The Great Gatsby: Chapter Nine Summary, Imaginary Journal & Post Reflection

Summary

Together with a third character group, two opposite character groups appear in Chapter Nine, which is about Gatsby’s funeral. These two character groups are those, who do not attend Gatsby’s funeral and try to escape from the atmosphere and responsibility of the funeral and these people who are the betrayers of Gatsby, of course Tom and Daisy. Also, neither Meyer Wolfshiem, nor Jordan Baker came to the funeral. All of these people are betrayers. They are not true friends. Tom and Daisy “left no address” and they disappeared. Wolfshiem “gone to Chicago” (p. 161) because he says “I can’t do it – I can’t get mixed up in it” (p. 163). Nick wants to break up with Jordan Baker but she says “that she was engaged to another man” (p. 168). These characters do not have emotions and they cannot love other people. They are selfish. In the third group of characters, there is Nick, Gatsby’s father. These characters are opposite to the first group because they are loyal to friendship and true love. Nick tries to call everybody to the funeral. However, he says, “but it wasn’t any use. Nobody came” (p. 165). Henry G. Gatz also belongs to this group. Although his son did not care for him, he came to his funeral and he is still proud of his son. He says, “He had a big future before him, you know. He was only a young man, but he had a lot of brain power here” (p. 159). The last group of characters is people who gossip and journalists. This third group feeds on “grotesque, circumstantial, eager, and untrue” (p. 155) reports. They lie and they tell stories which people want to hear.

Imaginary Journal(Tom Buchanan)

He killed him! George Wilson killed Gatsby. He killed Gatsby and he killed himself too. This is too violent but Gatsby deserved it. He shot him while he was swimming in the pool. Now, everything will be mixed up. Daisy and I better go from this place. I have to leave Long Island as soon as possible and take away Daisy too. Poor Myrtle, we used to have great fun in the apartment in New York. I have to give the apartment back. I bet Nick will try to get in touch with me and call me and Daisy to the funeral. But I told the servants at home not to tell him anything about where we are. I do not want to attend the funeral because I hated Gatsby. By the way he was not “great” at all.

Post Reflection

Physical force in The Great Gatsby is observed in four places. The first and the most impressive show of physical force is when Gatsby’s yellow Rolls Royce, driven by Daisy, runs over Myrtle Wilson. The car and its brand are the symbols of wealth and finance. The second one is when George Wilson takes a gun and goes to Gatsby’s Mansion to kill him. Being a poor man, he decides to fight against the cruel power of money by showing physical force. The gun and the bullet are the symbols of physical force. The third place, where physical force is used by finance, corporations and money institutions is the Valley of Ashes. There are “ash – grey man”, who are factory workers. They have to work hard and probably they do not earn more than George Wilson does. Finally this same physical force caused Nick Carraway come to West Egg from the mid-West. He has to earn money because without money, he cannot be a respectable man in the American society. Therefore, physical force is the money, which is like “the future that year by year recedes before us”, says Nick Carraway. The hope of becoming rich and powerful is the in the American dream.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter Eight Summary & Imaginary Journal

Summary

"I can't describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her, old sport. I even hoped for a while that she's throw me over, but she didn't, because she was in love with me too. She thought I knew a lot because I knew different things from her... Well, there I was, 'way off my ambitions, getting deeper in love every minute, and all of a sudden I didn't care. What was the use of doing great things if I could have a better time telling her what I was going to do? (p. 142 - 143)

The significance of the above paragraph is its implication of three facts about Gatsby's character. These are his moral, social and behavioral aspects of his character. Morally speaking, Gatsby is a person for whom love is a moral value. He does not cheat Daisy or betray her. For him, love is not sexuality. Love is a value which two people share with each other. On the other hand, Daisy betrays him because she does not call him or come to see him. Gatsby says, "I waited, and about four o'clock she came to the window and stood there for a minute and then turned out the light" (p. 140). Socially speaking, Gatsby is an asocial person. In the above paragraph, it is implied that he does not mention anybody else but Daisy. His love for Daisy has made him an asocial. However, once he tricked Daisy as if he was a person who was respected in society. Nick says, "He (Gatsby) had certainly taken her under false pretences" and he continues "he let her believe that he was a person from much the same strata as herself" (p. 142). Therefore, Gatsby does not have anything to do with society but his mind is full of Daisy and her love to him. Behaviorally speaking, the above paragraph shows that Gatsby has not behaved and will not behave as required from him. Although, Nick tells him "You ought to go away. It's pretty certain they'll trace your car", he does not go (p. 140). This is because of his love for Daisy. Daisy once gave him hope and he still lives with that hope. Nick says, "He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bear to shake him free" (p. 141). Gatsby's behavior is not right because he is still in a dream. He must wake up but he cannot because Wilson kills him with a gun.

Imaginary Response(Tom Buchanan)

Daisy can never leave me because only I can protect her. Gatsby thinks that I will beat her but I will not. He must be waiting at home for a telephone call from Daisy. But Daisy will not call him back because I will take her away from this place so that she forgets everything about Gatsby and the accident. Now she goes to the window and she stands there for a while but then she turns of the light. Gatsby must be frustrated. He must have been used to getting everything he wants. But he cannot get Daisy because she is not his type. I wonder what he will do when the police arrest him for Myrtle's murder. Poor George Wilson, he lost his wife to me but she died because of Gatsby. I'm afraid, when he learns that Gatsby murdered Myrtle, he will kill him.

Key Sentences

1) I waited, and about four o'clock she came to the window and stood there for a minute and then turned out the light. (p. 140)
2) He had certainly taken her under false pretences...he let her believe that he was a person from much the same strata as herself. (p. 142)
3) You ought to go away. It's pretty certain they'll trace your car. (p. 140)
4) He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bear to shake him free. (p. 141)
5) God sees everything. (p. 152)
6) If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. (p. 153)

The Great Gatsby: Chapter Seven Summary & Imaginary Journal

Summary

In the first part, Fitzgerald uses the literary device of hot weather to produce the overall effect of choaking. It is as if characters cannot get fresh air and they continuously sweat. If it rained everything would return to normal but extreme heat and hotness of the sun do not permit characters to be relaxed and cooled down. Everywhere is “broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest, of the summer” (p.109). Fitzgerald makes the conductor of the train repeat hotness over and over again, “Some weather!...Hot!...Hot!...Hot!... Is it hot enough for you?”(p.109) In the second part, where all characters go to Plaza Hotel “to the side of Central Park” they are still under the effect of the hot weather. Fitzgerald uses hotness of the weather on his second part to produce the overall effect of confusion as Nick explains: “The relentless beating heat was beginning to confuse me” (p. 118). This confusion produces a conflict between the characters, especially between Gatsby and Tom. There are three points of conflict between them. One of them is Gatsby’s picking up “old sport”(p.121). The second one is that Gatsby is not “an Oxford man”(p.122). The third one is Gatsby’s bootlegging “in Chicago”(p.127) and selling “grain alcohol over the counter”(p.127). In the third part, Fitzgerald uses the literary device of an accident in front of George Wilson’s garage to produce the overall effect of violence. Although Fitzgerald does not give the actual scene, the reader understands the violence by the words of a police man “auto hit her. Ins’antly killed”(p. 133). The police man says “she ran out ina road. Son-of-a-bitch didn’t even stopus car” (p.133). The effect of violence is more than the actual scene. Fitzgerald provides the reader with the following insight about Gatsby that he is ready to face everything in order to have Daisy. He keeps on waiting for her and he is ready to get the responsibility of the accident on him, saying “but of course I’ll say I was.” (p. 137)

Imaginary Journal

I have made inquiry about Gatsby. He uses “old sport” very often. This shows that he comes from a vulgar background. He is not a gentleman. He did not attend Oxford at all. He had been in bootleggin business with Meyer Wolfshiem. Although he says that he and Daisy love each other, Daisy does not have a choice to be with such a man. She needs both money and aristocratic reputation. I will show Gatsby that Daisy will always return to me. But this accident! Myrtle Wilson is killed. It must have been Gatsby, who ran over her. This will finish him off.

Key Sentences

1) Some weather!...Hot!...Hot!...Hot!... Is it hot enough for you? (p. 109)
2) The relentless beating heat was beginning to confuse me and I had a bad moment. (p. 118)
3) Why not let her alone, old sport? (p. 121)
4) Your wife doesn't love you, said Gatsby. She's never loved you. She loves me. (p. 124)
5) Yes, he said after a moment, but of course I'll say I was. (p. 137)