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Summary and analysis of chapters 5 to 9 of the Great Gatsby
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Chapter 5Structurally a pivotal moment of the novel
Summary
It is the pivotal moment of the novel, as in this chapter Gatsby finally reunites with Daisy. The readers finally glimpse
at the human side of Gatsby – he is anxious before the meeting. Despite awkwardness, reunion goes well and
Gatsby invites Daisy to see his house. There, Nick and Daisy observe Gatsby’s wealth and Daisy gets sentimental
about it. Nick leaves them together.
Gatsby’s feelings and changes of states on reunion
Preparation for a “I saw that it was Gatsby's house, lit from tower -> he lit his house extravagantly to prepare
show, to cellar.” for the most important show of his life
materialistic
-> prepares his wealth to be showcased ->
love/seduction
relies on it, rather his personality
Trying to appear “"Oh, that's all right," he said carelessly. "I don't -> hypocritical, as Nick is already organising
‘in control’ want to put you to any trouble."” this immoral union
Materialism “Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and -> colours connote wealth
gold-coloured tie hurried in.”
Physical “He was pale and there were dark signs of
pain/anxiety on sleeplessness beneath his eyes.”
reunion
Romantic love, “Finally, he got up and informed me in an -> could not hold the pressure of waiting
anxiety before uncertain voice that he was going home.”
-> easy to give up
reunion
Artificiality, “"Nobody's coming to tea. It's too late!" He -> cannot confess that he is anxious – acts
performance looked at his watch as if there was some pressing as if he does not care
demand on his time elsewhere. "I can't wait all
-> glancing at his watch is a performative
day."”
act
Tragic hero “Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged -> far from his polished appearance
like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a
-> body language suggests despair
puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes.”
-> references to ‘death’ and ‘tragically’
suggest the significance of moment for him
“With his hands still in his coat pockets he stalked -> allusion to the preparation before a
by me into the hall, turned sharply as if he were performance
on a wire and disappeared into the living room.”
Or a performer?
Hiding his true “Gatsby, his hands still in his pockets, was -> ‘counterfeit’ suggests artificiality
feeling behind reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained
,artificial facade counterfeit of perfect ease, even of boredom.” -> ‘strained’ - how much effort he puts to
look calm
Time, Carpe “Luckily the clock took this moment to tilt -> nervousness about the present and how
Diem, attempts dangerously at the pressure of his head, Daisy’s attitude toward him may have
to retrieve the whereupon he turned and caught it with changed causes him to knock over Nick’s
past trembling fingers and set it back in place.” clock, symbolizing the clumsiness of his
attempt to stop time and retrieve the
past.
-> Gatsby’s emotional frame is out of sync
with the passage of time.
Romantic love "We haven't met for many years," said Daisy, her -> remembers precisely
voice as matter-of-fact as it could ever be.
-> what every woman would like her man
"Five years next November." to do
The automatic quality of Gatsby's answer set us
all back at least another minute.
Façade fell down “He followed me wildly into the kitchen, closed -> forgets to play the role of the Oxford-
the door and whispered: "Oh, God!" in a educated socialite and shows himself to be
miserable way.” a love-struck, awkward young man.
Narrative gap Nick leaves the house, and we do know what is happening there. Heightens readers’ curiosity
and empathy
Happiness, final “every vestige of embarrassment was gone” -> readers feel relieved to find out that
reunion, happy everything has gone well
“Daisy's face was smeared with tears”
end (?)
“a change in Gatsby that was simply
confounding.”
“He literally glowed” “new well-being radiated
from him”
-> to describe Gatsby’s happiness, light is
used
“twinkle-bells of sunshine in the room” -> pathetic fallacy – rain had stopped
(Daisy’s tears have stopped), and anxiety
“smiled like a weather man, like an ecstatic
stopped as well
patron of recurrent light, and repeated the news
to Daisy. "What do you think of that? It's stopped -> hopes for a happy end
raining."”
Collision of “he revalued everything in his house according to -> importance of Daisy’s opinion for him –
reality and the measure of response it drew from her well- staged everything for her
fiction, loved eyes.”
-> does not understand what is real and
Staged persona, “he stared around at his possessions in a dazed what not – spent too much time living in
materialistic love way as though in her actual and astounding his dreams
presence none of it was any longer real. Once he
, nearly toppled down a flight of stairs.”
Changes in “He had passed visibly through two states and ->
Gatsby’s state, was entering upon a third. After his
questioning embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was
reality consumed with wonder at her presence.”
Flow of time, “He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it -> already experienced all emotions in his
dreams, collision right through to the end, waited with his teeth imagination and cannot feel anything now
with reality set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of
-> countdown to his fall?
intensity. Now, in the reaction, he was running
down like an overwound clock.”
American dream "You always have a green light that burns all night -> Daisy represented the American dream
at the end of your dock." for Gatsby (or her money?)
Absence of “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal -> Gatsby achieved what he was striving for
purpose, position significance of that light had now vanished
-> the light from his life disappeared
of women forever.”
-> Daisy was an object for him, which he
“His count of enchanted objects had diminished
wanted to possess
by one.”
Struggling to “a faint doubt had occurred to him as to the -> insecure about his happiness
reconcile his quality of his present happiness.”
-> unsure how real his feelings are
dreams with
reality “There must have been moments even that -> reality did not correspond to his
afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his imagination
dreams—not through her own fault but because
-> Gatsby’s possessions are ‘colossal’
of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone
beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown
himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it
all the time, decking it out with every bright
feather that drifted his way.”
Daisy’s feelings
Conquers nature “The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild -> disrupted the bad weather
tonic in the rain.”
Happy on “Her throat, full of aching, grieving beauty, told -> her voice tell her emotions, not face or
reunion only of her unexpected joy.” gestures
“two rows of brass buttons on her dress gleamed -> suggest happiness from the reunion
in the sunlight.”
Materialistic love "They're such beautiful shirts," she sobbed, her -> only cares about material goods: fine
voice muffled in the thick folds. "It makes me sad clothing can make her feel affection for
because I've never seen such—such beautiful Gatsby?
shirts before."”
-> symbolises how far Gatsby has risen
since she last knew him - may feel
emotional that she doesn’t have the
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