Analysis
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Narrate what you have learnt about Gatsby from the bits of information provided in the novel so far and the impression you have of him.
Jay Gatsby is one of the most important characters in the book. We mostly hear about him from other characters before he comes into the plot. In Chapter One we learn that the narrator, Nick, admires Gatsby in spite of the latters representing everything for which Nick has contempt. We also learn that Gatsby is Nicks neighbour and resides in a palatial yet vulgar mansion. We know, from the storys opening moments, that Gatsby will not be what he initially appears: despite the vulgarity of his mansion, Nick describes Gatsbys personality as “gorgeous.”
During the party at Tom and Myrtles apartment in Chapter Two, we see Myrtles sister gossiping that Gatsby is “a nephew or a cousin of Kaiser Wilhelms.” and that she is scared of him.
Gatsbys excessive wealth is brought into focus in Chapter Three, when we learn about the magnitude of the preparations for the parties he holds and the parties themselves. During a party we hear a lot of gossip about the host, including several very unsavoury remarks. We also learn that Gatsby was in the American Army during World War I. This adds to the already mysterious image we have forming of Gatsby as a man. Later on, in the garden, Nick strikes up a conversation with a handsome, youthful man who looks familiar to him; it turns out that they served in the same division during the war. This man is the mysterious Gatsby. Gatsby has an affected English accent and a highly formal way of speaking. He stands aloof from his guests, watching the party rather than taking part in it. Though we have finally been introduced to Jay Gatsby, he remains fundamentally a mystery. Few of the partygoers have so much as met their host, and Gatsby stands aloof from his own celebration. He does not drink, he does not dance Ь he remains only an observer. The man himself stands in stark contrast to the sinister gossip Nick has heard about him: Gatsby is young and handsome, with a beautiful smile that seems to radiate hope and optimism. We already know that not everything about Gatsby is mere display: his books are real, for example; his smile is real. At the same time, however, he has a queer quasi -English accent that is clearly false. Gatsby, at this point in the novel, remains an enigma, a creature of contradictions.
In Chapter Four, at a Sunday morning party at Gatsbys, Nick hears further gossip about Gatsby from a group of foolish young women: hes a bootlegger, they say, who killed a man who discovered that he was nephew to von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil. One morning, Gatsby invites Nick to lunch in the city. He proudly displays his Rolls-Royce, then abruptly asks Nick what he thinks of him. Nick is understandably evasive. Gatsby responds to his reticence by giving Nick an account of his past. His story, however, is highly improbable. Though he claims to be the scion of a prominent midwestern family, when Nick asks him which Midwestern city he comes from, Gatsby hesitates, then says “San Francisco.” He rattles off an absurdly long list of accomplishments: he claims to have studied at Oxford and lived in all the capitals of Europe; then he enlisted in the war effort, where he was rapidly promoted to major and decorated by every Allied government, including Montenegro. He pulls out a photograph of himself in Oxford cricket whites, as well as a medal awarded by the government of Montenegro, in order to corroborate his story. They speed through the valley of ashes; when Gatsby is stopped for speeding, he flashes a white card at the policeman. The policeman apologizes profusely and does not give Gatsby a ticket. At lunch,