Summaries for The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
CHARACTER LIST (*Relevant characters listed only)
Nick Carraway: The narrator of the story, a cousin of Daisy's
Daisy Buchanan (formerly Daisy Fay): Nick's cousin, wife of Tom
Tom Buchanan: Daisy's husband, a wealthy man who is a former football player
Jordan Baker: a friend of Daisy and Tom's, an athlete
Jay Gatsby (Jimmy Gatz): Nick's neighbor
Myrtle Wilson: Tom's mistress
George Wilson: Myrtle's husband of eleven years
Catherine: Myrtle's sister
Mrs. Sigourney Howard: Jordan's aunt
Ewing Klipspringer: A man who seems to be a permanent boarder at Gatsby's home.
Mr. Meyer Wolfsheim: A shady acquaintance of Gatsby's
Dan Cody: a senile millionaire who took Gatsby under his wing.
Walter Chase: a man who knows something about Gatsby's business
Michaelis: main witness at the inquest
Henry C. Gatz: Gatsby's father
Myrtle Wilson: Tom's mistress
George Wilson: Myrtle's husband of eleven years
Catherine: Myrtle's sister
Mrs. Sigourney Howard: Jordan's aunt
Ewing Klipspringer: A man who seems to be a permanent boarder at Gatsby's home.
Mr. Meyer Wolfsheim: A shady acquaintance of Gatsby's
Dan Cody: a senile millionaire who took Gatsby under his wing.
Walter Chase: a man who knows something about Gatsby's business
Michaelis: main witness at the inquest
Henry C. Gatz: Gatsby's father
SUMMARIES
Chapter 1
Nick, the narrator, reflects on advice his father had given him, which was to remember that not everyone had his advantages--and he should remember that when he wants to criticize them. His father was a man that always communicated a lot with just a few words.
As a result, Nick reserves judgment--which has attracted many interesting people and horrible bores to him. He got the reputation of being a confidante to wild but not famous men in college. He never sought the confidences, had even tried to discourage them.
There comes a point where he doesn't care about the circumstances that causes a behavior. He had wanted the world to be rigidly moral.
Nick made an exception for Gatsby, even though he represented everything Nick despised. Gatsby was a beautiful person because he was full of life and open to experiences. Gatsby didn't make Nick turn his back on the sorrows and joys of men--it was the aftermath of what happened.
Nick comes from a family that has been well-to-do for three generations--the Caraways. They claim to be descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch. However, his grandfather's brother was the one who founded the family's fortunes. He had someone take his place in the Civil War, and he started a wholesale hardware business that is still family-owned to this day.
Nick supposedly resembles this grandfather. He graduated from New Haven in 1915. He fought in the Great War. He enjoyed the action and came back restless. He decided to go into bonds, as that was a business everyone seemed to be going into. His relatives reluctantly agreed, and his father said he would finance him for one year. He left for the East in 1922.
He plans to room with another office worker, but the deal crumbles when the man is relocated by the company. The narrator has a dog that eventually runs away, an old Dodge, and a Finnish cook. His loneliness is short-lived after directing a traveler to the West Egg village. Life had a promise of a new beginning. He bought a lot of books on banking and investment securities--intending to give himself a well rounded education.
He rented a small eyesore in a strange community. He lived on an island that looked like two large eggs. He lived on West Egg, which was where the less fashionable people lived. His house was squeezed between two rental properties. Gatsby's mansion was on the right--and its luxuriousness made his place look like a greater eyesore than it was...but nobody paid attention to Nick's hovel.
East Egg was where the fashionable people lived, including Nick's cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan. Nick had known Tom from college. Tom was a national figure, having been one of the most powerful ends to play football. Having achieved success so young, the rest of his life seemed anti-climatic. He came from a very wealthy family and was ridiculously free with his money. Nick was impressed that he was wealthy enough to bring polo ponies from Lake Forest.
Daisy claims there move to East Egg is permanent, but Nick doesn't believe her. He believes Tom is too restless to settle down.
Tom was arrogant, which makes most people dislike him. He seems to like Nick, though.
Daisy always made a person feel like she always wanted to see them more than anyone else in the world. Some people claimed she murmured so that people had to lean into her. She has a sad face but always looks excited, which makes men remember her.
The night he comes to dinner, he meets Jordan Baker--a friend of the Buchanans who is an athlete.
They all make small talk. Nick conveys the love of everyone they know to Daisy. They discuss the Buchanan's three year old daughter. Tom asks Nick about what he does and makes a snide comment about never having heard of the company. He insists that he and Daisy are settling down for good in East Egg.
Miss Baker is contemptuous of West Egg and mentions knowing Gatsby. Daisy and Tom peck at each other and are tense in each other's company. Miss Baker and Daisy talk at once. Their approach to the evening is relaxed, knowing it must come to an end.
Tom discusses a book that details how the colored races will take over and subjugate the white race. The white people have to watch their backs or the other races will take control. White people were the ones that created civilization.
Daisy interrupts Tom to talk about how their butler used to be a silver polisher until he had to give it up because it bothered his nose.
Tom gets a phone call and excuses himself. Daisy follows him. Miss Baker eavesdrops. She reveals that Tom has a mistress in New York. Tom and Daisy return, and when the phone rings again--Daisy gestures at Tom not to answer it. Nick feels embarrassed.
Nick and Daisy walk after dinner. She tells him she had a bad time and is a very skeptical person. She has become too sophisticated after seeing everything and going everywhere. She comments that when her daughter was born, she hoped that the girl would become a beautiful fool--for that is the best thing for a woman to be. She just finds everything terrible.
Miss Baker is reading an article from The Saturday Evening Post to Tom. She finishes and remarks on the time, saying she has to go to bed. Daisy tells Nick that Jordan has a tournament at Westchester the next day. Nick realizes he recognized her form the pictures he had seen of her and vaguely recalls hearing an unpleasant story about her--but he has forgotten the details.
Tom says Jordan is nice but doesn't approve of how her family lets her run around. Daisy points out that Jordan's only family is a very old aunt. She plans to throw Jordan and Nick together, wants Nick to look out for her. She believes they can be a good influence on Jordan.
Daisy has known Jordan since they were girls in Louisville. Tom asks Daisy if she had a heart to heart with Nick, and then tells Nick not to believe everything he hears.
Daisy asks Nick as he is about to leave whether he is engaged. They assumed he was after hearing it from three different people. This rumor is one of the reasons why Nick left for the East. It came about because he went out with an old friend, but he didn't want to marry her.
Nick sees Gatsby when he returns home. He is about to call out, but he gets the idea that Gatsby wants to be alone.
Chapter 2
The road runs alongside the railroad halfway between West Egg and New York. The land around it is nothing but ashes, which covers the men and houses in the area. The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg on a board sign overlooks all. There is a dirty river that runs through the valley, and barges full of people travel down it. This is the area where Tom brings Nick to meet his mistress.
Tom hasn't taken pains to be discreet. He takes her to restaurants frequented by his acquaintances, something that causes resentment. Nick wanted to see what she looked like but didn't desire to actually meet her.
Tom insists on Nick meeting her one day when they are traveling by train. Tom had coerced Nick into having lunch with him, and Tom had already gotten a little drunk.
They go to a garage owned by George Wilson, which doesn't seem to be busy. George looks hopeful when they step into the shop. He is hoping to buy Tom's car.
The wife Myrtle isn't beautiful but is full of life. Tom makes plans with her while George goes to get some chairs for them to sit in. Tom tells Nick that the husband is so dumb that he doesn't realize his wife is having an affair. He believes she is going to see her sister when she meets Tom in New York.
Myrtle travels separately on the train. She does a little shopping. When she meets up with them, she wants Tom to buy her a dog...which he does.
Nick wants to leave, but Tom insists he come see the apartment. The apartment is small and full of overly large furniture. Nick gets drunk. Myrtle invites some people over. She and Tom retire for a little bit, leaving Nick to read a bad novel.
The company arrives when they emerge. Catherine, Myrtle's sister, seems possessive of the furniture...making Nick think that she owns the apartment. She claims she lives at the hotel with her girl friend.
Mr. McKee is an effeminate photographer who had taken the one picture in the apartment of Myrtle's mother. Nick finds his wife Lucille to be shrill and horrible.
Myrtle's personality changes after she changes her outfit. She becomes haughty. She complains about how much Mrs. Eberhardt charges to look at people's feet. Mrs. McKee compliments her on her dress, and Myrtle acts like it is just some "old thing". Mrs. McKee wants her husband to photograph her in it. Tom interrupts to ask for ice, and Myrtle acts like the servants they don't have are useless.
Catherine asks Nick if she knows Gatsby, whose party she attended. Nick says he is a neighbor. Catherine says he is a relative of Kaiser Wilhelm, and that is where Gatsby's money comes from.
Mr. McKee wants to work in Long Island. Tom says Myrtle can refer him--perhaps he can take pictures of her husband at the gas pump. Catherine remarks to Nick that both Tom and Myrtle despise their spouses. She doesn't understand why they don't both get divorces so they can marry each other. Myrtle is willing to leave her husband, whom she despises, but Catherine claims that Daisy refuses to give Tom a divorce on the grounds that she is Catholic. This is news to Nick, since Daisy isn't Catholic. Tom and Myrtle, when they do divorce, plan to go West until the upset blows over.
Catherine reveals that she just came back from Monte Carlo. They had plenty of money for the trip, but they got screwed over on their rooms. They almost didn't have enough to come back.
Lucille is telling Myrtle how she almost made a mistake and married a Jew. Fortunately, Chester came along at the same time and she married him instead.
Myrtle said she married George because she thought he was a gentleman, but he was below her. She realized her mistake right away when he borrowed someone's suit to marry her. Catherine says Myrtle needs to leave George, even though they have been married for eleven years--and Tom is her first affair.
Nick tries to leave but can't.
Catherine tells Nick how she met Tom on a train. She had been attracted to him.
Around midnight, Myrtle fights with Tom about the right to say Daisy's name. Tom punches her in the nose.
Nick takes the opportunity to leave then, as does Mr. Mckee. He invites Nick to lunch.
Nick spends the night at the station waiting for the 4 a.m. train.
Chapter 3
Gatsby threw night parties during the summer. His guests stayed to the following day and enjoyed his boat and beach. His Rolls Royce carried people to and from the city, and his station wagon picked people up and dropped them off at the train station. Eight servants came on Mondays to clean and repair the damage from the revelry.
Every Friday, oranges and lemons were delivered from New York because Gatsby liked fresh juice. Caterers decorated the lawn and set up buffet tables every two weeks. He had a stocked bar in the main hall. He had a full orchestra that arrived at 7 p.m. The guests that had been enjoying the beach were now coming in to change clothes. Guests from New York were arriving. All were dress in gaudy clothing and outrageous hair styles.
The parties were lively and superficial. Introductions were forgotten immediately. Girls glided through the crowd, stopping here and there to chat briefly before moving on. One girl starts the party by dancing alone on the dance floor. An untrue rumor spread that she is Gilda Gray's understudy.
Nick had been one of the few people invited to the party the first time he went. Most people crashed the party, usually knowing someone who could introduce them to Gatsby. Sometimes they didn't even meet their host.
A chauffeur had been dispatched Saturday morning to deliver Nick's invitation. Gatsby had meant to call on him.
Nick doesn't know anyone and feels uneasy. He recognizes some people from the train. He notices many well-dressed but hungry looking Englishmen who seem to be having conversations with well-to-do Americans. Nick thinks they are selling something to those easily parted with their money.
Nick tries asking where Gatsby is, which shocks people. He gets a drink when told no one knows where the host is. Being at the cocktail table allows him not to betray that he has no purpose, and he is by himself. He is embarrassed and plans to get drunk.
He runs into Jordan Baker and is glad to see her. Two girls in identical dresses tell her they are sorry she lost the golf tournament and move on before she can reply.
Nick and Jordan go sit with the girls in the identical dresses. Jordan asks fi they come to the parties often. Lucille, one of the girls, says the last time she came, she tore her dress. Gatsby had sent her a new one. It had to be altered, so she couldn't wear it to the party. It cost $265.00. Her companion thinks Gatsby did it because he doesn't want trouble and wonders what his secret is.
There is a rumor that Gatsby killed a man. Lucille thinks he was a German spy during the war. A male companion confirms he heard it from a guy who grew up with Gatsby in Germany. The other girl disagrees--he was in the American army. In any case, Gatsby makes them uncomfortable whatever he is or was.
Jordan invites Nick to join her friends at the first dinner. Her date is aggressive in his innuendo with her, expecting she will give in to him. The group tries to act well bred and condescending, which tries Jordan's patience after a half hour.
Jordan, her date, and Nick go to find Gatsby. Jordan thinks Nick is uncomfortable since he has never met the guy.
In the library, they meet a man who tells them the books are real. He shows them they have pages. He expected the books to be cardboard. The man says he was brought to the party by Mrs. Claud Roosevelt. He was trying to sober up in the library. He starts to tell them the books are real again.
They return outside. Nick enjoys himself after two glasses of champagne. A man at the table recognizes him from the war. His companion invites Nick to try his hydroplane. When Nick comments on how unusual it is to be invited to a party and never meet the host, the man he was talking to identifies himself as Gatsby.
Gatsby has a winning smile that makes a person feel like he understand them without being invasive and believes in them fully. Yet it quickly vanishes to show that Gatsby is a rough punk who is trying to be more sophisticated than he is, which made him seem ridiculous.
Gatsby leaves when his butler tells him Chicago is calling him. Nick asks Jordan who Gatsby really is. Jordan heard he went to Oxford, but she doesn't believe it. Nick wonders about Gatsby. People just don't suddenly appear and buy a mansion. Jordan likes him because he gives large parties, which allows for more privacy because people are not interested in asking you personal questions like they are in smaller gatherings.
Gatsby requests that the orchestra play Vladmir Tostoff's latest work. Nick sees Gatsby surveying the crowd. Girls dance with other men, but nobody dances with Gatsby.
The butler comes up and tells Jordan that Gatsby wants to speak with her alone, which surprises her. Nick hangs with Jordan's date and some girls. A woman who has drank a lot of champagne is trying to sing but is weeping, supposedly because she fought with her husband. many women were now fighting with their husbands, mostly because the husbands had shown attention to other girls. Many husbands were fighting with their wives, wanting to leave the party, while the wives wanted to stay. The orchestra has left, signalling the end of the party--but the wives still have to be dragged home kicking a screaming.
Gatsby and Jordan arrive as Nick gets ready to leave. Gatsby seems to be eager as he talks to her but becomes formal when people come up to him.
Jordan tells Nick she heard something amazing but isn't allowed to tell him. She tells him to look her up in the phone book under her aunt's name, Mrs. Sigourney Howard.
Gatsby reminds Nick about their 9 a.m. appointment the next day. The butler tells Gatsby that Philadelphia wants him on the phone. The winning smile is reserved for Nick, who is the last to go.
One of the guest's car has lost its wheel. It is blocking the road, causing a lot of honking. Nick recognizes the driver as the man in the library. It turns out he doesn't know how to drive, but another man was driving. The driver gets out, obviously drunk and unable to process the situation. Gatsby watches from his window, and Nick senses the sudden emptiness of the house.
Nick didn't spend all his time at parties. Most of the time he worked. He lunched with his co-workers. He had a brief affair with a girl until her brother gave him menacing stares. He had dinner at the Yale Club and then studied for an hour at the library. If it was a nice night, he'd go to the train station.
Nick likes the excitement of New York. He dreams of being with women he sees on Fifth Avenue. Sometimes he feels lonely, particularly when he sees all the happy people on their way to parties.
Nick meets up with Jordan, flattered to go around with someone who is famous. He is curious about her. He discovers that she is a liar, proving the rumor true in his mind that she moved a golf ball--even though the allegations were dropped. She avoids clever men.
Nick comments on what a bad driver she is. Jordan says other people watch out and avoid her, so she won't have an accident. She hopes never to meet another careless person. Sometimes Nick thinks he loves her, but he is cautious. He takes pride in being an honest person.
Chapter 4
Sunday morning, ladies are discussing Gatsby while at his party. One insists he is a bootlegger. He killed a man for finding out about his family tree. Nick keeps a lit of people who attended the parties of a host they knew nothing about. They represented all age groups, occupations, and social classes. They came from East and West Egg, near and far.
A man named Klipspringer was always there and was considered pretty much a boarder. Many scandalous stories would later develop about these guests. One went to prison, one strangled his wife, one drowned, and one committed suicide.
Benny McClenahan always came to Gatsby's parties with four girls. It was different girls each time, but they were so identical you thought they had been there before. They always claimed they were cousins to great American capitalists.
Chapter 2
The road runs alongside the railroad halfway between West Egg and New York. The land around it is nothing but ashes, which covers the men and houses in the area. The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg on a board sign overlooks all. There is a dirty river that runs through the valley, and barges full of people travel down it. This is the area where Tom brings Nick to meet his mistress.
Tom hasn't taken pains to be discreet. He takes her to restaurants frequented by his acquaintances, something that causes resentment. Nick wanted to see what she looked like but didn't desire to actually meet her.
Tom insists on Nick meeting her one day when they are traveling by train. Tom had coerced Nick into having lunch with him, and Tom had already gotten a little drunk.
They go to a garage owned by George Wilson, which doesn't seem to be busy. George looks hopeful when they step into the shop. He is hoping to buy Tom's car.
The wife Myrtle isn't beautiful but is full of life. Tom makes plans with her while George goes to get some chairs for them to sit in. Tom tells Nick that the husband is so dumb that he doesn't realize his wife is having an affair. He believes she is going to see her sister when she meets Tom in New York.
Myrtle travels separately on the train. She does a little shopping. When she meets up with them, she wants Tom to buy her a dog...which he does.
Nick wants to leave, but Tom insists he come see the apartment. The apartment is small and full of overly large furniture. Nick gets drunk. Myrtle invites some people over. She and Tom retire for a little bit, leaving Nick to read a bad novel.
The company arrives when they emerge. Catherine, Myrtle's sister, seems possessive of the furniture...making Nick think that she owns the apartment. She claims she lives at the hotel with her girl friend.
Mr. McKee is an effeminate photographer who had taken the one picture in the apartment of Myrtle's mother. Nick finds his wife Lucille to be shrill and horrible.
Myrtle's personality changes after she changes her outfit. She becomes haughty. She complains about how much Mrs. Eberhardt charges to look at people's feet. Mrs. McKee compliments her on her dress, and Myrtle acts like it is just some "old thing". Mrs. McKee wants her husband to photograph her in it. Tom interrupts to ask for ice, and Myrtle acts like the servants they don't have are useless.
Catherine asks Nick if she knows Gatsby, whose party she attended. Nick says he is a neighbor. Catherine says he is a relative of Kaiser Wilhelm, and that is where Gatsby's money comes from.
Mr. McKee wants to work in Long Island. Tom says Myrtle can refer him--perhaps he can take pictures of her husband at the gas pump. Catherine remarks to Nick that both Tom and Myrtle despise their spouses. She doesn't understand why they don't both get divorces so they can marry each other. Myrtle is willing to leave her husband, whom she despises, but Catherine claims that Daisy refuses to give Tom a divorce on the grounds that she is Catholic. This is news to Nick, since Daisy isn't Catholic. Tom and Myrtle, when they do divorce, plan to go West until the upset blows over.
Catherine reveals that she just came back from Monte Carlo. They had plenty of money for the trip, but they got screwed over on their rooms. They almost didn't have enough to come back.
Lucille is telling Myrtle how she almost made a mistake and married a Jew. Fortunately, Chester came along at the same time and she married him instead.
Myrtle said she married George because she thought he was a gentleman, but he was below her. She realized her mistake right away when he borrowed someone's suit to marry her. Catherine says Myrtle needs to leave George, even though they have been married for eleven years--and Tom is her first affair.
Nick tries to leave but can't.
Catherine tells Nick how she met Tom on a train. She had been attracted to him.
Around midnight, Myrtle fights with Tom about the right to say Daisy's name. Tom punches her in the nose.
Nick takes the opportunity to leave then, as does Mr. Mckee. He invites Nick to lunch.
Nick spends the night at the station waiting for the 4 a.m. train.
Chapter 3
Gatsby threw night parties during the summer. His guests stayed to the following day and enjoyed his boat and beach. His Rolls Royce carried people to and from the city, and his station wagon picked people up and dropped them off at the train station. Eight servants came on Mondays to clean and repair the damage from the revelry.
Every Friday, oranges and lemons were delivered from New York because Gatsby liked fresh juice. Caterers decorated the lawn and set up buffet tables every two weeks. He had a stocked bar in the main hall. He had a full orchestra that arrived at 7 p.m. The guests that had been enjoying the beach were now coming in to change clothes. Guests from New York were arriving. All were dress in gaudy clothing and outrageous hair styles.
The parties were lively and superficial. Introductions were forgotten immediately. Girls glided through the crowd, stopping here and there to chat briefly before moving on. One girl starts the party by dancing alone on the dance floor. An untrue rumor spread that she is Gilda Gray's understudy.
Nick had been one of the few people invited to the party the first time he went. Most people crashed the party, usually knowing someone who could introduce them to Gatsby. Sometimes they didn't even meet their host.
A chauffeur had been dispatched Saturday morning to deliver Nick's invitation. Gatsby had meant to call on him.
Nick doesn't know anyone and feels uneasy. He recognizes some people from the train. He notices many well-dressed but hungry looking Englishmen who seem to be having conversations with well-to-do Americans. Nick thinks they are selling something to those easily parted with their money.
Nick tries asking where Gatsby is, which shocks people. He gets a drink when told no one knows where the host is. Being at the cocktail table allows him not to betray that he has no purpose, and he is by himself. He is embarrassed and plans to get drunk.
He runs into Jordan Baker and is glad to see her. Two girls in identical dresses tell her they are sorry she lost the golf tournament and move on before she can reply.
Nick and Jordan go sit with the girls in the identical dresses. Jordan asks fi they come to the parties often. Lucille, one of the girls, says the last time she came, she tore her dress. Gatsby had sent her a new one. It had to be altered, so she couldn't wear it to the party. It cost $265.00. Her companion thinks Gatsby did it because he doesn't want trouble and wonders what his secret is.
There is a rumor that Gatsby killed a man. Lucille thinks he was a German spy during the war. A male companion confirms he heard it from a guy who grew up with Gatsby in Germany. The other girl disagrees--he was in the American army. In any case, Gatsby makes them uncomfortable whatever he is or was.
Jordan invites Nick to join her friends at the first dinner. Her date is aggressive in his innuendo with her, expecting she will give in to him. The group tries to act well bred and condescending, which tries Jordan's patience after a half hour.
Jordan, her date, and Nick go to find Gatsby. Jordan thinks Nick is uncomfortable since he has never met the guy.
In the library, they meet a man who tells them the books are real. He shows them they have pages. He expected the books to be cardboard. The man says he was brought to the party by Mrs. Claud Roosevelt. He was trying to sober up in the library. He starts to tell them the books are real again.
They return outside. Nick enjoys himself after two glasses of champagne. A man at the table recognizes him from the war. His companion invites Nick to try his hydroplane. When Nick comments on how unusual it is to be invited to a party and never meet the host, the man he was talking to identifies himself as Gatsby.
Gatsby has a winning smile that makes a person feel like he understand them without being invasive and believes in them fully. Yet it quickly vanishes to show that Gatsby is a rough punk who is trying to be more sophisticated than he is, which made him seem ridiculous.
Gatsby leaves when his butler tells him Chicago is calling him. Nick asks Jordan who Gatsby really is. Jordan heard he went to Oxford, but she doesn't believe it. Nick wonders about Gatsby. People just don't suddenly appear and buy a mansion. Jordan likes him because he gives large parties, which allows for more privacy because people are not interested in asking you personal questions like they are in smaller gatherings.
Gatsby requests that the orchestra play Vladmir Tostoff's latest work. Nick sees Gatsby surveying the crowd. Girls dance with other men, but nobody dances with Gatsby.
The butler comes up and tells Jordan that Gatsby wants to speak with her alone, which surprises her. Nick hangs with Jordan's date and some girls. A woman who has drank a lot of champagne is trying to sing but is weeping, supposedly because she fought with her husband. many women were now fighting with their husbands, mostly because the husbands had shown attention to other girls. Many husbands were fighting with their wives, wanting to leave the party, while the wives wanted to stay. The orchestra has left, signalling the end of the party--but the wives still have to be dragged home kicking a screaming.
Gatsby and Jordan arrive as Nick gets ready to leave. Gatsby seems to be eager as he talks to her but becomes formal when people come up to him.
Jordan tells Nick she heard something amazing but isn't allowed to tell him. She tells him to look her up in the phone book under her aunt's name, Mrs. Sigourney Howard.
Gatsby reminds Nick about their 9 a.m. appointment the next day. The butler tells Gatsby that Philadelphia wants him on the phone. The winning smile is reserved for Nick, who is the last to go.
One of the guest's car has lost its wheel. It is blocking the road, causing a lot of honking. Nick recognizes the driver as the man in the library. It turns out he doesn't know how to drive, but another man was driving. The driver gets out, obviously drunk and unable to process the situation. Gatsby watches from his window, and Nick senses the sudden emptiness of the house.
Nick didn't spend all his time at parties. Most of the time he worked. He lunched with his co-workers. He had a brief affair with a girl until her brother gave him menacing stares. He had dinner at the Yale Club and then studied for an hour at the library. If it was a nice night, he'd go to the train station.
Nick likes the excitement of New York. He dreams of being with women he sees on Fifth Avenue. Sometimes he feels lonely, particularly when he sees all the happy people on their way to parties.
Nick meets up with Jordan, flattered to go around with someone who is famous. He is curious about her. He discovers that she is a liar, proving the rumor true in his mind that she moved a golf ball--even though the allegations were dropped. She avoids clever men.
Nick comments on what a bad driver she is. Jordan says other people watch out and avoid her, so she won't have an accident. She hopes never to meet another careless person. Sometimes Nick thinks he loves her, but he is cautious. He takes pride in being an honest person.
Chapter 4
Sunday morning, ladies are discussing Gatsby while at his party. One insists he is a bootlegger. He killed a man for finding out about his family tree. Nick keeps a lit of people who attended the parties of a host they knew nothing about. They represented all age groups, occupations, and social classes. They came from East and West Egg, near and far.
A man named Klipspringer was always there and was considered pretty much a boarder. Many scandalous stories would later develop about these guests. One went to prison, one strangled his wife, one drowned, and one committed suicide.
Benny McClenahan always came to Gatsby's parties with four girls. It was different girls each time, but they were so identical you thought they had been there before. They always claimed they were cousins to great American capitalists.
* * * *
Gatsby calls on Nick after he has attended two parties, flown in Gatsby's hydroplane, and used his beach frequently. He comes in his car, saying Nick is to lunch with him.
Gatsby is always fidgety and restless.
Nick admires the car.
Nick doesn't find Gatsby much of a conversationalist. He was merely a person that owned an elaborate home.
However, Gatsby surprised him that day by telling him a bit about himself. Gatsby is aware of what people say about him.
He claims he is from a wealthy family from San Francisco. He went to Oxford, which was the family tradition. Nick thinks Gatsby is a liar and wonders what he is hiding. He does believe that Gatsby's family is all dead.
Gatsby claims he traveled extensively, trying to forget the tragedy that had befallen him. Nick thinks Gatsby is comical with his cliched story.
Gatsby claims he tried to die in the war but seemed blessed with the ability to survive. He had been decorated by every Allied government. He shows Nick the medal that was awarded to him from Montenegro. It looks authentic, and it even has Gatsby's name and rank on the back. Gatsby shows Nick a photo of his Oxford days, and Gatsby is shown in the photo. Nick starts to believe his story now.
Gatsby claims he is a stranger to most people because he drifts around. Nick is annoyed when Gatsby says that Jordan is coming to tea to discuss him (Gatsby).
They get stopped by a cop who lets them go when he recognizes Gatsby. Gatsby claims he did the commissioner a favor once, which earns him an Xmas card from the commissioner every year.
* * * * *
At lunch, Gatsby introduces Mr. Wolfsheim to Nick. Mr. Wolfsheim mourns the loss of the old Metropole. Friends they knew from there are all dead. He reflects on when Rosy Rosenthal had been shot. The waiter had said some men had wanted to see Rosy. The waiter had looked odd. Mr. Wolfsheim had told Rosy that he should have the men come to him. He went out anyway and got shot.
Mr. Wolfsheim thinks Nick wants a business connection, but Gatsby interrupts him and says this is not the guy. Nick is just a friend.
Mr. Wolfsheim is very watchful of the room.
Gatsby senses that Nick is angry with him. Nick tells Gatsby he can be up front with him, and he doesn't need to do things through Jordan Baker. Gatsby jumps up to use the telephone.
Mr. Wolfsheim praises Gatsby while he is away. He tells Nick that he met Gatsby after the war and knew him to be a man of fine breeding. Mr. Wolfsheim shows Nick his cuff buttons, which are human molars. He goes on to tell Nick that Gatsby would never look at a friend's wife.
Meyer Wolfsheim excuses himself after Gatsby returns. Gatsby says that Meyer is a gambler who fixed the 1919 World Series. The authorities were unable to charge him.
Nick sees Tom Buchanan, who tells him Daisy is angry at Nick for not calling. Gatsby looks embarrassed when Nick introduces him to Tom and disappears.
* * * * *
Jordan is talking to Nick about when Daisy and she were girls. Daisy was 18 years old, two years older than Jordan. She was very popular with the army boys. Jordan was flattered when Daisy paid attention to her because she admired Daisy. One particular day, Daisy asked Jordan to give her excuses on why she couldn't come to make bandages at the Red Cross. The young officer Daisy was with in her car was Jay Gatsby. Jordan didn't spend much time with Daisy once she had her own boyfriends and tournaments. Daisy hung with an older crowd. Rumors ran amok that Daisy had been prevented from seeing a soldier, and she didn't speak to her family for weeks. Daisy stopped hanging out with soldiers. She returned to her old self, debuted, and became engaged to Tom. Their wedding was very showy.
On the night before the wedding, Jordan--who was Daisy's bridesmaid--found Daisy drunk. She wanted to change her mind and began to cry. She had a crumpled letter in her hand.
Daisy married Tom the next day. She seemed in love with him. Daisy was always looking for him if he left the room. Tom got into a car accident, and there had been a chamber maid from the Santa Barbara Hotel with him at the time.
Daisy was popular when she settled in Chicago. Despite the wild crowd, her reputation never suffered, probably because she didn't drink.
Daisy had asked Jordan about Gatsby, and that is when Jordan realized he was the officer Daisy knew back then.
* * * * *
Jordan and Nick go to Central Park afterwards. Jordan says that Gatsby purposely bought a house near Daisy. She says that Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy to his house on a day when Gatsby is due over. Nick asks why he didn't have Jordan arrange the meeting instead. Jordan says it is because Gatsby wants Daisy to have a view of his house, which she won't have if she was at Jordan's house. Gatsby had hoped she would come to his parties, but she never did. He asked guests at his parties if they knew her, and he finally found Jordan. Gatsby doesn't want Daisy to know that he'll be coming over.
Chapter 5
When Nick returns home, Gatsby's house looks like it is on fire because the entire house is lit. Nick thinks it is a party, but there isn't any noise.
Gatsby approaches Nick. He wants to go to Coney Island, but Nick says it is too late. Gatsby then proposes going swimming, but Nick wants to go to bed. Nick tells him he'll invite Daisy to tea. Gatsby doesn't want to inconvenience him but wants to get Nick's grass cut before Daisy comes.
Gatsby then makes a business proposition, but Nick tells him he can't take on any more work. Gatsby tells him he wouldn't work with Wolfshein, but Nick remains unswayed. Gatsby reluctantly goes home.
Nick invites Daisy to tea the next day but asks her not to bring Tom. Even though it is raining, Gatsby sends someone to cut Nick's lawn. He also sends flowers.
Gatsby arrives to make sure everything is ready. he seems distracted. Finally he says he is going home because nobody is coming to tea. Nick urges him to stay. A car is heard approaching.
Nick goes out to greet Daisy. He asks her to send her chauffeur away. When they enter the house, Nick finds that Gatsby is absent. he has went around the house to knock at the front door. When Nick opens the door, he enters the living room like it is the first time.
Gatsby tries to look at ease. Daisy seems scared but talks civilly. Gatsby informs Nick that he and Daisy used to know each other. He accidentally smashes Nick's clock.
The tea goes awkwardly. Things go well as long as Nick and Daisy talk. Nick excuses himself, and Gatsby asks to speak with him. He tells Nick it was a mistake. Nick assures him that Gatsby is just embarrassed, just like Daisy is. However, they are both being rude leaving her in there alone.
Nick leaves them both alone. When he returns, Daisy is wiping tears away. Gatsby is glowing.
Gatsby invites them both to his house. While Daisy freshens up, Gatsby asks Nick if his house looks good. He says it took him three years to earn the money to buy it. Nick says he thought Gatsby inherited his money. Gatsby says he did, but he lost it during the war.
He gives an inappropriate response when asked about his business. he tells Nick he has done business in drugs and oil, but he is no longer into that.
Daisy comes out and is impressed by Gatsby's house--but she thinks it is too big for one person to live in. Gatsby says that is why he keeps it full of interesting people. Nick finds it odd to go through the house without crowds of people.
Gatsby seems to value his possessions by how Daisy reacts to them. he doesn't notice things and nearly falls down the stairs. He is emotional.
He takes out his clothes and says a man in England buys his clothes for him--sending them every spring and fall. Daisy cries, saying they are beautiful shirts.
Chapter 5
When Nick returns home, Gatsby's house looks like it is on fire because the entire house is lit. Nick thinks it is a party, but there isn't any noise.
Gatsby approaches Nick. He wants to go to Coney Island, but Nick says it is too late. Gatsby then proposes going swimming, but Nick wants to go to bed. Nick tells him he'll invite Daisy to tea. Gatsby doesn't want to inconvenience him but wants to get Nick's grass cut before Daisy comes.
Gatsby then makes a business proposition, but Nick tells him he can't take on any more work. Gatsby tells him he wouldn't work with Wolfshein, but Nick remains unswayed. Gatsby reluctantly goes home.
Nick invites Daisy to tea the next day but asks her not to bring Tom. Even though it is raining, Gatsby sends someone to cut Nick's lawn. He also sends flowers.
Gatsby arrives to make sure everything is ready. he seems distracted. Finally he says he is going home because nobody is coming to tea. Nick urges him to stay. A car is heard approaching.
Nick goes out to greet Daisy. He asks her to send her chauffeur away. When they enter the house, Nick finds that Gatsby is absent. he has went around the house to knock at the front door. When Nick opens the door, he enters the living room like it is the first time.
Gatsby tries to look at ease. Daisy seems scared but talks civilly. Gatsby informs Nick that he and Daisy used to know each other. He accidentally smashes Nick's clock.
The tea goes awkwardly. Things go well as long as Nick and Daisy talk. Nick excuses himself, and Gatsby asks to speak with him. He tells Nick it was a mistake. Nick assures him that Gatsby is just embarrassed, just like Daisy is. However, they are both being rude leaving her in there alone.
Nick leaves them both alone. When he returns, Daisy is wiping tears away. Gatsby is glowing.
Gatsby invites them both to his house. While Daisy freshens up, Gatsby asks Nick if his house looks good. He says it took him three years to earn the money to buy it. Nick says he thought Gatsby inherited his money. Gatsby says he did, but he lost it during the war.
He gives an inappropriate response when asked about his business. he tells Nick he has done business in drugs and oil, but he is no longer into that.
Daisy comes out and is impressed by Gatsby's house--but she thinks it is too big for one person to live in. Gatsby says that is why he keeps it full of interesting people. Nick finds it odd to go through the house without crowds of people.
Gatsby seems to value his possessions by how Daisy reacts to them. he doesn't notice things and nearly falls down the stairs. He is emotional.
He takes out his clothes and says a man in England buys his clothes for him--sending them every spring and fall. Daisy cries, saying they are beautiful shirts.
* * * * *
The tour continues outside the house. Gatsby mentions that he can see Daisy's house from his place.
Nick asks about someone in a photo. Gatsby says it is a deceased friend, Mr. Dan Cody. Gatsby gets a call but gets off.
Nick tries to leave, but they want him to stay. Gatsby calls Ewing Klipspringer to play the piano. Klipspringer seems uncomfortable and embarrassed.
Nick is about to take his leave when he sees Daisy whisper to Gatsby, who is emotional again. They are wrapped up in each other, so Nick leaves them.
Chapter 6
A reporter comes to Gatsby's home, asking for a quote. He had heard about Gatsby and the fantastic stories surrounding him.
Jay Gatsby had been born James Gatz. He changed his name at seventeen when he rowed out to Dan Cody's yacht that was anchored on Lake Superior. Gatsby's parents were unsuccessful farmers, and he didn't believe he was their son. He changed his name to fit the idea of himself.
Before he met Dan Cody, Gatsby had done odd jobs like clam digging to support himself. He lost his virginity young and became contemptuous of women. He wound up at St. Olaf, a Lutheran college, where he was a janitor. From there he went to Lake Superior, where he met Dan Cody.
Dan Cody was a millionaire who was going senile, which attracted a lot of gold-digging women. He had been sailing friendly shores. Cody took Jay under his wing and bought him new clothes in Duluth. Gatsby performed a variety of jobs, and Cody grew to count on him. He spent five years with Dan Cody until the man's death. Dan Cody left him $25,000...but a newspaper woman named Ella Kaye managed to get that to go to her instead.
Gatsby tells Nick all of this later. Nick hadn't seem him for a while, having spent most of his time with Jordan and her aunt.
Tom showed up the same day, having been brought there by a man named Sloane and his wife. Mrs. Sloane invites Gatsby to dinner, much to her husband's and Tom's disapproval. Tom remarks that Daisy runs around too much and meets all sorts of people (referring to Gatsby). The couple leave before Gatsby can accompany them to dinner.
Tom accompanies Daisy to Gatsby's party, which makes everything unpleasant. Daisy is impressed by all the celebrities at the party. However, she doesn't seem to enjoy herself except when she is dancing with Gatsby. She is basically appalled by most of the guests.
Tom thinks Gatsby is a bootlegger, as most of the new rich people are. Daisy says that Gatsby's friends are more interesting than their friends, but Tom doesn't believe she means it. She observes that most of the guests crashed the party and weren't invited. Tom vows to find out more about Gatsby. Daisy tells him Gatsby made his money by owning drug stores.
Gatsby is upset that Daisy didn't like the party. He wanted Daisy to break it off with Tom so that he could marry her. Nick tells him that he can't repeat the past, but Gatsby doesn't believe it. Gatsby tells Nick about his first kiss with Daisy.
Chapter 7
When people were the most curious about Gatsby, his parties abruptly ended. People who came were turned away.
Nick goes to inquire if Gatsby is ill. A new and rather thuggish looking butler says Gatsby is not ill but refuses to elaborate further. Nick later learns that Gatsby had dismissed all of his old servants and hired new ones. His kitchen was filthy, and most people were under the opinion that the new servants were not servants at all.
Gatsby calls Nick on the phone and explains he didn't want servants who gossiped now that Daisy comes over so often. These new people were related and were recommended by Wolfsheim, who claimed they used to run a hotel.
Gatsby invites Nick to lunch at Daisy's house. Miss Baker is going to attend as well. Nick wonders if Gatsby and Daisy are planning something.
The next day is boiling hot. Daisy's house is relatively cool, but they are all affected by the heat. Tom is arguing with someone on the phone, who Jordan identifies as his mistress. He is refusing to sell his car. Daisy thinks he is faking being on the phone, but Nick says he really is talking to someone.
Tom is less than thrilled to see Gatsby. When Daisy asks him to make a drink, she kisses Gatsby in his absence and tells him she loves him.
A nurse brings in Daisy's daughter. Gatsby seems surprised by the child's existence.
Tom returns with the drinks as the child is lead away. He takes Gatsby out to see the view outside.
As they have lunch, Daisy asks what they should do in this heat. She wants to go into town. Tom realizes that Daisy loves Gatsby. He suddenly agrees they should go into town. He is obviously angry and trying to keep his temper with difficulty.
Tom suggests that Gatsby drive his car, and he'll drive Gatsby's--which doesn't appeal to Gatsby. Daisy tells Tom that Nick and Jordan will ride with him, and she will ride with Gatsby.
Tom reveals to Nick and Jordan while he is driving that he had Gatsby investigated, but he now wishes he had dug deeper now that he realizes Daisy's feelings for Gatsby.
They go to Wilson's garage. George Wilson is complaining that he is ill. He apologizes for calling Tom at lunch, but he really needs the money. He wonders what Tom is going to do about his old car.
Tom asks why he wants the money. Wilson says he and his wife want to go West. His wife always wanted to, and now he is going to force her to go. He realizes she has been having an affair, though he doesn't seem to know with who. Tom tells him he'll send the car over tomorrow afternoon.
Nick sees Myrtle watching Jordan jealously from a window, which she apparently thinks is Tom's wife.
Tom starts speeding to catch up with Daisy, upset to realize he is losing both his wife and mistress. They meet Daisy and Gatsby at a hotel while they argue about what to do. Tom wants to quarrel with Gatsby, but Daisy threatens to leave.
They hear a wedding taking place in another room of the hotel. Daisy reminisces about the day she married Tom. A man had fainted at the wedding. He was taken to Jordan's house, and he stayed three weeks until Jordan's father kicked him out. Jordan's father died the next day, but the man wasn't responsible. Nick said he knew a man with the same last name as the guest who overstayed his welcome. Jordan says the man Nick knew was the cousin of the guest.
Tom claims he didn't know the guest. He was Daisy's friend. Daisy denies this, saying that another friend of hers had asked if she could bring him at the last minute. Jordan says this particular guest claimed he was president of Tom's class at Yale, which Tom says is not true.
Suddenly, Tom asks Gatsby about going to Oxford. Gatsby claims he went but only attended five months.
Tom finally confronts Gatsby. Daisy tries to intervene. Tom complains about how everyone is throwing family institutions over, and pretty soon interracial marriages will be allowed to happen. Nick wants to laugh, though he is angry with Tom.
Nick proposes they go home. Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy doesn't love him (Tom) and never has. She loves Gatsby. Daisy only married Tom because Gatsby was poor, and she got tired of waiting.
Nick and Jordan try to leave, but Tom and Gatsby insist they stay. Tom believes that Daisy did love him when she married him, but she gets foolish ideas. Tom claims he loves her even if he has had affairs. He always comes back.
Daisy claims she finds Tom revolting. Gatsby insists that she tell Tom that she never loved him. Daisy eventually does, though she says it hesitantly. However, she finally admits that wasn't true...she had loved Tom--but she loves Gatsby now. Tom promises he'll take better care of her.
Gatsby tells Tom Daisy is leaving him, and she agrees. Tom denies that she is leaving him. He reveals he has been investigating Gatsby and knows he is an associate of Meyer Wolfsheim. Tom says he was right about Gatsby being a bootlegger.
Tom found out from Walter Chase, who went to jail for a month on account of Gatsby. He knew about other stuff, but Wolfsheim scared him into remaining silent. Gatsby doesn't deny it. However, he becomes reserved when Tom says there is something going on Chase is too scared to talk about.
Gatsby tries to talk to Daisy, but she withdraws into herself. Gatsby realizes it is over.
Tom orders Daisy to return home with Gatsby.
Nick realizes it is his birthday. He feels too old to be single, but Jordan seems to be a promising relationship.
Chapter 6
A reporter comes to Gatsby's home, asking for a quote. He had heard about Gatsby and the fantastic stories surrounding him.
Jay Gatsby had been born James Gatz. He changed his name at seventeen when he rowed out to Dan Cody's yacht that was anchored on Lake Superior. Gatsby's parents were unsuccessful farmers, and he didn't believe he was their son. He changed his name to fit the idea of himself.
Before he met Dan Cody, Gatsby had done odd jobs like clam digging to support himself. He lost his virginity young and became contemptuous of women. He wound up at St. Olaf, a Lutheran college, where he was a janitor. From there he went to Lake Superior, where he met Dan Cody.
Dan Cody was a millionaire who was going senile, which attracted a lot of gold-digging women. He had been sailing friendly shores. Cody took Jay under his wing and bought him new clothes in Duluth. Gatsby performed a variety of jobs, and Cody grew to count on him. He spent five years with Dan Cody until the man's death. Dan Cody left him $25,000...but a newspaper woman named Ella Kaye managed to get that to go to her instead.
Gatsby tells Nick all of this later. Nick hadn't seem him for a while, having spent most of his time with Jordan and her aunt.
Tom showed up the same day, having been brought there by a man named Sloane and his wife. Mrs. Sloane invites Gatsby to dinner, much to her husband's and Tom's disapproval. Tom remarks that Daisy runs around too much and meets all sorts of people (referring to Gatsby). The couple leave before Gatsby can accompany them to dinner.
Tom accompanies Daisy to Gatsby's party, which makes everything unpleasant. Daisy is impressed by all the celebrities at the party. However, she doesn't seem to enjoy herself except when she is dancing with Gatsby. She is basically appalled by most of the guests.
Tom thinks Gatsby is a bootlegger, as most of the new rich people are. Daisy says that Gatsby's friends are more interesting than their friends, but Tom doesn't believe she means it. She observes that most of the guests crashed the party and weren't invited. Tom vows to find out more about Gatsby. Daisy tells him Gatsby made his money by owning drug stores.
Gatsby is upset that Daisy didn't like the party. He wanted Daisy to break it off with Tom so that he could marry her. Nick tells him that he can't repeat the past, but Gatsby doesn't believe it. Gatsby tells Nick about his first kiss with Daisy.
Chapter 7
When people were the most curious about Gatsby, his parties abruptly ended. People who came were turned away.
Nick goes to inquire if Gatsby is ill. A new and rather thuggish looking butler says Gatsby is not ill but refuses to elaborate further. Nick later learns that Gatsby had dismissed all of his old servants and hired new ones. His kitchen was filthy, and most people were under the opinion that the new servants were not servants at all.
Gatsby calls Nick on the phone and explains he didn't want servants who gossiped now that Daisy comes over so often. These new people were related and were recommended by Wolfsheim, who claimed they used to run a hotel.
Gatsby invites Nick to lunch at Daisy's house. Miss Baker is going to attend as well. Nick wonders if Gatsby and Daisy are planning something.
The next day is boiling hot. Daisy's house is relatively cool, but they are all affected by the heat. Tom is arguing with someone on the phone, who Jordan identifies as his mistress. He is refusing to sell his car. Daisy thinks he is faking being on the phone, but Nick says he really is talking to someone.
Tom is less than thrilled to see Gatsby. When Daisy asks him to make a drink, she kisses Gatsby in his absence and tells him she loves him.
A nurse brings in Daisy's daughter. Gatsby seems surprised by the child's existence.
Tom returns with the drinks as the child is lead away. He takes Gatsby out to see the view outside.
As they have lunch, Daisy asks what they should do in this heat. She wants to go into town. Tom realizes that Daisy loves Gatsby. He suddenly agrees they should go into town. He is obviously angry and trying to keep his temper with difficulty.
Tom suggests that Gatsby drive his car, and he'll drive Gatsby's--which doesn't appeal to Gatsby. Daisy tells Tom that Nick and Jordan will ride with him, and she will ride with Gatsby.
Tom reveals to Nick and Jordan while he is driving that he had Gatsby investigated, but he now wishes he had dug deeper now that he realizes Daisy's feelings for Gatsby.
They go to Wilson's garage. George Wilson is complaining that he is ill. He apologizes for calling Tom at lunch, but he really needs the money. He wonders what Tom is going to do about his old car.
Tom asks why he wants the money. Wilson says he and his wife want to go West. His wife always wanted to, and now he is going to force her to go. He realizes she has been having an affair, though he doesn't seem to know with who. Tom tells him he'll send the car over tomorrow afternoon.
Nick sees Myrtle watching Jordan jealously from a window, which she apparently thinks is Tom's wife.
Tom starts speeding to catch up with Daisy, upset to realize he is losing both his wife and mistress. They meet Daisy and Gatsby at a hotel while they argue about what to do. Tom wants to quarrel with Gatsby, but Daisy threatens to leave.
They hear a wedding taking place in another room of the hotel. Daisy reminisces about the day she married Tom. A man had fainted at the wedding. He was taken to Jordan's house, and he stayed three weeks until Jordan's father kicked him out. Jordan's father died the next day, but the man wasn't responsible. Nick said he knew a man with the same last name as the guest who overstayed his welcome. Jordan says the man Nick knew was the cousin of the guest.
Tom claims he didn't know the guest. He was Daisy's friend. Daisy denies this, saying that another friend of hers had asked if she could bring him at the last minute. Jordan says this particular guest claimed he was president of Tom's class at Yale, which Tom says is not true.
Suddenly, Tom asks Gatsby about going to Oxford. Gatsby claims he went but only attended five months.
Tom finally confronts Gatsby. Daisy tries to intervene. Tom complains about how everyone is throwing family institutions over, and pretty soon interracial marriages will be allowed to happen. Nick wants to laugh, though he is angry with Tom.
Nick proposes they go home. Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy doesn't love him (Tom) and never has. She loves Gatsby. Daisy only married Tom because Gatsby was poor, and she got tired of waiting.
Nick and Jordan try to leave, but Tom and Gatsby insist they stay. Tom believes that Daisy did love him when she married him, but she gets foolish ideas. Tom claims he loves her even if he has had affairs. He always comes back.
Daisy claims she finds Tom revolting. Gatsby insists that she tell Tom that she never loved him. Daisy eventually does, though she says it hesitantly. However, she finally admits that wasn't true...she had loved Tom--but she loves Gatsby now. Tom promises he'll take better care of her.
Gatsby tells Tom Daisy is leaving him, and she agrees. Tom denies that she is leaving him. He reveals he has been investigating Gatsby and knows he is an associate of Meyer Wolfsheim. Tom says he was right about Gatsby being a bootlegger.
Tom found out from Walter Chase, who went to jail for a month on account of Gatsby. He knew about other stuff, but Wolfsheim scared him into remaining silent. Gatsby doesn't deny it. However, he becomes reserved when Tom says there is something going on Chase is too scared to talk about.
Gatsby tries to talk to Daisy, but she withdraws into herself. Gatsby realizes it is over.
Tom orders Daisy to return home with Gatsby.
Nick realizes it is his birthday. He feels too old to be single, but Jordan seems to be a promising relationship.
* * * * *
Michaelis ran a coffee joint near George Wilson's garage. He was to be the main witness at the inquest over Myrtle Wilson's death.
He had found George Wilson sick in his office at the garage after five o'clock. George had his wife locked in a room upstairs. He planned to move away with her the day after the next. Michaelis was surprised that this passive man was being so aggressive. George won't reveal what happened and instead interrogates Michaelis about his activities. Michaelis gets nervous and leaves.
Later, after seven, he hears Mrs. Wilson yelling at her husband to beat her. She then runs out into the street, where she is hit by a car. The car that hit her didn't stop. Michaelis sees another car coming from the opposite direction stop and check on Myrtle. She is dead.
* * * * *
Tom is happy to see the car wreck, commenting that it will be good for Wilson's business. They hear wailing from the garage. Tom stops in excitement to check it out.
When they enter the garage, Tom's demeanor changes when he sees Myrtle's body. A policeman is taking down the names of people. A man is trying to comfort an unheeding George. Tom demands to know what happened.
A black witness, who was driving the other car that had stopped, claims he saw the car that hit her. George says he knows that car. Tom tells him the yellow car he was driving was not his.
Tom leaves. He is crying. He calls Gatsby a coward for not stopping.
* * * * *
Tom drives to his home. A light reveals that Daisy is already there. He realizes he didn't drop Nick off and offers to call a taxi. Meanwhile, Tom tells Nick and Jordan to have the servants give them dinner if they desire it.
Nick doesn't want to go inside, tired of everyone's company--even Jordan's. He goes to wait by the gate for the taxi.
Gatsby comes up to him from the bushes. He asks if the woman is dead. Nick confirms this. Gatsby says he left the car in his garage. Nick really hates him, but when he asks about what happened, he realizes it was Daisy who was driving.
Gatsby says Daisy had wanted to drive to calm her nerves. The woman rushed out as if she recognized them. Daisy swerved to avoid her, but when she saw the other car she swerved back again and hit her. She didn't stop, though Gatsby tried to get her to. He pulled the emergency brake to stop the car. He drove the rest of the way.
Gatsby is staying to make sure that Tom doesn't brutalize her. Nick worries what will happen if Tom finds out Daisy was the one who killed Myrtle and goes to check on them. He finds them talking over an untouched dinner like conspirators.
Nick goes back to the gate, saying everything is fine. Gatsby is determined to stay until they go to bed.
Chapter 8
Nick spends a sleepless night worrying. Finally he goes over to Gatsby's. Gatsby tells him that nothing happened. Daisy looked at him through the window and turned out the light.
Gatsby's house is dusty and musty. It seems enormous to Nick now.
Nick advises Gatsby to go away. The police will trace his car. Gatsby refuses to leave until he knows what Daisy is going to do.
Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy was the first nice girl he had known. He had wanted her from the start. He was dazzled by her opulent life. She was even more valuable in his eyes when he saw how many men were in love with her.
Gatsby had lead Daisy on under false pretenses that he could take care of her. She thought he knew a lot because he knew different things than she did. He was in love with her, and she was in love with him.
He was promoted quickly when he went off to war. He was made a captain before going off to the front, and he got his majority and command of the divisional machine guns after the Argonne battle.
Daisy's letters to him became frantic. She wanted him to come home. She was feeling outside pressure. He was delayed in his return because he was accidentally assigned to Oxford. Daisy wanted to come to a decision about her life, and that was the frame of mind she was in when she met Tom Buchanan. Gatsby got her letter when he was at Oxford.
Daisy's letters to him became frantic. She wanted him to come home. She was feeling outside pressure. He was delayed in his return because he was accidentally assigned to Oxford. Daisy wanted to come to a decision about her life, and that was the frame of mind she was in when she met Tom Buchanan. Gatsby got her letter when he was at Oxford.
Gatsby doesn't believe Daisy ever loved Tom. She only said the things she did because Tom scared her into believing that Gatsby was a bad person.
Gatsby had returned to Daisy's home town from France when she was on her honeymoon with Tom. He walked the streets and reminisced about their time together, and he felt like he had lost her.
Nick misses his train to work because he doesn't want to leave Gatsby. He tells Gatsby he is worth more than that rotten crowd. He is glad that he gives Gatsby that one compliment, as he had not particularly ever approved of Gatsby. He finally leaves to go to work.
Jordan Baker calls Nick at work. She tells him she left Daisy's house, and she wants to see him. He doesn't want to see her just now. They argue, and one of them hangs up on the other. Nick tries to call Gatsby but can't get through.
Officials had some difficulty tracking down Myrtle's sister Catherine. She was too drunk to understand much, and she fainted when told the news. Someone drove her to her sister's wake.
Wilson's garage attracted many curious onlookers. George Wilson kept rocking back and forth. Michaelis stayed with him.
Wilson eventually becomes coherent and talks about how he can find the yellow car. He also reveals that Myrtle came back from the city with a battered up face once.
Wilson shows Michaelis a dog leash Myrtle had bought...even though they don't have a dog.
George Wilson believes that Myrtle was murdered. She went out to speak to the man in the yellow car, and he wouldn't stop. George remembers the last conversation he had with Myrtle. He told her that she can fool him, but she can't fool God.
Michaelis goes home. When he wakes up, George Wilson is gone. George was going around inquiring about the yellow car. His inquiries lead him to Gatsby's house.
Gatsby is waiting for a message. He orders that his car is to stay out of sight and not get repaired. He is out by the pool when the butler hears gun shots. When Nick and the servants arrive, they see Jay Gatsby dead in the pool and George Wilson's body nearby.
Chapter 9
Nick remembers what followed as an endless parade of police officers, photographers, and journalists in and out of Gatsby's house. Little boys had discovered a way to see into Gatsby's yard via Nick's yard. The journalists' reports were sensational and mostly untrue. Thanks to Catherine, who denied that her sister had ever seen Gatsby, the case did not get overly complicated. Wilson was labeled a man who was made temporarily insane by grief. He killed the man he thought murdered his wife and then turned the gun on himself.
Nick finds himself put in charge of seeing to the arrangements for Gastby as there is no one else to do it. He tries to update Daisy, but she and Tom have went away. Nick calls Wolfsheim, but he isn't there. He writes to Wolfsheim, who writes back to claim he is too busy to come to the funeral and doesn't want to get involved. He offers to help Nick with anything else. He doesn't know Gatsby's family, but he would like to know when the funeral is.
Someone calls, telling Nick that Young Parke is in trouble. Nick tells the caller that Gatsby is dead, and the person abruptly hangs up.
A telegram the third day comes from a Henry C. Gatz, who asks for the funeral to be delayed until he comes. He is Gatsby's father. He is quite distraught. He found out from the Chicago newspaper. He is impressed by Gatsby's wealth. He says "Jimmy" would prefer to be buried where he made his wealth. He believed his son was a great and brilliant man.
Nick tries to call people to come to the funeral. Klipspringer calls to ask if his tennis shoes can be sent to him, but he can't make the funeral because he has plans. Another man he calls claims Gatsby got what he deserved.
Nick goes to Wolfsheim's office, which has a door with a sign that says "The Swastika Holding Company". The receptionist denies he is in, saying he is in Chicago. Nick know he is in his office because he can hear him whistling. When he mentions Gatsby, she goes to fetch Wolfsheim.
Wolfsheim reminisces how he met Gatsby when he was out of the army. He only had his uniform on his back and hadn't eaten in days. He came to Winebrenner's poolroom looking for a job. Wolfsheim invited him to lunch, and he ate extensively. He started Gatsby out with the American Legion.
Wolfsheim doesn't want to get involved with the mess over Gatsby's death. He isn't coming to the funeral. He used to stick by his friends, no matter how they died, when he was younger. Now his philosophy is to show friendship when they are alive and leave it alone when they are dead.
Mr. Gatz shows Nick a picture of Gatsby's house that Gatsby sent him. He last saw his son two years ago. He had been upset when "Jimmy" left home, but now he understands that he was trying to make his future. When he was successful, he was generous. He bought his father his house. Then he pulls out a book Hopalong Cassidy that Gatsby had as a boy, where he printed his schedule and goals. Gatsby was always trying to improve himself. The father beat him once for telling him he ate like a hog.
Nobody comes to Gatsby's funeral, even though Nick delays the ceremony for half an hour. Owl-eyed man comes to the burial.
Nick's next vivid memory is coming back to West Egg from prep school and later college. West Egg suited him--as it did Gatsby and the Buchanans. East Egg was superior and exciting, but it was a distorted facade--a place where nobody cares about you.
He goes to see Jordan Baker. She is engaged to someone else. She points out to Nick that he threw her over on the phone, and that had been a new experience for her. Nick leaves her in anger, still in love, and sorry for how it all turned out.
Nick sees Tom and refuses to shake hands with him. He asks Tom what he told Wilson. Tom says Wilson broke in and threatened him with a gun. He tells Nick it hasn't been easy for him either losing Myrtle. He cried when he gave up the flat he shared with Myrtle. Gatsby had it coming, and he isn't sorry. Nick realizes that Tom and Daisy are alike. They destroy things and then leave others to clean it up. Nick shakes Tom's hand.
Gatsby's house is empty and the grass is overgrown. Nick avoids a taxi driver who always stops to point out the place. Nick spends Saturday nights in New York so not to be haunted by the memories of Gatsby's parties. He reflects about how Gatsby thought his dreams had been within reach, but they had actually been left in the past.
I have a quiz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxNQ1kxZVhs&feature=youtu.be
Chapter 9
Nick remembers what followed as an endless parade of police officers, photographers, and journalists in and out of Gatsby's house. Little boys had discovered a way to see into Gatsby's yard via Nick's yard. The journalists' reports were sensational and mostly untrue. Thanks to Catherine, who denied that her sister had ever seen Gatsby, the case did not get overly complicated. Wilson was labeled a man who was made temporarily insane by grief. He killed the man he thought murdered his wife and then turned the gun on himself.
Nick finds himself put in charge of seeing to the arrangements for Gastby as there is no one else to do it. He tries to update Daisy, but she and Tom have went away. Nick calls Wolfsheim, but he isn't there. He writes to Wolfsheim, who writes back to claim he is too busy to come to the funeral and doesn't want to get involved. He offers to help Nick with anything else. He doesn't know Gatsby's family, but he would like to know when the funeral is.
Someone calls, telling Nick that Young Parke is in trouble. Nick tells the caller that Gatsby is dead, and the person abruptly hangs up.
A telegram the third day comes from a Henry C. Gatz, who asks for the funeral to be delayed until he comes. He is Gatsby's father. He is quite distraught. He found out from the Chicago newspaper. He is impressed by Gatsby's wealth. He says "Jimmy" would prefer to be buried where he made his wealth. He believed his son was a great and brilliant man.
Nick tries to call people to come to the funeral. Klipspringer calls to ask if his tennis shoes can be sent to him, but he can't make the funeral because he has plans. Another man he calls claims Gatsby got what he deserved.
Nick goes to Wolfsheim's office, which has a door with a sign that says "The Swastika Holding Company". The receptionist denies he is in, saying he is in Chicago. Nick know he is in his office because he can hear him whistling. When he mentions Gatsby, she goes to fetch Wolfsheim.
Wolfsheim reminisces how he met Gatsby when he was out of the army. He only had his uniform on his back and hadn't eaten in days. He came to Winebrenner's poolroom looking for a job. Wolfsheim invited him to lunch, and he ate extensively. He started Gatsby out with the American Legion.
Wolfsheim doesn't want to get involved with the mess over Gatsby's death. He isn't coming to the funeral. He used to stick by his friends, no matter how they died, when he was younger. Now his philosophy is to show friendship when they are alive and leave it alone when they are dead.
Mr. Gatz shows Nick a picture of Gatsby's house that Gatsby sent him. He last saw his son two years ago. He had been upset when "Jimmy" left home, but now he understands that he was trying to make his future. When he was successful, he was generous. He bought his father his house. Then he pulls out a book Hopalong Cassidy that Gatsby had as a boy, where he printed his schedule and goals. Gatsby was always trying to improve himself. The father beat him once for telling him he ate like a hog.
Nobody comes to Gatsby's funeral, even though Nick delays the ceremony for half an hour. Owl-eyed man comes to the burial.
Nick's next vivid memory is coming back to West Egg from prep school and later college. West Egg suited him--as it did Gatsby and the Buchanans. East Egg was superior and exciting, but it was a distorted facade--a place where nobody cares about you.
He goes to see Jordan Baker. She is engaged to someone else. She points out to Nick that he threw her over on the phone, and that had been a new experience for her. Nick leaves her in anger, still in love, and sorry for how it all turned out.
Nick sees Tom and refuses to shake hands with him. He asks Tom what he told Wilson. Tom says Wilson broke in and threatened him with a gun. He tells Nick it hasn't been easy for him either losing Myrtle. He cried when he gave up the flat he shared with Myrtle. Gatsby had it coming, and he isn't sorry. Nick realizes that Tom and Daisy are alike. They destroy things and then leave others to clean it up. Nick shakes Tom's hand.
Gatsby's house is empty and the grass is overgrown. Nick avoids a taxi driver who always stops to point out the place. Nick spends Saturday nights in New York so not to be haunted by the memories of Gatsby's parties. He reflects about how Gatsby thought his dreams had been within reach, but they had actually been left in the past.
I have a quiz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxNQ1kxZVhs&feature=youtu.be
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment