Chapter
5
summary
Nick’s house, 2013 film
We learn…pg 30
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Gatsby comes over to Nick’s to see about the plans with Daisy.
Nick calls up Daisy and invites her to tea; he tells her not to bring Tom.
We learn…pg 31
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•
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On the day of the meeting, it is pouring rain.
Gatsby sends over a man to cut Nick’s grass and sends over many flowers for Nick’s house.
Gatsby arrives in a white suit and then he and Nick wait.
We learn…pg 31
• Gatsby waits nervously and is about to leave
when Daisy shows up.
• Nick greets Daisy and brings her inside.
Gatsby is not there. There is a knock on the
door – it is Gatsby.
– “Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands
plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was
standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically
into my eyes.”
• Gatsby is SO nervous!!!
We learn…pg 32
• Gatsby enters the living room where Daisy is
as Nick stays in the hallway.
– “For half a minute there wasn't a sound. Then from the living room I
heard a sort of choking murmur and part of a laugh followed by
Daisy's voice on a clear artificial note.
Interesting that Nick describes
‘I certainly am awfully glad to see you
again.’
A pause; it endured horribly. I had
nothing to do in the hall so I went
into the room.”
Daisy’s voice as ‘artificial’ – is this
because she is nervous, because
she isn’t actually glad to see
Gatsby, or just because Daisy is a
rather superficial (artificial)
person??
What a great description – one of those
pauses where no one knows what to say; I
like that Fitzgerald has almost turned it
into personification, as if the pause was
staying alive (enduring).
We learn…pg 32
• Nick says that Gatsby was leaning against the
fireplace “in a strained counterfeit of perfect
ease, even of boredom” – this guy wants us to
believe he is the king of nonchalance!
• Nick says that Daisy was sitting “frightened but
graceful on the edge of a stiff chair”
– You have to ask yourself:
How is the description of Daisy
and Gatsby different and what
does the description say about
each character and what they
want?
We learn…pg 32
Symbolism Gatsby was leaning against a small
clock and when he moves, the clock falls – luckily he
catches it…how clever, he ‘handles’ time – just like
he wants to do in real life!!
• The clock doesn’t break but Nick says, “I think we
all believed for a moment that it had smashed in
pieces on the floor.” --- like the pieces of G&D’s
broken relationship.
• Nick decides to leave G&D alone to have tea but
Gatsby follows Nick into the kitchen and regrets
the whole thing – he says it is a mistake.
• Nick tells him he is just embarrassed and that he
needs to go back to see Daisy.
We learn…pg 32
• Nick then leaves the house for a half hour. During his time
outside, he tells us about Gatsby’s house. He says that the
man who built it, promised to pay the taxes on all the
houses nearby if the owners agreed to put a thatched
(straw) roof on their houses – this would have given the
area a look of a lord (in Gatsby’s house) with many servant
cottages nearby. Unfortunately, the man didn’t get his wish
and died shortly after and that is why Gatsby was able to
buy the house.
Symbolism Gatsby is in some ways like a lord now and
Nick is acting like his ‘servant’ (setting up the meeting
between G&D) also, like the man who built the house, Gatsby
is putting on a show…hopefully his show won’t end as badly
as the other man’s.
GREAT LINE: “Americans, while occasionally willing to be
serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry.”
– What do you think this means??
We learn…pg 33
• Nick finally goes back into the house to see G&D.
• Nick says that Gatsby looked so happy
(“glowed…radiated”). Daisy was crying.
• Gatsby invites both Nick and Daisy to his house.
• Daisy goes to wash her face and Gatsby asks Nick if he
house looks okay (he is worried that Daisy won’t like
his house – i.e. like him).
• Gatsby says it took him three years to earn the money
to buy the house BUT Nick says, he thought Gatsby
inherited his money. Gatsby remembers and says, ‘yes,
yes, of course’.
• Isn’t it interesting that Gatsby ‘forgets’ the lie for a minute when he is
with Nick…does he feel comfortable around Nick (like they are friends
and so he can be himself) or do you think he just was so overwhelmed
from seeing Daisy that he just forgot??
Gatsby’s House
Daisy is impressed by Gatsby’s house
(2013 film)
We learn…pg 33
• Daisy is impressed with how big and amazing
Gatsby’s house is and she wonders how he can
live there all alone.
• Gatsby says, “ ‘I keep it always full of interesting
people, night and day. People who do
interesting things. Celebrated people.’” (is he
bragging?)
We learn…pg 34
• Nick says that during the whole tour of the
house, Gatsby never stopped looking at Daisy.
Nick says that it seems that Gatsby was rejudging everything he owned based on how
much Daisy liked those things.
We learn…pg 34
• Nick says that Gatsby has had three significant
emotions since seeing Daisy: 1. embarrassment; 2.
extreme joy; (now) 3. wonder/amazement. Nick
suspects that Gatsby had waited so long for this
moment that he is unable to really believe it is finally
happening. Nick says Gatsby feels overwhelmed.
• Gatsby points out the green light on the dock of Daisy’s
house that you can see from Gatsby’s house.
• There is a picture of a young Gatsby on a boat with an
older man (Dan Cody) – this will be important later on.
• Gatsby shows Daisy a book of newspaper stories that
he cut out about her.
– You have to ask yourself: Is it creepy or romantic that
Gatsby is so obsessed with Daisy??
We learn…pg 35
• Daisy comments that she would like to put Gatsby into one of the pink
clouds in the sky and push him around.
– You have to ask yourself: Why does Daisy say this? I think it speaks to
her silliness – her inability to live in the real world…what do you think?
• Gatsby orders the man living in his house (Klipspringer) to play the piano
for their entertainment.
• Nick decides to leave them. Nick says that he thinks, “There must have
been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his
dreams--not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of
his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything…No amount of
fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly
heart.”
– It’s true, isn’t it? Sometimes we imagine something for so long that
when we finally get it, it doesn’t live up to our expectations…the
dream is better than reality.
• Nick leaves – he says that “They had forgotten me”
Symbolism
• Shirts: When Gatsby takes Daisy to see his house, one of the
most important things he shows her is his closet – which is full
of clothes. Remember, when Gatsby was in the army, he
didn’t have any money so all he could wear was his uniform.
Now that he has lots of money, he can afford lots of shirts.
Gatsby throws all his shirts out of the closet for Daisy to see.
– He is showing how wealthy he is that he can afford so many shirts.
– He is also showing that he is wealthy enough not to care that they are getting
all wrinkled and someone will have to come refold them and put them away.
• After a while, Daisy begins to cry – she says she has never
seen such beautiful shirts – but she is really sad because she is
so overwhelmed from seeing Gatsby again and realizing that
he is now rich.
– You have to ask yourself: Is Gatsby being superficial to think that all these
‘things’ will impress Daisy or is he just being realistic – after all, without money
he can’t marry Daisy…