Chapter 9 Pages 171-189

Summary: Reporters are everywhere, and Nick tries to call Daisy only to find that Daisy and Tom are gone. Wolfshiem refuses to get himself involved with murders, and Gatsby’s dad, Henry Gatz, shows up. Henry is very proud of his son and shows off a picture of the house and a book he used to keep. Nick helps set up a funeral for Gatsby that nobody comes to except for his dad, a few servants, and owl eyes. Nick hears that Jordan is engaged and talks to Tom one last time before he leaves West Egg.

Character: Henry Gatz

            “…a solemn old man very helpless and dismayed, bundled up in a long cheap ulster against the warm September day. His eyes leaked continuously with excitement and when I took the bag and umbrella from his hands he began to pull so increasingly at his sparse grey beard that I had difficulty getting off his coat” (Fitzgerald 175).

            Henry Gatz is extremely proud of his son. He looks past everything that has happened and sees his son as a successful man. He shows everyone the picture of Gatsby’s house and is very excited to see the house in person. Henry loves the materialism that his son was able to acquire. Also he is friendly towards Nick and tries to make the most out of his visit.

            Henry was put into this chapter to show the other side of Gatsby. Henry and Nick are the only other people in the novel that know of him as Jay Gatz. Jay was a simple young man who followed his heart, but everyone saw Gatsby as a rich man who threw great parties and made good business deals. Henry was able to show who Gatsby really was. Gatsby hasn’t changed on the inside, but he has become richer making people think he is a different person. Also there is finally someone in Gatsby’s life besides his servants and party friends. Gatsby doesn’t have any strong relationships in this novel except for the illumined one with Daisy. Henry is one of the few relationships Gatsby had.

Quote: “I couldn’t forgive him or like him but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (Fitzgerald 188). Myrtle and Gatsby’s death are both Daisy and Tom’s fault. Daisy killed Myrtle because she was angry that Tom was cheating on her with him, and Tom told George that Gatsby was the one that murdered his wife. If Daisy and Tom weren’t in this novel then neither Gatsby nor Myrtle would’ve died. They are both careless people who only look out for themselves. Neither of them care who is hurt or left behind because of their relationship. It is a very dysfunctional relationship, but both of them seem to care less about each other so in a weird way it works out.

Chapter 8 Pages 154-170

Summary: Nick goes to check on Gatsby, and tells him he should get out of town for a while. Gatsby talks about his past with Daisy and how she couldn’t wait any longer for Gatsby to leave the war and be rich, so she married Tom. Nick tells Gatsby that he is a good guy, and he also talks and ends things with Jordan. Meanwhile Michaelis was looking over George. George went crazy and ended up killing Gatsby.

Character: Michaelis

            “He didn’t like to go into the garage because the work bench was stained where the body had been lying so he moved uncomfortably around the office—he knew every object in it before morning—and from time to time sat down beside Wilson tryin to keep him more quiet” (Fitzgerald 165).

            Michaelis is a very good man. He sees Myrtle die and realizes that George is in a lot of pain. He decides to go over to George’s and take care of him. He sits with him all day to make sure that he is doing okay. He and his friends take shifts watching George and making sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. Michaelis tries to make small talk with George and get his mind off things, but nothing he does works. He is very friendly and an honest guy who tells the police everything he knew about the accident. Michaelis tries to help and please everyone.

            Michaelis is the prime suspect for the accident where Daisy runs over Myrtle. He tells the policemen as much as he knows, and tries to comfort Wilson. He talks to George about religion and brings up his marriage. George starts to tell him that Myrtle was cheating on him, and that’s why she was killed. Michaelis was only trying to help, but he brought up a touchy subject that eventually led to George’s breaking point. The more he thought about his life with Myrtle the madder he got until he went and killed Gatsby. Michaelis tried his best to make things better and help George, but in the end he helped get Gatsby killed.

Quote: “He had intended, probably, to take what he could and go—but now he found that he had committed himself to the following grail. He knew that Daisy was extraordinary but he didn’t realize just how extraordinary a ‘nice’ girl could be” (Fitzgerald 156). Daisy is Gatsby’s dream. He spends his whole life searching for her and trying to get her, but can never do it. She is like the Holy Grail. So many people want her because she is rare and beautiful, but she is impossible to obtain. Gatsby tries several times to win her back, but no matter what he does it doesn’t work. This dream of Gatsbys is an illusion because it can’t be reached.

Chapter 7 Pages 119-153

Summary: Nick and Gatsby go over to the Buchannan’s house and meet their daughter Pammy. Daisy says I love you too Gatsby and Tom overhears. They decide to go into town where Tom and Gatsby start fighting about Daisy. Finally Gatsby and Daisy leave, and on the way home Daisy runs over Myrtle and kills her. Tom finally gets home and Gatsby hides outside to make sure that everything is okay while Tom and Daisy conspire at the dinner table.

Character: George Wilson

            “Generally he was one of these worn-out men: when he wasn’t working he sat on a chair in the doorway and stared at the people and the cars that passed along the road. When anyone spoke to him he invariably laughed in an agreeable colorless way. He was his wife’s man and not his own” (Fitzgerald 144).

            George owns his own car repair shop. He is a hard working man. He is terribly sick, and can barely stand yet he still waits outside his business for customers. George is working so hard because he wants a better life for his wife and himself, and wants to move out west. He loves his wife and works hard everyday to try and make things better in his life. George is easy going and a nice guy.

            George Wilson is married to Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle is Tom’s girl on the side. George doesn’t know about this. He knows that Tom talks and hangs out with Myrtle, but he is a customer so he doesn’t think anything about it. George sells and buys cars from Tom. George lives in the City of Ashes and represents a person who was left behind. Everyone else in the novel is rich, but George is poor and has nothing extraordinary. George is an ordinary guy whose wife was just killed by Tom’s angry wife Daisy.

Quote: “His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control” (Fitzgerald 131). Tom loved being in power. He didn’t really care about these girls that much; he just liked feeling in control. He was able to keep two girls. Tom could tell these girls what to do whenever he wanted and they would do it. He wants power and with these two girls under his control he felt powerful, but when he found out he was losing both of them he went crazy. Losing these girls means losing his power and control. Without these girls he has nothing.

Chapter 6 Pages 103-118

Summary: A reporter shows up at Gatsby’s door asking for a statement. When Gatsby was younger his name was James Gatz and he met Dan Cody on his yacht. One day Tom, Mr. Sloane, and a pretty woman were all at Gatsby’s house having a drink, so Gatsby invites them all over to his next party. Tom shows up to the next party and brings Daisy along because he thinks that she has too much freedom. Tom does not like Gatsby and wants to find out more about him and how he knows his wife, and Daisy does not like the party, East Egg, or the new money ways.

Character: Dan Cody

            “…a grey, florid man with a hard empty face—the pioneer debauchee who during one phase of American life brought back to the eastern seaboard the savage violence of the frontier brothel and saloon” (Fitzgerald 106).

            Dan Cody is a very rich man because of the silver mines in Nevada. He owns a huge yacht and floats around the Great Lakes. He is soft-minded and has women crawling all over him all the time. He befriends James Gatz quite quickly and brings him onto his yacht and buys him new clothes. Cody is a rich man who does whatever he wants. He tries to help people, but just wants to live his life.

            Dan Cody was brought up in the last chapter. He was in a picture frame in Gatsby’s house. Gatsby had worked on Cody’s yacht for about five years and they had become really good friends. Cody drank a lot, and this is one of the reasons that Gatsby doesn’t drink. One day a reporter names Ella Kaye comes onto the yacht and within the next week Cody ends up dying. Cody left money for Gatsby, but he never got any of it. Ella somehow kept him out of all the money legally, but the legacy of him receiving still goes around.

Quote: “He talked a lot about the past and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was…” (Fitzgerald 117) Gatsby lives in the past. He remembers that Daisy used to love him, and that is all he cares about. Now that things have changed he is going to try and make it all the same again. Gatsby thinks if he makes everything the way it used to be back then, then she will love him again. He is madly in love with Daisy and will do anything to win her back.

Chapter 5 Pages 86-102

Summary: Nick is coming home one night and Gatsby comes over and tries to start a conversation with Nick and even offers him a job that will be easy, but make lots of money. The next morning Nick calls Daisy to ask her over for tea, so Gatsby sends over people to tidy up Nick’s lawn and home. Daisy finally comes over and Gatsby freaks out and does not know what to do. Finally they talk for a while and he becomes more comfortable and invites her over to see his house. They start to talk about the green light that is on Daisy’s dock across the water, and Nick finally sneaks out and leaves them alone.

Character: Gatsby

            “He had passed visibly through two states and was entering upon a third. After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence. He has been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity. Now, in the reaction, he was running down like an overwound clock” (Fitzgerald 97).

            Gatsby is very wealthy. He throws outrageous parties and lets anyone come. He also buys extravagant cars and clothes and cares about his appearance a lot. He is always careful about what to say and when to say it. Gatsby works hard to get something. He has been trying to run into Daisy for almost five years and keeps throwing these expensive parties although she has never come. He will not stop until he gets what he wants. Most of all Gatsby is mysterious and intriguing.

            Gatsby is the essentially the plot of the book. Nick is narrating his life ever since he met Gatsby. He is a very wealthy man that has parties for anyone that wants to come. His main purpose is to somehow steal Daisy away from Tom in a classy manor. No matter what Gatsby does it always seems okay; even when he is dealing with criminals and trying to steal some man’s wife. Gatsby’s desire for Daisy is what the main point in this book.

Quote: “‘It took me just three years to earn the money that bought it’” (Fitzgerald 95). When Daisy asks about Gatsby’s huge house he said that he worked to pay for it, but he told Nick that he inherited money from his family to pay for it. When Nick hears this he actually jumps up and questions Gatsby, and Gatsby answers extremely fast saying he lost it in the panic, but worked it all back. This makes Gatsby look even more untrustworthy. He keeps getting tangled up in his lies, and it is making him look bad. Nick is noticing it and having a hard time buying everything he says.

Chapter 4 Pages 65-85

Summary: Gatsby invites Nick to lunch, and they drive to New York. When they get there they sit down with Mr. Wolfshiem, but he leaves and Nick notices that Tom is also in the restaurant. Nick goes over to say hi but, ends up talking to Jordan and she tells him about her talk with Gatsby at the party. Gatsby wants Nick to invite over Daisy for tea and then invite him over so they can talk. Jordan and Nick get closer, and she also tells him that Daisy used to talk to Gatsby when she was eighteen.

Character: Mr. Wolfshiem

            “A small flat-nosed Jew raised his large head and regarded me with two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril. After a moment I discovered his tiny eyes in the half darkness” (Fitzgerald 74).

            Mr. Wolfshiem is a very smart man. He fixed the World Series in 1919, and never got caught for it. He is a business man and gambler who makes lots of money for himself without anyone questioning him. He is a good friend and talks very highly of Gatsby. He tells Nick how great of a guy he is, and how careful he is with women. Mr. Wolfshiem is also polite and tries to leave the two younger men with some time of their own to finish their lunch.

            Mr. Wolfshiem is a good friend of Gatsbys. He has known him for awhile and speaks very highly of him. He makes sure that Nick knows that Gatsby would never get involved with someone’s wife. Also he brings up some business plans, but Gatsby tells him it is the wrong guy. There is some kind of plot being set up for Gatsby and Mr. Wolfshiem. He also shows us that Gatsby does not care whether his friends are dishonest or not.

Quote: “I didn’t want you to think I was just some nobody. You see I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad thing that happened to me” (Fitzgerald 71,72). Gatsby wants to make sure that Nick trusts him. He spends time showing him souvenirs from fighting in Montenegro to going to college at Oxford. After seeing these things Nick begins to trust Gatsby and form his own opinion on him. Gatsby did this on purpose to make sure that Nick believed him and knew him a little better. It shows how precise Gatsby is; he does everything with purpose. Also Gatsby talks about how he roams around doing different things trying to forget something sad. It makes me wonder what this sad thing is.

Chapter 3 Pages 43-64

Summary: Nick is invited to a party at Gatsby’s house. He doesn’t know many people there, but runs into Jordan Baker and hangs out with her. They meet Mr. Gatsby, and Nick realizes they were both in the Third Division during the war. Jordan and Mr. Gatsby talk privately, and when Nick leaves the party a drunken guy crashes his car. Nick starts to hang out with Jordan more during the summer, and thinks that he is starting to love her.

Character: Jordan Baker

“She was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage, and given this unwillingness I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard jaunty body” (Fitzgerald 63).

            Jordan is free and careless. She does not have any rules, and is just looking to have fun. Jordan befriends Nick at the party, and invites him to sit with her and make sure he is not lonely. She is nice, but does whatever it takes so she can to stay ahead of everyone else.

            Jordan is a figure of the wealthy people in this novel. She is rich and famous, yet still does not seem to have everything in life. Just like all the other rich character so far; they seem to have everything but live a miserable life. She is careless and is starting to take in interest in Nick. Jordan and Nick are complete opposites, and that is why she kind of likes him. She is always dishonest while he is always honest. Jordan might become Nick’s girl in the future.

Quote: “I looked around. Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands” (Fitzgerald 56). Nick is at a party with a bunch of couples that seem to have it all. They are rich and can afford to live in a gorgeous house and buy anything they desire, yet they fight. All married couples can have their problems, but these arguments are ridiculous. The girls are complaining that they are always the first ones to leave the party because of their husbands. These people are selfish and only think about themselves no matter what the circumstances are. Also one guy might be cheating on his wife. All the wealthy married people seem to have many things in common: selfish, cheaters, and do not love their spouses.