The Great Gatsby Chapter 1 p1-21

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 1 p. 1-21

Summary

            The novel starts out with the narrator, Nick Carraway, reminiscing about his father giving him advice about keeping judgments to himself, and in addition to his past, Nick mentions graduating from New Haven in 1915 and serving in World War I. He goes to the East to study bond business and finds a house next to the Gatsby mansion, all located in West Egg. Nick goes to East Egg to have dinner with married couple Daisy, his cousin, and Tom Buchanan, along with Jordan Baker. During dinner, Baker tells Nick about Tom having a woman in New York. When Nick gets back to West Egg, he sees Mr. Gatsby stretching his arms out towards a green light.

Daisy Buchanan

“Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.” (11)

            Daisy is a person who tries to make good in a bad situation. She always seems optimistic no matter what the situation is. Daisy knows that her husband, Tom, is having an affair with another woman, and even though Daisy is appalled by this, she stays happy. One example is after talking about Tom’s other woman; Daisy mentions the romanticism of the outdoor world. 
           From what I've read in the novel, Daisy is a character who represents the feeling of optimism. Yet, on the inside, she keeps her anger and despair to herself. She's a person who wears a mask to hide her feelings. 

“Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.” (2)

            Judgments are very similar to stereotypes, and both can very much hurt a person. It should be best to keep judgments instead of expressing them because it’s a form of labeling a person or giving a reputation without knowing the person.