The Great Gatsby Chapter 3 p39-59

Summary

The chapter opens up with Nick describing a huge party at the Gatsby mansion, one of which he was invited to, unlike other guests who invite themselves just for the party. While at the mansion, Nick tries to find Gatsby, and while he searches, a couple things come up: Jordan Baker happened to be at the party as well, and both hear a rumor that Gatsby killed a man. From there, a random man follows them around, and he recognizes Nick from being in the war; this man turned out to be Gatsby. After Gatsby introduces the Jazz History of the World, he asks Jordan to talk with him alone, leaving Nick alone to see a particular woman in the chorus crying. Another woman who was in the audience told her that the woman in the chorus had a fight with a man who says he’s her husband, and Nick started to notice woman having fights with their “husbands”. After the party, right before Nick left, he noticed a crashed car in a ditch near the mansion with two men in the car. Jordan and Nick criticize the two men for crashing the car. Jordan mentions not liking careless people, which led her to saying that she likes him for that reason; this reason kept buzzing around in Nick’s head.

Jordan Baker

“‘Let’s get out,’ whispered Jordan, after a somehow wasteful and inappropriate half-hour; ‘this is too much polite for me.’” (45)

Jordan Baker is a woman who is very well known, independent, and a gifted athlete. She loves to gossip about things and likes to have fun. She’s a lot smarter than other women in the novel. From the text, Jordan is incurably dishonest and doesn’t like to be at a disadvantage. Jordan also does not like people who are careless. She likes to spend time with Nick.

Jordan has a possibility of being Nick’s love interest. In the chapter, they hold hands and Jordan mentions to Nick that she likes him because he’s not careless, which Nick keeps thinking about. Jordan is way different than other women in the last few chapters; she’s smart, independent, and successful on her own, unlike other women who depend on men for their success.

“I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”

I feel like this is a true description of Nick. We see in the novel people who are cheating, dishonest, and unhappy. Only Nick has ever been a true person. The descriptions he tells about other people are so descriptive, and this is just what he sees.  He takes a simple person and notices every little thing about this person. I think I see him as a person that appreciates every little aspect in life. 

The Great Gatsby Chapter 2 p22-38

The Great Gatsby Ch 2 p22-38

Summary

            Nick comes across a desolate area of land which he calls “a valley of ashes” which holds a load of New York’s ashes, and he sees the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. The train that runs through this area goes to New York where Nick first met Tom’s woman, Myrtle Wilson, who is married to George Wilson. She takes Tom and Nick to her apartment where Nick meets Catherine, Myrtle’s sister, and their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mckee, and at the house, the group gets drunk. Nick sees the different behaviors the Mckee’s and Tom have while they’re drunk, and Myrtle starts to shout the name “Daisy”, much to Tom’s dismay. Tom punches Myrtle, leaving her with a broken nose, and Nick leaves with Mr. McKee taking a train to Long Island.

Myrtle Wilson

            “‘I want to see you,’ said Tom intently. ‘Get on the next train.’ ‘All right.’” (26)

Myrtle is Tom’s other woman; she is married to George Wilson. Nick describes her as “faintly stout” and not beautiful. When she speaks, she has a soft voice. She owns an apartment in New York with her family, the Mckees. She has one sister named Catherine, and both of her parents are still alive in the chapter. She also bought a dog to keep in her apartment.

            Like Tom, Myrtle is also a cheater. In this chapter, we see Myrtle as a woman who follows what the man does. The man, Tom, is sort of her leader. He tells Myrtle what to do such as not talk about Daisy, which led to the punching of her face. We also see that Myrtle always gets what she wants, and she is also a party girl because she likes to get drunk.

“Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” shouted Mrs. Wilson. “I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai--“(37)

Even though Myrtle was still drunk at the moment, I see it as her trying to stand up for herself. From what I’ve read in Chapter 2, Tom is the leader in their relationship, and he always decides for Myrtle. Myrtle’s chanting of “Daisy” is her rebelling against her relationship with Tom.

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.