The Great Gatsby: Chapter Six Summary & Imaginary Journal

Summary

Fitzgerald makes three important choices in Chapter Five. These choices are: the real history of Gatsby as told by Nick Carraway, the conflict between Tom and Gatsby and the union between Daisy and Gatsby. For the first choice, Fitzgerald uses the literary device of story telling. Nick Carraway informs the reader that Gatsby was "James Gatz" who change his name to Jay Gatsby and he was working for a rich man called Dan Cody. Nick says that after Dan Cody died, he left $25000 to Gatsby. He worked hard and became very rich, as Nick says, Gatsby, "was a son of God." Tom is getting suspicious about Gatsby's background so he asks "Who is this Gatsby anyhow... Some big bootlegger?" He wants to know who he is and what he does because now he is getting jealous of Gatsby. Daisy comes closer to Gatsby and he is quite sure that he can be with Daisy. Nick tells him "Can't repeat the past", but he answers, "Why of course you can!" These three choices produce the effect of the importance of Gatsby's history for himself, for Daisy and for Tom. The history produces an overall effect that Gatsby believes that it can be repeated. He says "I am going to fix everything just the way it was before." This shows that he is a romantic person.

Imaginary Journal(Tom Buchanan)

I wonder who this man is and what he did in the past to become so rich. He must be in illegal business but I don't know what. He can be a bootlegger but he does not drink at all. He must have inherited some good amount of money. His power comes from his money but his weak point is his past. I will find about his past! Meanwhile, I am suspicious of Daisy and Nick Carraway. They are doing something secret. I'm going to find that out, too!

Key Sentences

1) James Gatz -- that was really, or at least legally, his name. (p. 94)
2) The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God. (p. 95)
3) Who is this Gatsby anyhow? Some big bootlegger? (p. 104)
4) Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can! (p. 106)
5) I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before. (p. 106)