the house is located. This spot is significant because it is where Fitzgerald began writing “The Great Gatsby”, which explores the theme of the American dream, how this is affected by wealth and power, and the corrupting influence of the 1920s. The story is told through the eyes of the protagonist, Nick Carraway, who lives in the West Egg with a rich man named Jay Gatsby.
They also visited Hempstead House, also known as the Sands Point Mansion. They received a tour which described the history of this castle-like house. They learned that the parties hosted at this mansion during the 1920s were the inspiration for the celebratory extravaganzas thrown by Gatsby in the great American novel. The house itself is believed to have been the inspiration for Jay Gatsby’s house, or the home of Tom and Daisy Buchanan.
Sophomore Melissa Jean-Jacques said, “I gained a better understanding of the settings in The Great Gatsby and being on the trip helped me understand the characters to a deeper extent.”
Miss Green, a sophomore English teacher said, “The trip was very inspiring. For the students, it made the novel feel more real. They got to stand in the heart of where the story takes place, and that connection helped bring the book to life. Visiting a place that inspired a novel is a special experience. It gives you a feeling you can’t get just from reading.”
The Gatsby field trip gave these students the opportunity to connect with their school work on a different level, and deepened their understanding of this American Novel.
