The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
In Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby, we finally realize that Gatsby likes Tom Buchanan's wife Daisy (if we didn't read the summary on the back of the book or forgot what it said, like I did).
"'This is Mr. Gatsby, Mr. Buchanan.'
They shook hands briefly, and a strained, unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby's face...I turned toward Mr. Gatsby, but he was no longer there" (Fitzgerald, page 74).
He is awkward around Tom probably because he is jealous and possibly angry at him for stealing away his woman. This is completely understandable as no one would want to be around someone who currently has the love of the person he/she loves. I wonder if Tom suspects anything or if Daisy had mentioned anything about Jay to her husband. I know I wouldn't.
Anyway, Nick goes on to describe a conversation with Jordan Baker in which she recalls the details of Jay and Daisy's relationship years before. It was sad when she said she found Daisy drunk on her wedding day because she was obviously still in love with Jay, but she had given up on him and true love. Many things come into focus in this chapter as well, such as why Gatsby moved into that particular house (because it was across from Daisy) and why he befriended Nick from the beginning (because he wanted Daisy to come over to see his house). This makes a lot of sense, but I do feel bad for Nick because he has been taken advantage of and possibly is not close to the real Gatsby at all (although I'm still not sure if he really likes him or not).
This is where I would reference a movie or book where the man didn't want to he around his love's husband, but there are too many to choose from so I'll leave it to your imagination.
No comments:
Post a Comment