A Twist in the Outcome

This chapter is Nick explaining what happened after Gatsby was killed.  In the beginning of the chapter, Nick is trying to find people who are able to attend his funeral.  He attempts to call Tom and Daisy to tell them the news a few times, but no one answers.  The butler said that they had gone away with baggage without saying when they would be returning.  Nick also tried to contact Gatsby's business partner, Wolfsheim, but without success.  When Nick sends him a letter asking for information, he receives a response form Wolfsheim saying that Gatsby's death is awful news, however, he will not be able to make the funeral because, "I am tied up in some very important business and cannot get mixed up in this thing now."  If I were Nick, I would be very confused by this; Gatsby and Wolfsheim seemed close, even if it was only because they were business partners.  If a friend or a co-worker dies, most people will postpone what they are doing and make plans to attend their funeral.  I would be distraught throughout this whole process; losing a close friend and then having to basically plan their funeral is not exactly a helpful coping process.  It also would not help when Gatsby's father is the only other one who ends up going to the funeral.  I find it both touching and strange about how proud Gatsby's father was of him in this chapter.  It was touching because that is generally how all fathers should look on their children's lives.   Fathers should be proud of their children no matter what.  I found it strange because before Gatsby's death, his father was neither mentioned nor present in any part of the book.  In this chapter, the American dream does not seem all that great.  Gatsby was this popular man who threw great parties that everyone loved to attend and had a lot of fun at.  After he dies, not one of those people even considers going to his funeral.  The moral here is materialism; people will stick around to use you for your belongings, but when the other shoe drops no one will be there for you as a person.  Overall, I really did like this book.  I thought it had a great perspective on the American dream, and I liked how things did not turn out how you might have expected them to.

Wilson Got It Wrong

The major even in chapter eight is, without a doubt, when Gatsby is killed.  Even though this event is brief, most details prier to Gatsby's death leads up to it happening.  For starters, Wilson reveals the dog collar he found on Myrtle's bureau.  Wilson said, "She tried to tell me about it, but I knew it was something funny."  Then, Wilson thought about the next detail, which is when he comes into the idea that the person who hit Myrtle was the man she was planning to leave him for.  Whereas Michaelis says Myrtle's death was an accident, Wilson claims the culprit did it on purpose, simply because he was not going to stop the car and talk to her.  Soon, he adds up the pieces and finds Gatsby, who decided that day was the time for the first swim of the year in his pool.  Wilson shoots him, and then himself.  If I were Wilson, I would definitely be feeling both tremendously sad and betrayed.  On one hand, I would have lost the person I loved, but on the other, that person was cheating on me.  I think killing someone is a tad bit over-dramatic, but I guess it was an in-the-moment kind of deal.  Regarding the American dream, Fitzgerald might be trying to send the message that love is not all that it is cracked up to be; it is a great thing, but it can also cause unbearable sadness and heartache.  I have no idea how Tom and Daisy will respond to what happened in this chapter.  They will probably move away from it all, but I highly doubt they will separate or get divorced; now all they really have are each other and their money.

It's Funny How Things Work Out

Chapter seven was a major turning point in the book.  Tom, Daisy, Nick, Gatsby, and Jordan all into town on a hot afternoon.  Along the way, Tom, Nick, and Jordan stop for gas, and Tom finds out that Myrtle is moving away with her husband.  He is obviously astonished by this, and from then on it seems like Tom does not want Daisy to leave him, too.  Tom later concludes that Daisy and Gatsby used to be in love.  Gatsby admits to everything and says that Daisy never loved Tom at all.  He tells Tom , "She never loved you, do you hear?  She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me.  It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved any one except me!"  I think at this point Tom was thinking he did not want to lose both Myrtle and Daisy so he had to start fighting for one of them that he had some control over.  That is why I think Tom started seeming like he cared about Daisy, simply because he did not want everyone to leave him.  If I were Daisy, I would be beyond torn at this point.  It would be extremely hard for me to choose between someone I loved five years ago verses someone I was married to.  I think Fitzgerald is trying to symbolize materialism; if you abuse what you have, you might not have it forever.  He is probably trying to warn readers about using other people like objects rather than as human beings.  Sometime soon, I am predicting that Daisy is going to be forced into choosing either Gatsby or Tom.  I think she will probably go with Gatsby since he is an old love who she has never forgotten, and because now he can definitely provide for her rich taste.

The Irony

In chapter six, the main even that stood out to me was when Gatsby and Tom started talking about Daisy.  Gatsby mentions that he knows Daisy, and then Tom later says, "I wonder where in the devil he met Daisy."  I found this kind of ironic since Tom is cheating on Daisy, and now he is wondering about her meeting other guys that he was not informed about.  After that, Sloane invites Gatsby to have supper with her, her husband, and Tom, and Gatsby accepts.  When Gatsby goes to get his coat, Tom says, "My God, I believe the man's coming. Doesn't he know she doesn't want him?"  He is referring to Sloane not wanting him to come to dinner, but she was in fact the one who invited him to join.  At this point, I began thinking that Tom does not like Gatsby, but he has no valid reason.  I thought this was ironic since Tom is cheating on Daisy that you would not think he would care what she does.  If I were Tom, I would certainly wonder how they know each other, but I do not think that I would be very concerned with it or over think it too much.  In this chapter, Fitzgerald might be trying to send a message about the American dream.  In life, everyone wants to find that one person they can settle down with and live happily ever after.  You never expect to get cheated on or divorced, which contradicts that ideal image.  Things do not always work out for the better.  As of right now, I am predicting that Tom is going to find out about Gatsby's history with Daisy, and he is probably going to have a little bit of a problem with it.

Old Feelings, New Situations

In this chapter, the main event was the reuniting between Gatsby and Daisy.  We learned from Jordan that they had a relationship in the past, but why it ended was unclear.  Now, Nick arranged for Daisy to come over his house so Gatsby could see her, Daisy being unaware of this fact.  While this was a sneaky plan, I think it was for the best.  According to Jordan, Daisy changed her mind about marrying Tom on their wedding night after having a few too many to drink and receiving a letter, probably from Gatsby.  It is obvious from this event that Daisy still had strong feelings for Gatsby.  I believe that if people love each other like that, then they should find a way to be together, even if it is almost five years later.  "I certainly am awfully glad to see you again," is the first thing Daisy says when she sees Gatsby at Nick's.  If I were Nick, I would be feeling happy at this point.  I would be happy because two of my friends got to reconnect.  I might also feel a little ashamed because reintroducing someone to their past relationship could result in cheating on their current one.  Fitzgerald might be using this to say things might not always work out the way you think they will.  You could be in love with someone one day and then wind up marrying someone completely different the next.  This situation could also be an example of a Greek myth called The Red String of Fate.  This myth states that gods tie an invisible red string around the little fingers of two people who are soul mates; the string may get twisted, but it can never be broken.  From this point, I am predicting that Daisy and Gatsby will start up their relationship again.  The fact that Tom is cheating on Daisy would only push Daisy further towards cheating on Tom.

Possessions Are Not Everything

The major event in this chapter is when Nick goes over to the East to have dinner with Tom and Daisy.  This takes place throughout chapter one. At first, it seems as though they will be like old friends just catching up, but that is not the feeling I got from the reading.  To me, it seemed more uncomfortable than it should have been.  It seemed more like bragging in a way.  When Nick first arrives, all Tom has to say is, "Now, don't think my opinion on these matters is final just because I'm stronger and more of a man than you are." He seems to be belittling Nick, not something friends do at all.  Tom then goes on with, "I've got a nice place here."  Talking about nothing personal, Tom is just bragging about what he has, probably indicating that Nick gave up a good thing when he moved to the West.  Why he felt the need to do this I am not sure, but if I were him that would be just about the last thing I would have done.  Seeing an old friend for the first time in a while should never be about comparing what you have and what they don't or vice versa. Reconnecting is one of the highlights of not seeing someone for a long time.  You get the chance to catch up with everything that has been going on.  Tom may have done this because of where he is in his life.  He might have everything he could want physically, but not emotionally.  Maybe all of his possessions are a way to make up for what he lacks with people.  A deeper message here could be that no matter how many belongings you have or how rich you are, nothing can replace what personal connection with friends can give you.  You could have everything, yet nothing at all.  I am predicting that Tom will realize that he is not happy with his life, if he has not figured that out already.