The Great Gatsby Ch 9 pg 171-189

The chapter begins with photographers and police at Gatsby’s house to investigate the murder. Nick feels responsible to find someone for Gatsby but there’s no one. Daisy and Tom ran away, Wolfshiem’s gone. Nick gets a telegram from Henry C. Gatz, Gatsby’s father. He’s very proud of what he son had accomplished. Klipspringer calls and he’s more concerned with the shoes he left at Gatsby’s rather than Gatsby’s death. Nick went to see Wolfshiem and Wolfshiem tells of how he “made” Gatsby, but he says that he can’t go to the funeral. No one came to Gatsby’s funeral, but owl eyes shows up at the cemetery. Nick decides to go home because the East haunts him after Gatsby’s death. Before he leaves, he talks to Jordan and she tells him she’s engaged to another man. Nick sees Tom and Tom told Wilson that Gatsby owned the car that killed Myrtle to save himself. Nick ends the book by talking about Gatsby’s dream.

Henry C. Gatz

“He had reached an age where death no longer has the quality of ghastly surprise, and when he looked around him no for the first time and saw the height and splendor of the hall and the great rooms opening out from it into other rooms his grief began to be mixed with an awed pride.” (176)

Henry C. Gatz is a solemn old man, with a thin gray beard. His eyes are filled with excitement and he trembles.

Henry C. Gatz is Gatsby’s father. He represents the one thing in Gatsby’s life that is completely real. He knows who Gatsby really was. He is the only person, besides Nick, who went to Gatsby’s funeral. Out of all of the people who attended Gatsby’s regular Saturday parties, two people showed up. They were the only two people who knew who the real Gatsby was.

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will fun faster, stretch out our arms farther… And one fine morning------ So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (189)

This quote was the last paragraph in the book. It stood out to me because it involves the reader. It talks about how all of us will still reach for our goals and dreams, even though we may have failed in the past. It’s human nature for us to chase our dreams, however farfetched they may be. No matter what happens in the past, we will still beat on into the future, ready to take on new challenges and chase even farther fetched dreams.

The Great Gatsby Ch 8 pg 154-170

The chapter starts off when Nick goes to Gatsby’s house. He tells Gatsby that he should leave. “He wouldn’t consider it. He couldn’t possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn’t bear to shake him free.” (155) Gatsby starts to talk about Daisy. He was surprised that she loved him. He thought that she would let him go quickly, but she really did love him. Gatsby tries to convince himself that Daisy never loved Tom. Nick realizes that he has to leave during Gatsby’s story and says he will call. “’They’re a rotten crowd,’ I shouted, across the lawn. ‘You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.’” (162) We find out what happened after everyone left Wilson’s garage. Michaelis, a young man who runs the coffee shop near the Wilson’s, stays with George and he revels that he knew what Myrtle was doing. He said that God was watching referring to the ad of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Wilson went around trying to figure out who owned the car that killed Myrtle. He found out Gatsby’s name. Wilson goes to Gatsby’s house and shoots Gatsby then himself.

Michaelis

“Michaelis and several other men were with him—first four or five men, later two or three men. Still later Michaelis had to ask the last stranger to wait there fifteen minutes lover while he went back to his own place and made a pot of coffee. After that he stayed there alone with Wilson until dawm.” (164)

Michaelis is young and Greek. He runs the coffee shop near the ash heaps.

Michaelis is the main witness in Myrtle’s death. Before the car accident, he makes the discovery of a fight between Myrtle and Wilson. Michaelis witnesses the car accident. He gives the police the possible color of the car. He also stays with Wilson for awhile after Myrtle’s death to keep an eye on him. He is the only character who shows compassion in the book. He stays with Wilson and watches over him when Wilson is depressed and crazy about Myrtle’s death.

“A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about…” (169)

This quote stood out to me because it perfectly represents the whole time period in the book. It was a new world after the war. The people in this period of time were known as the “lost generation.” They floated around, not being fully satisfied with the things in their lives. The world was also very materialistic, as portrayed through many characters in the book. However, the more stuff they have on the outside, the emptier they seem to be inside.

The Great Gatsby: Ch 7 pg 119-153

Chapter 7 begins with Gatsby not having one of his extravagant parties on a Saturday night. He has new servants at his house and they are friends of Wolfshiem. Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby go to the Buchanan’s on a hot, summer day. Tom suspects something’s going on between Gatsby and Daisy because she openly flirts with Gatsby. We are briefly introduced to Daisy and Tom’s daughter. She is dismissed and Daisy suggests that they all go into town. Tom, Nick, and Jordan ride in Gatsby’s car while Daisy and Gatsby ride in Tom’s car. Tom stops by Wilson’s garage for gas and finds out that the Wilsons are going to move. “His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate were slipping precipitately from his control.” (131) They all meet at a hotel and everything comes to a head. Gatsby insists that Daisy never loved Tom and she says she loved them both. We find out that Gatsby was a “bootlegger.” They all leave the hotel and see a bunch of cars in front of Wilson’s garage. Myrtle was hit by a car and killed instantly. It was Gatsby’s car, but Daisy was driving. Gatsby says that he will take the blame and he insisted that he waits outside the Buchanan’s house to make sure that Tom didn’t hurt Daisy. Nick sees Tom and Daisy talking. “They weren’t happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale—and yet they weren’t unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together.” (152-153)

Pammy Buchanan

“With a reluctant backward glance the well-disciplined child held to her nurse’s hand and was pulled out the door.” (124)

Pammy is shy and has tiny hands. According to Daisy, she doesn’t look like Tom and has Daisy’s hair and shape of face. She wants affection from her mother.

Pammy is Tom and Daisy’s daughter. We’ve heard about her before, but this was the first time we have met her in the book. She is the one thing that keeps Tom and Daisy together and she doesn’t even seem that important to them. They dress her up like a doll. She is just a part of the image of the perfect family that Daisy is trying to portray.

“’She’s got an indiscreet voice,’ I remarked. ‘It’s full of-----‘ I hesitated. ‘Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money—and that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbal’s song of it…. High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl….” (127)

This quote stood out to me because it perfectly describes how Daisy is on the inside. She is completely carefree and doesn’t have to work. She has Tom who provides for her and he knows that she loves his money. She puts on this show that her life is absolutely perfect. She has a gorgeous house and the “perfect family,” but that is all material things to her. She loves to put on a show and pretend that everything is wonderful, as if it was written for a movie. She only cares about the material things in life and wants her life to be played out like the movies. The thing about movies is that the script is completely fake.

The Great Gatsby Ch 6 pg 103-118

The chapter begins when a reporter goes to Gatsby’s house and attempts to interview him, but Gatsby doesn’t know what the reporter is talking about. All the parties are getting Gatsby a lot of attention so the reporter is asking him about them. More rumors are starting to circulate around Gatsby. One rumor is that Gatsby invented himself and that his real name is James Gatz. He invented his current identity. Supposedly Gatsby met the wealthy Dan Cody when he was younger and Gatsby decided to create a fake identity for himself. Later on in the chapter, Tom arrives at one of Gatsby’s parties with Daisy. Nick felt an unpleasantness in the air due to Tom’s presence. Gatsby wishes Daisy was. He says determinedly, “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before… She’ll see.” Pg 117

Dan Cody

“Dan Cody sober knew what lavish doings Dan Cody drunk might soon be about and he provided such contingences by reposing more and more trust in Gatsby.” Pg 106

Dan Cody was a fifty years old when Gatsby met him. The Montana copper made him a millionaire. He was physically robust, but also on the verge of soft mindedness. He suspected that a large number of women tried to separate him from his money.

Dan Cody’s role in this chapter is that he is apparently the reason why Gatsby is rich and changed his name. When Cody died, Gatsby was supposed to inherit money but he never did because the legal system cheated him. Dan Cody is supposed to show how wild rumors start and his role with Gatsby keeps Gatsby mysterious.

“But the rest offended her—and inarguably, because it wasn’t a gesture but an emotion.” Pg 113. This quote is about Daisy’s jealousy towards the young actress and the producer. They were together all night at Gatsby’s party and he eventually kissed her. Daisy had probably been kissed by Tom many times, but the kisses were always gestures with no real passion or emotion behind them. She wants to be kissed the way the young actress was kissed, with true emotion.

The Great Gatsby Ch 5 pg 86-102

The chapter begins when Nick sees Gatsby’s house completely lit up. He goes over and he can tell that Gatsby is nervous about Daisy coming over to West Egg. Gatsby offers Nick a secret job and Nick wants nothing to do with it, so he declines. Daisy arrives at Nick’s and things are awkward between Gatsby, Daisy, and Nick.  Nick leaves the room and when he comes back, the awkwardness fades away because Gatsby and Daisy talked about something unknown. Gatsby invites Nick and Daisy over to his house and he tries to impress Daisy the whole time. The chapter ends with Nick walking out into the pouring rain, leaving Gatsby and Daisy together at Gatsby’s house.

Mr. Klipspringer

“’I was asleep,’ cried Mr. Klipspringer, in a spasm of embarrassment. ‘That is, I’d been asleep. Then I got up…’ ‘Klipspringer plays the piano,’ said Gatsby, cutting him off. ‘Don’t you, Ewing, old sport?’ ‘I don’t play well. I don’t—I hardly play at all. I’m all out of prac----.’ ‘We’ll go downstairs,’ interrupted Gatsby.” Pg 100

Mr. Klipspringer is an embarrassed, slightly worn young man. He has shell-rimmed glasses and scanty blonde hair. He wears odd clothes.

Mr. Klipspringer is a “boarder” at Gatsby’s house. I feel that he was thrown into the scene to show a controlling side of Gatsby. He is so willing to impress Daisy that he is rude to someone in his home. Mr. Klipspringer willingly does as he’s told and I’m not sure why he doesn’t put up a fight when Gatsby pushes him to play the piano.

“Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it seemed very near to her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.” Pg 98

This quote stood out to me because it showed how Gatsby didn’t have to long after Daisy anymore. He finally got a chance to see her and talk with her. The light that once represented her, something so far away but constantly there is now just an object because the real girl is near. The light is now something that is just at the end of her dock and does not represent her anymore.

The Great Gatsby: Ch 4 pg 65-85

At the beginning of this chapter, Nick describes all of the people who come to Gatsby’s parties. He takes notes on them because he wants to know more about them. They are all very important people or high in society. Gatsby takes Nick out to lunch. On the way there, Gatsby tells Nick about the important parts of his life in order to dispel the rumors about him. They meet up with Gatsby’s friend, Mr. Wolfshiem, and they talk about sentimental events. Nick sees Tom in the restaurant and he goes over to introduce Gatsby. “They shook hands briefly and a strained, unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby’s face. Nick goes out to lunch with Jordan and she tells him that Gatsby and Daisy used to know each other. Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy over so that he can stop by and say hello without it being awkward. The chapter ends with Nick holding Jordan close to him.

Mr. Wolfshiem

“A succulent hash arrived and Mr. Wolfshiem, forgetting the more sentimental atmosphere of old Metropole, began to eat with ferocious delicacy. His eyes, meanwhile, roved very slowly all around the room—he completed the arc by turning to inspect the people directly behind. I think that, except for my presence, he would have taken one short glance beneath our own table.” (pg 75-76)

Mr. Wolfshiem is Jewish with a small, flat nose and a large head. He has two hairs in his nostril which stick out. He has tiny eyes. He seems very cautious and paranoid and times. He is fifty years old. He is a gambler and gets sentimental at times.  

Mr. Wolfshiem is a friend of Gatsby.  It turns out that he is the man who fixed the World Series in 1919. Nick meets him in a restaurant with Gatsby.

“Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.” (pg 83) This quote stood out to me because I had a feeling that Gatsby is in love with Daisy. In the beginning of the book where Nick sees Gatsby reaching across the bay, Gatsby is reaching towards Daisy. We also talked about how Gatsby is in love with Daisy in class. He really is a romantic because he bought a house just so that his love would be across from him. She’s always there, but he just can’t reach her.

The Great Gatsby: Ch 3 pg 43-64

In chapter three, Nick describes how Gatsby gets ready for one of his elaborate parties. Nick lists all of the expensive things that Gatsby has at his parties. Nick gets invited to one of Gatsby’s parties. At first, Nick was uncomfortable because he didn’t know anyone. Then, he saw Jordan Baker and stayed with her for most of the night. There are a lot of rumors about who Gatsby is, which shows that no one truly knows him. Nick meets Gatsby and he envisioned him to be completely different. Nick recalls the past couple weeks of his life and talks about Jordan. He is attracted to her, but he realizes that she is a dishonest person. The chapter concludes with Nick stating, “Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” (Pg 64)

Jay Gatsby

“He smiled understandingly—much more than 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 seemed to face—the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with such an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.” (pg 53)

Gatsby has an elegant, young, rough-neck and he is in his early thirties. His speaks very elaborately and formally. He picks the words that he is going to say with care. He has approving eyes. He has tan skin, a tight face, and short hair that looked like it got cut every day.  He looked like a good guy with nothing evil about him.

Gatsby is Nick’s wealthy and elaborate neighbor in West Egg. He throws elaborate parties and lets anyone attend, even if he does not know them. No one knows a lot about him but a lot of rumors circulate about him. Some people think that he once killed a man, but no one knows if that is true. Everyone knows his name, but  no one knows who is really is. His is the mysterious Gatsby.

“And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.” (pg 54) This quote was said by Jordan Baker and it stood out to me because it is very ironic. She feels more comfortable at large parties, but uncomfortable and small parties. It seems like she likes large parties because there is more going on, so there are more chances for one on one conversation. However, I don’t think that large parties are intimate because there is so much going on. Small parties don’t allow a lot of privacy because there are enough people to know everything that’s going on at the party, but it is very intimate.