Great Gatsby, Chapter 8

1.       Chapter 8, Pages 147-162

2.       Chapter eight begins with Gatsby waiting all night at the Buchanan’s but nothing happens. Nick warns Gatsby that he should leave town, but Gatsby can’t imagine leaving Daisy so he refuses. Nick then tells us about Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship five years ago. Daisy was Gatsby’s first “nice” girl and his original intent was to just use her for sex. But instead, Gatsby accidentally falls in love with her. Gatsby always felt uncomfortable in her house because they were from two different worlds. Daisy came from a rich and comfortable lifestyle whereas Gatsby did not. However, he was able to mislead her into thinking that he was. While Gatsby was away in the war, Daisy got tired of waiting so she married Tom. Flashing back to the present, one of Gatsby’s servants tells Gatsby that he is going to drain the pool and Gatsby says that he hasn’t used it all summer. Once Nick is at work, Jordan calls and they are both rude to each other. We can see that Nick is sick and tired of the whole crowd. Back in Wilson’s garage, we find Wilson rocking back and forth full of grief when all of a sudden he has a revelation. He says that he has suspected Myrtle of cheating on him for a while now and now he thinks whoever he was must have killed her. Wilson then goes crazy and somehow he gets Gatsby’s address. Shots are fired. Nick and some of Gatsby’s servants find Gatsby and Wilson both dead in Gatsby’s backyard.

3.       George Wilson

a.       “I'm one of those trusting fellas and I don't think any harm to nobody, but when I get to know a thing I know it."

b.       George is the husband to Myrtle Wilson. When we first meet Wilson, he is shy, trusting, and loyal. However, his character completely changes with the death of his wife. One could argue that the rich characters and society corrupted him and changed him into a murderous and vengeful man.

c.        Wilson is a very trusting man which makes him a doormat in his marriage to Myrtle. He is hopelessly in love with a woman who does not love him back. We can see his devotion to her when he goes and murders Gatsby because he thought that Gatsby was the other man.

4.       “But he didn’t despise himself and it didn’t turn out as he had imagined. He had intended, probably, to take what he could and go--but now he found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail. He knew that Daisy was extraordinary, but he didn’t realize just how extraordinary a “nice” girl could be.”

                     a. I liked this quote because it explains how desperate Gatsby was for Daisy to love him. Fitzgerald relates Gatsby    
                         looking for Daisy to looking for the Holy Grail because it is impossible to find. However, in both instances it is not the
                         grail or the love he is actually looking for. The actual journey, Fitzgerald is saying, is the reason for the search

Great Gatsby, Journal #7

1.       Chapter 7, Pages 113-145

2.    The next Saturday night comes but Gatsby has locked himself up in his house and he doesn’t throw a party. Nick also tells us that Gatsby has fired all of his servants and hired new ones who won’t gossip about Daisy who comes over to Gatsby’s house a lot during the afternoons. Nick is then invited to eat at the Buchanan’s house. As soon as Gatsby walks in the room, Daisy instructs Tom to make everyone drinks and once he leaves, she openly kisses Gatsby and says she loves him. Daisy’s daughter, Pammy, comes into the room and Gatsby is a little upset by this. Tom and Gatsby start bickering but to break the tension, they all decide to go into town. Right before they leave, Tom realizes that his wife is having an affair and that Jordan and Nick have known all along. Tom stops at Wilson’s garage on the way into town to get gas. Wilson says that he and his wife both want to move west. Tom, Daisy, Jordan, Nick and Gatsby all end up in the Plaza Hotel to cool off. While in their room, Gatsby and Tom start bickering once more and Gatsby takes it upon himself to tell Tom that Daisy never loved him. At first Daisy agrees with Gatsby but after Tom gets upset, she finally admits that she loved him once, but not anymore. Nick realizes that today is his birthday and he is thirty. Daisy then begs to go home and she and Gatsby ride together while the rest ride with Tom. On the way home, Tom, Nick and Jordan stop at Wilson’s place but it seems that a tragedy has occurred. Wilson’s neighbor, Michaelis, tells the gang that Myrtle ran out into the street and was hit by a yellow car. It is obvious that it was Gatsby’s car that hit her. Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy was the one driving when the car hit Myrtle, but he says he is prepared to take the blame for her. Nick then finds Tom and Daisy in an intimate scene and they seem to have reconciled.

3.       Pammy Buchanan

a.       “With a reluctant backward glance the well-disciplined child held to her nurse’s hand and was pulled out the door.”

b.       Pammy is Tom and Daisy’s daughter who is constantly taken care of by a nurse, not her mother.  She is small with tiny hands and according to her mother, she looks like Daisy with her yellow hair.

c.        Pammy has been mentioned before in the story but this is the first time she actually appears. I think she finally appears now because of Gatsby’s reaction to her. He is completely taken aback as if he never believed she existed. This goes along with our discussion in class about how Daisy could never live up to Gatsby’s dream.

4.       "’What kind of a row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow?’
They were out in the open at last and Gatsby was content.
‘He isn’t causing a row.’ Daisy looked desperately from one to the other. ‘You’re causing a row. Please have a little self-control.’
‘Self-control!’ Repeated Tom incredulously. ‘I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that’s the idea you can count me out.’”

a.       They are finally open about Daisy and Gatsby’s affair. Tom is not happy about it while Gatsby was relived. The thing that really bothers Tom is that Gatsby is “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere.” Tom has also been having an affair with Myrtle so why is he so upset about Daisy and Gatsby if he obviously doesn’t care about Daisy.

Great Gatsby, Journal #6

1.      Chapter 6, Pages 97-111

2.      The sixth chapter begins with a newspaper man coming to Gatsby’s mansion to find out about Gatsby’s secrets. Nick then decides to tell us Gatsby’s real story. He says that Gatsby lied about everything, including his real name, which is James Gatz. So the story goes that a 17-year-old James Gatz rowed out on a boat to warn Dan Cody about the wind. Gatsby then spent the next five years with Cody as his steward, mate, secretary, and jailor. After Cody passes away, his will states that Gatsby is supposed to inherit his money but, somehow Cody’s mistress kept it all to herself. Now, it is directed back to a party at Gatsby’s where Sloane and Tom Buchanan stop by. During a conversation with Buchanan, Gatsby subtly states that he knows Daisy. Tom and Daisy come to Gatsby’s next party where Gatsby and Daisy sneak off to Nick front porch where they can talk privately. At dinner, Tom leaves to sit at another table and everyone, including Daisy, knows why. As they are leaving, Tom says that he wants to find out the real truth behind Gatsby, mostly how he got his money. After they leave, Gatsby tells Nick that he is concerned that Daisy won’t understand and Nick tells us that Gatsby wants her to tell Tom that she never loved him. At the end of this chapter, Nick says he is reminded of something but he doesn’t know what it is.

3.      Dan Cody

a.       “Cody was fifty years old then, a product of the Nevada silver fields, of the Yukon, of every rush for metal since seventy-five. The transactions in the Montana copper that made him many times a millionaire found him physically robust but in the verge of soft-mindedness, and, suspecting this an infinite number of women tried to separate him for his money.”

b.      Dan Cody is rich, old, lonely, adventure-seeking, easily played by women, and a heavy drinker.

c.       In this novel, Cody is Gatsby’s mentor in many ways. He took Gatsby under his wing for five years and Gatsby learned a lot from him. He especially learned not to drink. Nick tells us that it is because of Cody that Gatsby hardly ever drinks. Cody also played the role of showing Gatsby all of the wonders of the world by touring around in the yacht.

4.      “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’ After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to be taken. One of them was that, after she was free, they were to go back to Louisville and be married from her house—just as if it were five years ago.”

a.       Here Nick explains that Gatsby wants Daisy to break it off with Tom and run away with him. This stood out to me because I thought that this is asking a lot of Daisy. If she were to tell Tom that she never loved him, five years of her life would go to waste, their “relationship” would be ruined, and Daisy’s child would have divorced parents. Gatsby, on the other hand, has nothing to lose. He spent the last five years building his social status all to get Daisy back.

Great Gatsby, Journal #5

1.      Chapter 5, Pages 81-96

2.      At the beginning of this chapter, Nick is arriving home late at night when Gatsby approaches him. Nick tells Gatsby that he will ask Daisy over for tea and Gatsby then offers him a business deal that Nick refuses. On the morning of the tea, Gatsby helps Nick prepare his house and makes sure everything is perfect for her. During the first half of Daisy’s visit, it is extremely awkward for everyone and Gatsby thinks that it was a mistake. However, when Nick leaves them alone, Gatsby and Daisy are able to revitalize their relationship. Gatsby then invites the two to take a tour around his house, which looks like an attempt to impress Daisy. After a while, Nick feels uncomfortable with the two of them so he leaves them alone in Gatsby’s mansion.

3.      Jay Gatsby

a.       “Yes…Well, I can’t talk now…I can’t talk now, old sport…”

b.      In this chapter, Gatsby is extremely nervous about seeing Daisy because even though she is married, he has a deep love for her. Gatsby is rich, mysterious, secretive, lonely, and stylish.

c.       In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a rich lonely man who lives next door to Nick Carraway, the narrator. Gatsby throws wild weekly parties and most of the people that come don’t even know him. He throws these parties hoping that the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan will come, even though he knows she is married to Tom Buchanan. He then asks Nick, who is Daisy’s second cousin, to invite Daisy over to have tea at Nick’s house so he can see her again.

4.      “Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes. With his hands still in his coat pockets he stalked by me into the hall, turned sharply as if he were on a wire, and disappeared into the living room.”

a.       This exemplifies how nervous Gatsby was right before he was meeting Daisy for the first time in almost five years. This stood out to me because it suggests how he feels about Daisy. At this time men saw woman as their property or their objects. Here, however, Gatsby is so nervous about seeing her that his face is pale and his eyes are glaring tragically. That does not sound like a man who sees Daisy as an object.

Geat Gatsby, Chapter 4

1.      Chapter 4, Pages 61-80

2.      For the first time, Gatsby himself arrives at Nick’s door and invites him to lunch. They drive in Gatsby’s wonderful car to New York, but on the way, Gatsby tells a little more about his life but still leaves many things a mystery. He also asks Nick to meet with Jordan so she can explain a favor that Gatsby is asking of Nick. Once they arrive at the restaurant they are met by Meyer Wolfsheim, an old Jewish gambler who fixed the World Series in 1919, according to Gatsby. As they are leaving, Nick sees Tom off in the distance and he walks over to say hello. Nick introduces Tom to Gatsby but Gatsby walks off before they could have a real conversation. When Nick meets with Jordan over tea, she tells him that Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy over so Gatsby can see her. Jordan tells him how Gatsby and Daisy met and fell in love, which is why Gatsby moved to West Egg and has thrown all those elegant parties. This chapter ends with Nick agreeing to have Daisy over and asking Jordan on a date, all while he holds Jordan in his arms.

3.      Meyer Wolfsheim

a.       “He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919.”

b.      Meyer Wolfsheim is a fifty-year old man who is described as a flat-nosed Jew with a large head and tiny eyes. He is a very smart gambler who fixed the World Series in 1919. Wolfsheim is stubborn, polite, and sentimental.

c.       Wolfsheim is into illegal activity which we can see from his involvement in the World Series. This makes me wonder how and why Gatsby knows him. Is Gatsby into illegal acts too?

4.      “’Gratulate me,’ she muttered. ‘Never had a drink before, but oh how I do enjoy it.’ ...’Take ‘em down-stairs and give ‘em back to whoever they belong to Tell ‘em all Daisy’s changed mine. Say: ‘Daisy’s changed her mine!’”

a.       Here Daisy is having second thought about her marriage to Tom. It takes a little alcohol to make her tell the truth and her emotions. She is having these second thoughts probably because of the letter she had snatched in her hand, which is probably from Gatsby. Her choice to marry Tom to have a more comfortable life, instead of marrying Gatsby, shows us about her character.

The Great Gatsby, Journal #3

1.      Chapter 3, Pages 39-59

2.      Nick is invited to one of Gatsby’s infamous parties and when he arrives, he is astonished by how luxurious and elegant it is. While strolling around the party, he sees Jordan Baker with some of her friends. He is invited to sit down with them and one of their first conversational topics is, of course, the infamous Gatsby. They each have their own story of who Gatsby is but no one knows for sure. Later at party, Nick is having a casual conversation with the man next to him whom he finds out served in the army with him. Nick later finds out that he was Gatsby. Nick then continues to describe his new life in New York and how he is really starting to like the city and Jordan Baker.

3.      Jay Gatsby

a.       “[Gatsby] smiled understandingly—much more understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced—or it seemed to face—the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor.”

b.      Gatsby is down to earth, understanding, caring, and intelligent.

c.       Gatsby’s role in the novel is very mystical and almost unbelievable. Everyone thinks they know who he really is but no one really knows for sure. They all want to be as rich and prosperous as Gatsby so he is a symbol of hope and optimism. He is the only character that we have met so far that is both rich in a physical sense and rich on the inside.

4.      “The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside, until the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s names.”

a.       Here Nick is describing how lonely he feels in this very crowded party. He is constantly surrounded by people yet he feels this loneliness or emptiness. This stood out to me because it really describes how different Nick really is.

The Great Gatsby, Journal #2

1.      Chapter 2, Pages 23-38

2.      In this second chapter, Tom Buchanan insists that Nick comes with him to meet his mistress, Myrtle Wilson. They go to a small repair shop owned by George Wilson to see her because she is Wilson’s wife. Tom convinces her to go with them and after buying a puppy, they arrive at a small apartment. Once they are there, Myrtle invites many people including her sister Catherine and the McKee’s to come over. Near the end of the party, Myrtle mentions Daisy’s name and Tom breaks her nose. After seeing all the commotion and blood, Nick decides to leave the party.

3.      George Wilson

a.       “He was a blond, spiritless man, anaemic, and faintly handsome. When he saw us a damp gleam of hope sprang into his light blue eyes.”

b.      From this character description, he is spiritless and faintly handsome.

c.       Wilson’s role in the novel this far is Myrtle’s husband who has no idea that she is having an affair with Tom Buchanan. Myrtle does not love him and the only reason she married him was because she thought he was a gentlemen.

4.      “Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face, discussing in impassioned voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy’s name. ‘Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!’ shouted Mrs. Wilson. ‘I’ll say whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-’ Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.”

a.       This represents the different roles that men and women had at this time in history. Men were expected to be more physical while women were expected to be submissive. It really stood out to me because I never would have suspected that Tom would have hit Myrtle just for saying Daisy’s name. I thought he would have just let it go. This might suggest that he cares about Daisy a little more than he shows.

The Great Gatsby, Journal #1

1.      Chapter 1, Pages 1-21

2.      In this first chapter, we meet the narrator, Nick Carraway, who recently moved to West Egg in New York. During this chapter, he visits Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s house for dinner and meets a young woman named Jordan Baker. While they are eating dinner, Carraway mentions that he lives in West Egg and the Buchanan’s ask him if he knows a man by the name of Gatsby. But before he could answer, they were on to a new topic. At the end of the chapter, Nick is sitting on a grass roller on his front lawn when he sees Gatsby off in the distance.

3.      In the first chapter, the character Tom Buchanan appears in the novel.

a.       “Now [Buchanan] was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward…It was a body capable of enormous leverage--a cruel body.”

b.      From this character description, we can see that he is sturdy, arrogant, dominant, aggressive, rich and almost cruel. Moreover, through his actions and words, he is rude and racist.

c.       In The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan is an arrogant rich man who is married to Daisy Buchanan, Nick Carraway’s second cousin. Buchanan hosts a dinner with Nick where we find that Buchanan is a racist and has “some woman” in New York. He also allows a young woman by the name of Jordan Baker to stay with him and Daisy at their mansion.

4.      “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool--that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

a.       Here Daisy Buchanan is trying to explain how in their culture of the 1920’s, intelligence is not a desired trait in a woman. Men would rather have a woman that is foolish or ditzy than a woman who is smart. Since she is smart, Daisy is challenging their society and saying that the only way a woman can be successful is by being a fool or an air-head. Even though she is intelligent, she conforms to society by pretending to be an air-head.