Plot Details
- The long-awaited meeting between Jay Gatsby and Daisy finally occurs in this chapter
- Nick tells Gatsby that he will be inviting Daisy for tea and Gatsby agrees to come but he wants everything to be perfect for her arrival (i.e. He cuts Nick’s lawn for him)
- Daisy arrives at Nick’s and Gatsby attempts to make a coincidental ad elegant entrance, but instead is a nervous wreck
- Gatsby and Daisy become more comfortable after being left alone for a few minutes and Gatsby invites Daisy to see his mansion
- Daisy and Gatsby become completely comfortable together leaving Nick feeling uneasy being with them, so he slips out of Gatsby’s mansion while they are listening to Mr. Klipspringer play the piano
The Great Gatsby: Chapter One Analysis & Summary
The Great Gatsby: Chapter Two Analysis & Summary
The Great Gatsby: Chapter Three Analysis & Summary
The Great Gatsby: Chapter Four Analysis & Summary
The Great Gatsby: Chapter Five Analysis & Summary
Symbols
- Gatsby always saw the green light on the end of Daisy’s dock as an emblem of nearness to her, but now that Gatsby has her, this symbol has lost its significance
- The green light can also represent the “green-eyed monster” of envy and desire that is inside of Gatsby. Though it does not cause havoc, it is represented by the green light in pertinence to Daisy.
- When Gatsby nearly breaks the clock in Nick’s house, it can be seen as an attempt to stop time as he wants the moment to last forever
- Gatsby’s shirts also symbolize his wealth
Themes
- Wealth seems to be the central aspect of this chapter
- Gatsby seems fixated on impressing Daisy with his wealth and power
- He sends many flowers to Nick’s house to enhance it
- He wears a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie
- He takes Daisy on a tour of his house and even goes as far as to show her his closet of shirts
- He commands Mr. Klipspringer to play the piano for him and Daisy both to show his wealth and power over others
- Daisy seems immensely happy with Gatsby’s luxurious lifestyle
- The American dream also seems to be of great importance to Gatsby. His life seems centered around living the stereotypical, yet greatly inaccurate, the American dream of wealth and prosperity.
Prominent Quotations
- “Well, suppose we take a plunge in the swimming-pool? I haven’t made use of it all summer” (Fitzgerald 82).
- This quotation foreshadows the death of Gatsby. He says this very same thing right before he goes swimming and gets shot
- “’How about the day after tomorrow?’ He considered for a moment. Then, with reluctance: ‘I want to get the grass cut,’ he said… I suspected that he meant my grass” (Fitzgerald 82).
- Explains the importance of Gatsby’s wealth and power to himself. He feels that he must show Daisy that he, and everyone he knows, is rich and powerful to please her. This ties into the theme of wealth and its importance.
- “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy and I think that he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of the response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way as though in her actual presence none of it was any longer real. Once he even toppled down a flight of stairs” (Fitzgerald 91).
- It is known that Gatsby places a great deal of importance on his wealth and material possessions however, as soon as he is reunited with Daisy, his material wealth pales in comparison to the one he truly loves. This is the first time in the story that Gatsby has placed less emphasis on his possessions than anything else.
- “They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such–such beautiful shirts before” (Fitzgerald 92).
- Daisy’s crying is out of joy. She loves Gatsby, but wants to marry someone rich, and finding out that the man she loves is rich brings her joy to the point of tears.
- “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed like a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had decreased by one” (Fitzgerald 93).
- The symbol of the green light that Gatsby treasured so dearly has lost its significance to give way to his life’s dream.
Development of Characters
- Gatsby seems to have changed a great deal from the beginning of this chapter to the end of it. In the beginning, he is happy and as he is in the earlier chapters of the book, but he soon turns into a nervous wreck as the time until he is to meet Daisy draws nearer. After getting over his embarrassment when he first meets Daisy, Gatsby becomes overwhelmed with joy. This is temporary, however, and it wears off into a sort of awe at her presence.
- However, this chapter draws to a conclusion with Gatsby in a confused state. For many years he dreamed of being with Daisy, but now that he has her, he sees some of her imperfections. The only reason this bothers Gatsby is that he built up such a perfect image of Daisy over the years, that no one could possibly fulfill it, leaving him never satisfied.
- Nick himself does not undergo a change, but his perception of Gatsby certainly does. At the beginning of the chapter, he already sees Gatsby simply as the proprietor of the house next to his, the thrower of many parties and one hated by no one.
- However, when Nick witnesses the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy, his perception of Gatsby changes once more. He begins to see Gatsby as simply a man with money. He sees Gatsby’s reactions to Daisy and realizes that Gatsby is no different than him, except he has money.
- Daisy displays minimal changes in that she is reunited with Gatsby. After so long a wait and giving up hope, she is finally reunited with him and seems happier than before
- Mr. Klipspringer displays no visible changes in the chapter
