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.