The Great Gatsby: Chapter VI / pages 97-111

Summary:

               A reporter shows up at Gatsby’s house, questioning him about his involvement in the “underground pipe-line to Canada” or about him living in a boat that looked like a house. James Gatz of North Dakota, Gatsby’s true identity, is revealed to us by Nick afterwards. Gatsby’s true past is exposed to us and how he came to be Gatsby. James Gatz had been attending the small Lutheran college of St. Olaf in southern Minnesota by working as a janitor when he met Dan Cody for the first time. The yacht that Dan Cody owned represented all the beauty and glamour of the world to Gatz. His smile drew Dan Cody in and the name Jay Gatsby is used for the first time. They spent time together for 5 years when one day Dan Cody dies. Gatsby could have inherited Dan Cody’s inheritance but legal devices were used against him and he was left with nothing except an appropriate education for the contour of Jay Gatsby. One Sunday afternoon Tom, a man named Sloane, and a pretty woman stopped by at Gatsby’s house. They were rude to Gatsby and although the woman invited Gatsby to dinner, they left before he was ready. Daisy and Tom finally attend one of Gatsby’s parties, but the atmosphere they bring is an oppressive one. Tom does not seem to like the party or the people there, adding that he thinks Gatsby is probably a bootlegger since most newly rich people are big bootleggers. Daisy, on the other hand, defends Gatsby and says she had a wonderful time. After Tom and Daisy leave, Gatsby approaches Nick and complains on how Daisy did not have a good time and how far he feels from her. He further states that she used to understand but now does not seem to. In addition, he talks a lot about their past and believes that he can repeat the past. The scene then switches to when Daisy and Gatsby share a kiss under the moonlight.

James Gatz/Jay Gatsby:

• “The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself” (98).

• Gatsby cares a lot about appearances which explains his flashy suits and shirts and his gaudy house. He is unrefined and tries to put on an image of aristocracy. Gatsby is a part of the New Rich and so does not really fit in with the Old Rich. Compared to his gaudy house, his room is simple displaying the differences between the New and Old Rich. His unrefined characteristic is displayed when he asks Nick if he wants to go to Coney Island at 2AM or go swimming in his pool. He has an obsession with Daisy, who has been his goal for his whole life and the reason why he attained wealth. However, Gatsby is also stuck in an illusion and is unable to accept reality. He never really accepted who his parents really were and instead built this Platonic conception of himself, Jay Gatsby.

• At the beginning of the novel, Gatsby had this mysterious air to him that made us want to know more about him. We gradually liked him because of the way Fitzgerald portrayed him, but now after actually meeting Gatsby and learning more about him I believe that many people’s opinions of him changed. He became this obsessive guy who came across kind of creepy with the way he idolized Daisy. In addition, one can’t help but feel bad for this guy. His whole life has been dedicated to Daisy and yet he’s trying to remember why he fell in love with her in the first place. Gatsby is the perfect example of what West Egg represents: the New Rich. It is obvious how different Gatsby is from the Old Rich, which is displayed through Tom. Gatsby is nervous and doesn’t know how to act in front of the Old Rich and the Old Rich don’t respect Gatsby.

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” (110).

               Gatsby is stuck in his past image of Daisy, the girl who understood him. He does not want to accept that the present Daisy is different from who he thought she was. It has gone to the extent where he actually begins to question why he even loved Daisy in the first place. Gatsby’s idealization of Daisy has become so extreme that the real Daisy does not meet his expectations. For 5 years, Gatsby has been working hard and attaining wealth for Daisy but now that he’s finally reunited with her he realizes that she isn’t what he expected. However, Gatsby does not want to accept this idea and so continues to do anything for Daisy. He truly believes he’s in love with her and so will not give her up.