Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 6

Summary

As rumors circulate about Gatsby’s true identity and the source of his money, Gatsby and Daisy pursue their romance. Daisy attends one of his parties with Tom in tow. Afterwards, Gatsby fears she did not have a good time and doesn’t feel as close to her as he did five years ago. When Nick attempts to console him by saying it’s impossible to repeat the past, Gatsby refuses to accept that.

Key Passage

Nick is speaking with Gatsby late one night after one of his parties. It was the first party that Daisy attended, and Gatsby is concerned that she didn’t have a good time. Gatsby can’t understand why things aren’t the way they used to be between him and Daisy. When Nick attempts to console him by saying it’s impossible to live the past over again, Gatsby can’t believe what he’s hearing. Arranging everything so that he and Daisy can repeat the past—only better this time—has been Gatsby’s singular motivation these past five years, and he is determined to succeed.

Plot

Daisy and Gatsby rekindle their romance early in the narrative. And despite all of Gatsby’s exhaustive preparations and secrecy, it happens fairly easily. So early and easily, in fact, that The Great Gatsby cannot possibly be the story of two long-lost lovers finding each other and living happily ever after. Soon, both emotional and practical concerns begin to take their toll. Gatsby will settle for nothing less than a return to the status quo that existed between him and Daisy five years ago. But Daisy is not who she was then, and perhaps she never was that person at all. She is married now, and has given little indication that she intends to leave Tom. The longer this rekindled romance hangs in limbo, the more uncertain their future becomes.

Character

As a teenager, Gatsby cast off both his name and family because they did not align with what he perceived to be his destiny. Through sheer force of will, he made this destiny a reality. He was able to make the most sought-after girl in Louisville fall in love with him. When he was too poor to marry her, he pursued and achieved incredible wealth. Everything that is Jay Gatsby–his name, his reputation, his fortune–materialized from the whims of his romantic imagination. And now he needs just this one more thing: to relive the past over again so that his love can work out the way it is meant to. When Nick tells him that a person can’t repeat the past, Gatsby refuses to accept it. Not once has he failed to realize his dreams, so why should this be any different?

Language

Fitzgerald is known for his rich and vibrant prose. His characters are often deeply romantic dreamers, and Fitzgerald enhances these traits by using vivid descriptions and aesthetically transcendent language. Even when commenting on Gatsby’s flaws, Nick’s language often remains poetic, as though he, too, has been swept up in the power of Gatsby’s charisma. But in this passage, Fitzgerald abandons his typical diction. The sentences are short, almost choppy, and the vivid descriptions all but disappear. Fitzgerald’s language casts a light on Gatsby’s limitations, revealing plainly that Gatsby still believes he has the power to relive the past. When stripped of Fitzgerald’s eloquence, this romanticism seems more like delusion.

Vocabulary

• laudable 

  laud·able adjective

  deserving praise

  She received a medal for her laudable performance during the competition.

• notoriety 

  no·to·ri·e·ty noun

  the state of being well known, usually for something bad

  The actor’s notoriety stemmed from years of bad behavior.

Vocabulary

• shiftless

  shift·less adjective

  without ambition

  Our shiftless cousin lost one job after another because he failed to arrive for work on time.

• meretricious 

  mer·e·tri·cious adjective

  superficially attractive but having no value or integrity

  He set up a table to sell meretricious souvenirs to the tourists who didn’t know the artifacts were fake.

Vocabulary

• reverie

  rev·er·ie noun

  a daydream or meditation

  The old woman picked the man’s pocket while he was off in a reverie.

• turgid 

  tur·gid adjective

  swollen and blocked up

  After the week of nonstop rain, the creek behind our house was turgid and full of debris.

  
  

  
  

Vocabulary

• contingency

  con·tin·gen·cy noun

  an eventual event or situation which may happen, but cannot be predicted with certainty

  The contingency was a possible thunderstorm so to plan for it, the baseball players reserved the field for a different day.

• antecedent 

  an·te·ced·ent noun

  something that existed or happened prior to another thing

  His experience as a boy scout was an antecedent to him becoming a park ranger as an adult.

Vocabulary

• menagerie 

  me·nag·er·ie noun

  a collection of strange or unusual things, often wild animals

  William Randolph Hearst had a menagerie on the grounds of his home, including giraffes, zebras, monkeys, and more.

• radiant

  ra·di·ant adjective

  shining brightly; sending out light

  She looked positively radiant in her costume for the ball and turned heads the entire night.

Open Ended

Who is James Gatz?

Open Ended

What does Nick mean when he describes Jay Gatsby as being the type of man “a seventeen-year-old boy would invent”?

Open Ended

Where does Tom believe Gatsby’s fortune came from? What evidence from earlier chapters might corroborate the belief that Gatsby’s business dealings are not totally on the level?

Open Ended

What is ironic about Daisy’s reaction to her first, and only, Gatsby party?

Open Ended

What does Nick believe about the past? What does Gatsby believe?