He Was Balancing Himself on the Dashboard of His Car with That Resourcefulness of Movement That Is So Peculiarly American
That Comes, I Suppose, with the Absence of Lifting Work or Rigid Sitting in Youth And, Even More, with the Formless Grace of Our Nervous, Sporadic Games. This...
He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American—that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work or rigid sitting in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness.
He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand.
Context
We're in Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby here, and Nick is in full Gatsby-describing mode.
Gatsby is one version of America—the resourceful, athletic, restless young nation striving to make itself better. The problem is, America as Nick sees it isn't like that anymore. It's beaten down, like George Wilson; or it's rich and careless, like Tom. Does that make Nick the happy (or unhappy) medium?
Where you've heard it
Resourcefulness and Americanness are two qualities that are often linked together...just not with phrases like "formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games" and "punctilious manner" nearby. We're guessing you've never heard this quote in full unless you've read The Great Gatsby cover to cover.
Which, if you haven't, do. Right now.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
